3. Good Call
Piper had half-convinced herself that Troy was pulling her leg about both the size of the town and the name of the diner. Now that she wasn’t concentrating on Oreo, she found out he’d been completely serious.
The town didn’t have an online presence, so she’d had to picture it in her mind. It was much smaller than she’d expected. She’d lived her entire life in various suburbs of Chicago. While they’d been tiny compared to the city, they were exponentially larger than Phail. It would be like comparing Wrigley Field to the size of a baseball.
The drive from out of town at Kimi’s to the diner took less than five minutes. She could barely lock up her apartment and reach street level in five minutes. “Maybe we should advertise short commute times.”
Troy laughed as he parked behind his store. “Good starting point.”
She got out of the car before Troy got to her door, which made him frown. Sexy man had a definite chivalrous side. After seeing his reaction, she wished she’d waited for him to open her door.
The No Fail Diner sat on the same street as Phail General, along with Phail Phoods. It all made Piper smile. “Is this the main street in town?”
Troy nodded and placed his hand on her lower back to guide her to the diner. “Sure is. Phail Way.”
A laugh burst out of her. “Of course, it is. This town obviously has a good sense of humor.”
Troy grinned as he held open the door. “Definitely. Wait until you see inside.”
She tried to prepare herself, but whatever she might have expected, it wasn’t what she found. The No Fail Diner was laid out like most diners. A long counter. Booths along the window and side wall. A pass-through window to the kitchen where she could see the cook at work. Chalkboard menus.
The details made it memorable, in its own bizarre way.
The stools and the booths were covered in blue and green tartan. A huge crest decorated the side wall above the booths. What she thought were griffins surrounded a knight’s headpiece. The name Phail filled the banner at the bottom.
The scents coming from the kitchen were at complete odds with the sights in the diner. Paprika, cumin, peppers. Not your typical Scottish fare.
A woman behind the counter laughed and walked toward them. “I recognize that Did I drop through the looking glass? expression. Welcome to Phail and the No Fail Diner.”
The woman was tall and had similar coloring to Troy, meaning she was likely the cousin he’d mentioned. He confirmed that with his words. “Hey Ginny, this is Piper Keenan. Piper, this is my cousin Ginny. She owns the diner and does all the baking.”
Piper shook hands with her. “I love your place. And it smells like paradise.”
Her eyes twinkled. “Manuel is an amazing cook. Have a seat. Can I bring you coffee or tea?” She indicated the smaller chalkboard with a surprising variety of tea.
“I’ll have the decaf chai, please.”
Ginny nodded, and Troy led Piper to a booth on the side wall where they could see everyone coming and going.
Troy pointed at the menu. “Ginny closes up at three, so we have enough time to order and eat. Everything’s good.”
The only diner in town closed at three o’clock. Looked like she’d have to check out what Phail Phoods had to offer to get her through the night.
They’d need a restaurant or two in town if they wanted to bring in any tourists, but maybe the local economy couldn’t sustain that.
Ginny brought over her tea and Troy’s coffee with a smile. “Manuel will make you up some takeout for later. Carl and Jim let guests use the BB’s kitchen so you can heat it up. And your meals while you’re here are on the house.”
Piper felt her mouth drop open. Again. Everything about this town was a surprise.
Ginny laughed at her expression. “We’re hoping you can help us figure out how to grow our town. The least we can do is keep you from getting hungry.”
“It sure smells tasty. I kind of want to try everything.”
Ginny laughed again. “Perfect. Let me give free rein to Manuel, and I’ll bring it out when it’s ready.”
Piper grinned at Troy. “Well, everyone in this town excels at the Welcome vibe.”
“We’ve got good people here. Hard-working people who want to raise families and people who belong to families who’ve lived here for generations. But the lure of the big city is hard to combat. We want to know where to invest our money to ensure the town survives and grows.”
Piper nodded. “I’ve done most of my work in urban settings, but there are lots of ideas that should cross over to small towns. Do you get tourists or visitors?”
Ginny brought over a couple of platters for them to share. “Manuel is making you up a takeout box for tonight, too. Enjoy.”
Troy thanked her and nodded at the food. “Why don’t we just enjoy this for now and then get you settled at the BB. We can talk business later on.”
Piper nodded and grabbed the nearest taco. She would have to do more research tonight on tiny towns because she didn’t have a clue where to start to help a town named Phail.
* * *
Troy kept the topics light as they finished their meal. Piper looked adorably overwhelmed by everything that had happened since she’d found the little dog on the road. He figured she needed a break from thinking about anything heavy.
They found out they shared a love of reading thrillers and country music. She also liked pop, while he preferred rock. Neither of them saw a lot of movies, but both liked anything fun. The fact that she shied away from sad movies didn’t surprise him at all. The way she’d treated the bulldog told him that.
When they finally pushed away their plates, he figured he’d doubled her intake, but she’d held her own, even with the spicier varieties.
“That was amazing. If this place was in Chicago, it would be jam-packed all day long.”
Ginny cleared their plates. “I’ll pass the comment along to Manuel. Or maybe I won’t. I don’t want him to run away to the city.”
From where Troy was sitting, he watched Manuel roll his eyes as he moved about the kitchen, cleaning it up for the end of the day.
On the way out, Troy stuffed a twenty in the tip jar and introduced Piper to Josie Ellis and Nico Rivera, who were waiting for a takeout order. “They’re part of a group of people who live out at Midnight Lake, just down the road a bit.”
Josie smiled at Piper. “Nice to meet you. We’re originally from Sacramento, but this place lured us away from the bright lights. You’re going to love it here.”
Nico nodded. “You’ll have to get Troy to bring you out to the Midnight Lake lodge. We’ve got a lot of great things going on out there. Tansy and Joe Cheveyo inherited the lodge. She’s a scientist and inventor. Everything from space shuttle parts to holographic technology to robots who clean the lodge so we don’t have to.”
Josie grinned. “She’s amazing. And the guys run a business called Midnight Security. They teach all kinds of skills for personal security and bodyguards. Troy here is an expert on communications.”
Troy felt his skin heat. “Josie’s an incredible artist and has a studio out there.”
Josie grinned. “And there’s a fire lab for our arson investigator. A woodworking shop where Aisling builds furniture. And a mechanic’s garage. The entire place is off the grid too. You’re welcome to visit anytime. You could stay for a few days if you like, there’s a ton of room.”
He watched Piper’s eyes widen as the pair listed all the activity happening out at the lake. He hoped some of that gave her a better idea of the town and its potential.
When they reached the street and turned toward her car, Piper shook her head. “My head is spinning. There’s a lot more to this area than meets the surface.”
He agreed. “There is. And we’re getting more people visiting the area with the work at Midnight Lake. I’d like to attract another BB owner at the very least. That would give the Midnight Security clients more places to stay.”
When they reached her car, Troy held open her door once she unlocked it. “Would you like me to go with you to the BB?”
She nodded. “That would be great. I’m not up to another adventure figuring out the GPS.”
That had him laughing. He was laughing a lot with this woman. “It’s only a couple of blocks from here. You wouldn’t need it, but this way, we’ll be sure you get settled in.”
Troy walked around the car and got in the other side. When they arrived at the BB only a minute later, Piper was grinning. “Definitely have to use the short commutes if you do any advertising.”
Piper popped the trunk, and Troy moved to the back to grab her bags. It surprised him to find two large suitcases and a couple of duffel bags. That was a lot for a couple of weeks.
As if reading his thoughts, Piper reached past the suitcases and grabbed one duffel. When he grabbed the suitcase, she shook her head. “I don’t need those. Just the duffels.”
He grabbed the second one. “Anything else?”
She shook her head. “Nope, this is all I’ll need.”
He reached for the second duffle she carried, but she shook her head and moved to the door. “I’ve got it, thanks.”
They climbed the steps to the wide wrap-around porch of the large Victorian house while he wondered about the suitcases in the trunk. Troy opened the door and they walked into the lobby. With Thanksgiving over, this wasn’t a prime season for the BB. She might be the only guest, and he knew Jim and Carl would be thrilled to have her. They’d make her feel welcome.
Sure enough, Carl bustled in from the kitchen, wearing oven mitts. The house smelled like chocolate, and Piper drew in a smiling breath.
Carl slid off the oven mitts and held out his hand to shake. “Welcome. You must be Piper. I’m Carl. Welcome to Phail and to our BB. I hope you’ll treat it like your home while you’re here.”
Moisture filled Piper’s eyes before she blinked it away. She smiled back at Carl. “Thank you. You have a lovely home, and it smells like heaven.”
Jim walked down the stairs and laughed. “My husband’s head is going to be too big to get through the door. Hello, Piper. I’m Jim. You’ve got the best room in the house, and it’s all set for you.” Then he walked to his husband and they exchanged a quick kiss.
Jim looked at the takeout bag Manuel had sent along with her. “I see Ginny and Manuel took care of tonight’s supper. I can put that in the fridge for you. We’re more than happy for you to have your suppers with us while you’re here.”
Carl nodded. “I’m cooking for us, anyway. Adding one more isn’t a problem.”
“I don’t want to put you to any trouble.”
Carl laughed. “No trouble at all. We’ll all coordinate, and if Troy doesn’t have plans for you, then you’ll eat with us.”
Troy knew exactly what plans he’d like to have with Piper, and he figured Carl was reading his mind. And probably trying out his matchmaking skills. The two were happy and wanted everyone else to find their partners as well. He hoped Piper didn’t spot the gleam in Carl’s eye as he looked between them.
With a gentle look, Jim slid the duffel out of Piper’s hand. “I’ll take that for you. Why don’t we head up and get you settled? Are you two meeting up again later on?”
Carl nodded for him. “I’m sure Troy would like to start showing you our lovely town, but I think you could use an hour or two of downtime after that drive and a chance to warm up. And then you’ll need the rest of the evening to catch your breath. I’ll get those shoes dried out for you. Do you have boots here? If not, I’m sure we can find someone with your size who has a pair you can borrow. You never know how much snow we’ll get here in December.”
“I have boots in my back seat.”
Jim took the keys from her hand and handed them to Troy. “Why don’t you get them for her and leave them here in the lobby? You can pick her up here tomorrow. Does that work for you both?”
Piper nodded with wide eyes, and Troy grinned as he agreed. The couple had adopted Piper, and she’d be in excellent hands. He gave her a wave. “See you soon.”
And he couldn’t wait.