Pushed

Chapter 13

Everywhere I wentin Moonlit Lake, people were either whispering behind my back or congratulating me on my engagement. At first I tried to correct them, and explain that it was a misunderstanding. But it was no use. This seemed to be the hottest news in town, and nobody wanted to let it go.

A part of me was happy to let people believe it. A part of me wished it were true. But then I reminded myself of the food fight fiasco and how insane she seemed pelting me with veggies. No, I was better off remaining happily single.

I rubbed my temples. This inner back-and-forth was making my head hurt. There had to be something seriously wrong with me.

And how in the world did this news get back to my hometown, anyway?

The whole thing was getting out of hand. I knew I’d better explain everything to my family before my phone blew up with messages. And before Mom began planning my wedding. A simple text to the family group chat should take care of it.

Hey! A funny thing happened. You might have heard the rumors.

Skye

The rumor I heard is that you’re engaged. When Jojo told me that was the latest buzz in the cafe, I laughed my butt off. Jasper engaged! LOL!

Storm

Jasper’s engaged? Now that is funny!

I’m not engaged. But I kind of let people think I was.

Mom

What are you talking about? What’s going on, Jasper?

I typed out an explanation of the night of the gala in as few words as possible, and Junie replied almost as soon as I hit send.

Junie

You faked an engagement? How very romcom of you.

It was just a ruse for the evening. What happens at the gala, stays at the gala. Right? Never thought anyone else would hear about it. And never thought I’d see the woman again. No big deal.

Mom

You’d never see your fiancée again? Or the stalker?

The fake fiancée. Would be nice if I never saw the stalker again, but I doubt I’ll be that lucky.

Junie

Obviously, the rumor mill has wide connections. It’s all over town.

Skye

Does this mean you’ve seen your fake fiancée again?

Yep. And I’ve got the bruises to prove it.

Along with crusty mashed potato in my ear and hair. But that was a detail I’d be keeping to myself.

Skye

Haha! Let me know when you see her again. I want a front row seat for the next round.

Junie

Oooh… this is gonna be good.

Mom

So, who is this woman you’re supposedly going to marry?

I thought her name is Aurora, but apparently it is actually AJ Scott, the chef at Moonstruck

Skye

You’re fake fiancée is the chef at the restaurant you intend to buy. This just keeps getting better.

Storm

Oh boy! Good luck with that!

Gee thanks

I set my phone aside, not wanting to take anymore of their ridicule.

Yeah. It was going to take more than luck to smooth things over with Chef AJ Scott. More like a miracle.

After I showered, washed all the food off my face and cleaned the potatoes out of my ears, I went in search of my dad.

Before I got out the door, Mom called out. “Jasper, hold up. Can you do me a favor and run this goat’s milk and cheese over to Tillie? I told her I’d drop it off this morning, but it’s been one thing after another here today.”

“Sure, I can do that. When I’m done there, do you know where I’ll find Dad?”

“Last I saw, he was out by the horses, but he said he had things to do in the office the rest of the day. So I imagine that’s where he’ll be.”

“Thanks. I’ll be back soon.”

Tillie was in the store talking to a customer when I walked in. Her face lit up when she saw me.

“Jasper, how serendipitous. We were just talking about you.”

“Like everyone else in town, I hear.”

She chuckled. “You do like to draw attention. Don’t you?”

The woman in front of Tillie turned to face me. It was Mr. Quince’s daughter Tina. “Oh. Hi, Tina. How’s your dad doing? And how is the family dealing with it? You are in our thoughts.”

“Thank you, Jasper. It’s been difficult, but we’re hopeful he’ll recover. I was just telling Tillie that we’ve decided to sell the Moonstruck. It will be too much for Dad to deal with, and nobody else in the family has any interest in it.” She handed Tillie her credit card.

Not an ideal moment, but I wasn’t going to let an opportunity pass me by. “Tina, I wanted to wait for the right time to talk to you, but since you brought it up… I am extremely interested in buying the Moonstruck. Maybe we can meet to talk over the details, sometime when it’s convenient for you.”

“Wonderful. And rumor has it that you and AJ Scott are engaged. Congratulations! You two will make quite the power couple. She is a very talented chef. And you have an impressive business reputation. And grew up here on a farm. The two of you together are the perfect combination.”

“I’m sorry, but I think you’re mistaken. I fully intend to keep AJ on as chef and the rest of the staff as well, but I’m not looking for a partner. I’ll send you my proposal and an offer to purchase. I can get that to you as soon as I get back to the farm.”

Her mouth twisted to the side, and she sucked air between her teeth. “Sorry. The family is firm on this. We want someone with both strong culinary skills and solid business experience. I understand you are a genius in business but have no culinary or restaurant experience. And AJ is a master in the kitchen but is new to the business end. The two of you together will be perfect. That’s why I was so happy to hear you were a couple.”

I turned and ran my fingers through my hair. This was not what I planned. And AJ clearly hated me. Working together would be disastrous.

Or you could win her over and get her to fall in love with you. Two birds, one stone.

She’s more likely to murder me in the first week. This is a bad idea. I was just about to tell that to Tina when she laid it on the line.

“If you and AJ aren’t interested, we have a few others from out of town that are. A couple of big league restaurateurs will give us top dollar. But we’d rather give our hometown sweethearts a shot first.” She paused to let her words sink in. “If you want a chance to take over this restaurant, partnering with AJ is the only way it will happen.”

“But…” I struggled to find the right argument. Part of me wanted to fight, to do this on my own the way I had planned. But there was something about partnering with AJ that pumped a surge of excitement through my veins. She’d never go for it. But I didn’t want to be the one to say no. “Alright. If that’s the way it has to be. I’ll do it.”

“Wonderful.” She clapped excitedly. “I’ll have our attorney draw up papers for you both. And we can meet at the Moonstruck to go over the details.” She took her bag from Tillie and started toward the door. “Between you and me, I hope it works for the two of you to take over. It will be just like Mom and Dad. Mom was a magician with a whisk, and Dad took care of the business end. I can’t think of a better way to continue their legacy.” Tina waved goodbye. “Thanks, Tillie. You always have the best ideas. And Jasper, I’ll see you tomorrow.”

Once she was gone, Tillie gave me a mischievous side-eye. “Isn’t it interesting how things work out in ways we never would have imagined?”

“It throws you a curveball, you mean.”

“If I remember right, when you played baseball, you struggled to hit the curveball. You hated striking out, so you practiced every day and by the end of the summer, you mastered it and hit it out of the park.” She patted my cheek, like she’d done since I was a boy. “I have every faith you and AJ will hit this one out of the park, too.”

“I hope you’re right, Tillie. There’s much more at stake than striking out or losing a game.” Like losing my dream, and my heart, at the same time.