Kathryn Springer - Longing for Home

“The next few months?” Kate echoed. “But that means she and Tony won’t be able to attend the wedding on Saturday!”

Abby leaned against Quinn and his arms immediately came around her, bracketing her slender frame. “I’m afraid not.”

“Oh, Abby.” Kate’s heart wrenched at the thought of the couple missing out on such a special day. Jessica and Tony Benson had been instrumental in leading Abby to the Lord and she counted them among her closest friends. “I know how important it was to have them here.”

Alex shot her a grim look. “That’s not all it means,” he pointed out. “They won’t be able to take over the inn while you go on your honeymoon, either.”

“What’s important is Jessica and the baby’s health,” Abby said softly. “If it means delaying our honeymoon trip for a little while, then that’s what we’ll have to do.”

Quinn nodded. “We already prayed about it and we trust that God is in control of the situation.”

Kate felt the sting of tears in her own eyes. Before he’d met Abby, Quinn had been angry at the world—and God. “You’re right. He knows what you need.”

“So do I,” Alex said. “You need a temporary manager. I can take over while you’re gone.”

Three pairs of eyes turned to him in amazement.

“You?” Quinn was the only one brave enough to voice the question.

“Don’t look so surprised. I do own four hotels,” Alex reminded his future brother-in-law.

The couple exchanged a look.

“But this is a bed-and-breakfast,” Abby said.

“Your point?” The eyebrow lifted.

“You don’t know how to cook,” Quinn said bluntly.

To Kate’s astonishment, Alex didn’t deny it. She glanced at Abby and found herself on the receiving end of a bright smile.

Oh, no.

Kate could read her friend’s mind. Now she could only hope that Abby could read hers.

Don’t say it, Abby.

But Abby did say it. Out loud.

“Kate does.”

Chapter Four

“What?”

“What!”

The words collided in midair. Alex’s came out like a pistol shot while Kate’s was just as loud but sounded more like a…oh, let’s be honest…a squeak.

“Alex knows how to run a hotel and you know how to run a kitchen.” Abby’s gaze bounced between Kate and Alex, as if daring them to disagree. “It makes perfect sense.”

Kate swallowed a groan. How could she say no to her best friend? But following that line of reasoning, how could her best friend expect her to work alongside a man who assumed her main culinary achievement was corned beef hash?

It wasn’t that Kate didn’t want to come to Quinn and Abby’s rescue. She did. But that didn’t mean she wanted to share a lifeboat with Alex Porter!

Kate reached for an excuse. Any excuse.

“I’m not sure Grady can manage without me,” she stammered, silently apologizing to her cook, who had fed platoons of hungry soldiers for years. “And I don’t have Alex’s minions to call on for help.”

“Did you,” Alex said softly, “just use the word minions?”

“It’s the only one that fit,” Kate admitted.

Quinn clapped his hand over his mouth to stifle a sudden coughing fit.

“You’re right, Kate.” Abby mustered a brave smile. “Half the town depends on you, not just Grady. It isn’t fair to ask you to split your time between here and the café. The inn offers a full breakfast every morning in addition to afternoon tea once a week. You wouldn’t have a minute to yourself.”

Kate should have been relieved that Abby had let her off the hook so easily, but all she felt was guilt.

“Don’t worry, Abby.” Alex muscled his way back into the conversation. “I’ll reassign a real…” He caught himself. “A chef from one of the hotels.

“I’m sure given the right incentive, I can convince one of my—” He paused and stared down at Kate with a glint in his eyes, as if he knew she was silently filling in the blank with the word “minions.” “—employees to take your place for two weeks.”

Some of the worry lifted from Abby’s eyes but not all of it.

And Kate knew why. Alex’s “right incentive” translated into the right amount of numbers added to someone’s weekly paycheck.

Kate chewed on her lower lip. She and Abby had more in common than their faith and a love for the community they called home. They understood what it meant to be the sole owner of a business. For Abby to leave her kitchen in the hands of a stranger was the equivalent of leaving a beloved child in the care of a babysitter rather than a trusted friend or family member.

In this situation, Abby had both—if Kate could put aside her misgivings about working closely with Alex.

Kate drew in a breath and released it with a silent prayer.

We can do it for two weeks, can’t we, Lord?

“I’ll talk to Grady,” she said. “The café closes at two every day. That should give me plenty of time to drive over to the inn and get a head start on breakfast for the next day. Thursday is my day off, so that’s when I’ll host the afternoon tea.”

“Really?” A smile bloomed on Abby’s face. “Are you sure? I know it’s asking a lot.”

“Missy is leaving for college at the end of the month and she’s been asking for more hours. She might be willing to open right away in the morning and as long as I keep up with the baking, Grady can handle the kitchen.”

The more Kate thought about it, the more she realized it could work.

Until the harbinger of doom spoke up.

“I still think you should let me hire a chef, Abby. Like you said, Kate has a lot of responsibilities—”

“None of which are more important than you and Quinn,” Kate interjected.

Alex cut her a look cool enough to flash-freeze a package of pork chops. “Do you realize you have a tendency to finish other people’s sentences?”

“Oh, yes.” For once Kate didn’t feel the need to apologize. “It’s a habit.”

“It’s also—”

“One of the things we love about Kate,” Quinn said smoothly before Alex could insult his new business partner.

The jade eyes narrowed on his future brother-in-law. “You just did it, too.”

“Only to avoid bloodshed,” Quinn murmured.

Kate found it interesting that no one had to ask what he meant.

“So, this is great.” Abby stepped from the shelter of Quinn’s arms to pull her brother into a hug. With her free hand, she motioned to Kate.

No, Abby! Not a group hug…

Kate gulped as Abby reeled her in, briefly linking the three of them together. For a moment, Kate’s shoulder brushed against Alex’s and the hint of lime in his cologne caused her traitorous nose to twitch in appreciation.

“You guys are amazing,” Abby murmured. “I won’t worry about a thing. Not with Alex managing the office and Kate in the kitchen.”

“And a line of yellow police tape strung up between the two,” Quinn murmured.

Kate made a face at him over Abby’s shoulder before she wriggled free.

“That means I’ll be running the day-to-day operations,” Alex said. “Handling reservations. Overseeing the staff. The hiring and the firing.”

“You won’t have to fire anyone.” Abby frowned at her brother.

“Of course not,” Alex said in that crushed velvet voice. “I just wanted to make sure I understood.”

He took a step away from Abby and smiled. At her.

Suddenly, Kate understood, too.

She might be in charge of the kitchen, but Alex was in charge of the inn in which that particular kitchen resided. Meaning that he was in charge of her.

Like it or not, she had just become one of Alex Porter’s minions.

“Are you listening to me, Alex?”

Alex jerked to attention, upsetting Mulligan, who had camped out at his feet in the gathering room. “I always listen to you.”