Unexpected Entanglement (Echo #3)

6. Chapter 6

six

Rowan led Alex and Oliver out of the finished gray barn after showing them where the reception would take place.

“So we’ll have four long tables. Each will seat ten. Then there’s a head table for the wedding party. It’s a small wedding, people-wise,” Rowan briefed.

When they’d arrived back at the inn, Rowan had let the new arrivals settle in while she’d met with Frankie. But after a brief hour, Alex and Oliver had jumped right into the wedding preparation. Rowan had taken them through the newly renovated main house kitchen where they would work.

Then they’d walked to the gray barn. She’d painted this one gunmetal gray to match the adjacent main house. She’d also designed the interior to be spacious and functional for weddings, reunions, or retreats. It was merely a big empty space now, but once decorated with string lights, flowers, and tables covered in white cloth, it’d be spectacular.

Rustic but spectacular nonetheless, Rowan envisioned in her mind.

“They want to serve local offerings—lobster, seafood—family style, but elevated. That’s where you guys come in. We, of course, will have to accommodate a few allergies and food preferences. I have the list Meredith sent me.”

“Fear not, my friend,” Alex assured. “Meredith and Sam already had a consultation and a tasting with me in Portland. I know exactly what they want. ”

Oliver nodded. “We had a discussion on our way over. We have a game plan, Rowan. We’ll familiarize ourselves with the supplies and hit the ground running.”

“You can start with the farm. Kieran supplies most of the island’s produce. It’ll be great if we can use our local resources. I’ll give you the name of the lobster and the seafood person—”

“You mean we can’t just jump into the cove and grab a lobster?” Oliver said with mock incredulity.

Rowan laughed. “You could try. I’d personally leave that part to our seasoned lobstermen and women.”

They strolled through the wildflower garden that covered the path between the barn and the main house, then up the stone path that led to the house’s front door. Perched on a small hill, they could enjoy the cove view as they stood on the large porch.

“It’s beautiful out here,” Oliver said, absorbing his surroundings. “And so quiet.”

“It is,” Alex said. “Think you can stand it, city boy?”

“It’s exactly what I’m looking for.”

Rowan studied the soft-spoken chef and smiled. “I’m glad to hear that.”

“Hey, how are you doing?” Alex threw her arm around Rowan and led her away from Oliver. The other chef didn’t seem to mind giving them a little privacy.

“I’m good.” Rowan shrugged.

“Are you really, though?” Her friend studied her with narrowed eyes. “Meredith is concerned—”

Rowan’s eyes popped out at Alex. “About the wedding? I told her it’s under control.”

“Not the wedding. She’s worried about you moving here full time.”

“I’m fine. Have things been easy? No. But I’m handling them.”

“I can see that,” Alex said. “Richard also called me several times. He left messages, saying you’re out of your mind for leaving and asking me to talk to you."

“And?” Rowan didn’t hide her annoyance.

“I blocked his ass. What do you think I’d do? I stick with my girl.” Alex squeezed Rowan’s shoulders. “Though I don’t know the complete picture, if you said you were done with Richard, I’m not wasting my time talking to him. I never really liked him, anyway.”

“You never told me that.” Rowan side-eyed Alex .

Alex returned with her brow-raised look, silently saying, “Girl, really?” That was how blind Rowan had been regarding her relationship with Richard.

A rumbling of vehicles driving on the gravel driveway, kicking up dust in their wake, shattered the quiet. The two of them turned their gazes toward the arrivals.

Rowan recognized Kieran’s truck but not the motorcycle trailing behind him. “Huh. Kieran’s here.”

“Oh good.” Alex turned to Oliver who had rejoined them. “That’s Ro’s brother. Don’t get spooked. The sourpuss attitude he’s wearing, that’s just his face.”

Oliver chuckled as he watched the incoming vehicles and whistled. “I’m more intrigued by that beauty behind him.”

“That’s a guy, bud,” Alex said. “You can’t even see his face.”

“The bike, dude,” Oliver corrected.

“Oh.” Alex turned to Rowan. “Who’s that?”

“I have no idea.”

Rowan made her way back down the stone steps with the two chefs right behind her. Kieran stopped at the end of the path, got out from his truck, and eyed Alex.

“Blue?” Kieran nodded at Alex’s hair.

Alex laughed at Kieran’s typical short greeting. “Still haven’t learned words with more than one syllable, have you, motherfucker?”

“I know them. Just don’t like to use them.” Kieran grinned.

Kieran treated Alex just like he treated Rowan—as his annoying little sister.

“Kieran.” Alex pointed at Oliver. “This is Oliver. He’s helping us with the cooking. He’s excellent.”

“Great. Thanks, man.” Kieran shook O’s hand.

While they did the introduction, Rowan’s attention was on the incoming motorcycle, which stopped behind Kieran’s truck. The rider took his time in settling his bike on its kickstand and taking his helmet off.

At this point, Rowan didn’t need the helmet off to recognize who the stranger was.

“You!” she exclaimed.

The tall blond she met earlier swung his long leg off his bike, sporting a grin. He joined the group, but his eyes were on her. “Rowan Kelly, I gather.”

“That was a quick lesson about assumptions you gave me earlier today,” Chris said to the petite woman looking slightly annoyed at him. “I thought Rowan Kelly was a man.”

“He told me about that.” Kieran smirked.

“It is commonly a male name,” Chris pointed out.

“And now that you’ve mansplained my name, care sharing yours?” Rowan asked with narrowed eyes still shadowed by the cap she wore.

Her sweet tone should’ve warned a wiser man that the punch was coming. But Chris didn’t quite have all his wits around her.

“Chris,” he answered and offered his hand. “Chris Sullens.”

“Is that Christian or Christine?” She smiled and gave him a firm handshake.

“Christopher.” He returned her smile and held her hand a tad longer than necessary.

A prickling sensation rippled under his skin as if a low electric current emanated from her. Between the unexpected buzz from her touch, her quick mouth, and the feel of calluses on her palm, he cautioned himself not to assume anything about Rowan Kelly again. It seemed there was a lot more to Miss Kelly than eye-catching curves and sexy voice.

Rowan glanced at her brother. “Did Mr. Sullens here also tell you he pretended he knew us?”

“I only asked about you. I never said I knew you. You inferred that yourself,” Chris said lightly.

“That was what you wanted me to infer, wasn’t it?” Her chin rose in a challenge.

“I merely wanted to ask you a few questions. My mistake was to assume you worked here—”

“That wasn’t the mistake.”

“You don’t like letting people finish their sentences, do you, Miss Kelly?” Chris kept his tone amiable. “If you did, you would’ve discovered my intent instead of assuming I was trying to fleece a ride with you.”

Kieran and the other two people watched the interaction with different levels of interest: Kieran with a raised eyebrow and arms crossed at his chest, the blue-haired woman with a gleeful grin, and the Asian guy looked unfazed.

“Now that you’ve made your way here, what’s the reason for your visit, Mr. Sullens?” Rowan pointedly asked.

“To check out the property.” Chris turned his gaze to sweep their surroundings. When he’d followed Kieran along the driveway, he’d glimpsed the cove view through the trees. From where they stood by the main house, the view opened up over an expansive lawn and through a break in the tree line by the water’s edge. He’d spotted a few cottages facing the water, and a larger Cape Cod-style house with an inviting porch stood higher on a rocky cliff.

The main house looming behind Rowan was a different sight on its own. It stood large and tall on a small hill, making it the property’s focal point. It was similar in design to his family’s beach house in the Cape, so he could guess what the layout and interior design looked like.

“What do you mean by that?” Rowan questioned.

The woman’s voice brought Chris’ attention back to her. Though its tone was sharp, the quality of it mesmerized him for a second. He didn’t expect someone of her slight stature to have a sultry bedroom voice. He imagined she could allure many guests to stay at the Bright Head Inn or men into her bedroom with that voice, like a siren to seamen.

“You’re Chris Sullens?” The woman with blue hair came forward, breaking the spell. “As in The Sullens Hotels?”

Chris had to consciously loosen his jaw, which locked in irritation whenever someone recognized his internationally known surname. But before he could respond to the other woman’s question, Rowan huffed.

“Is that why you’re here, Mr. Sullens? To offer us a price on our family’s land?” The suspicion in Rowan’s body language intensified at the mention of his family’s business. “Let me save you some time. We have no intention of selling our properties. The Bright Head Farm & Inn has been in our family for decades. Yes, we haven’t been operational for a while now, but my brother and I are correcting that mistake. We will make this place better than it used to be. And it will stay in the family for decades to come. So, please take your offer somewhere else. We’re not interested. ”

There was pride and stubbornness in Rowan’s speech as if she’d given that little spiel more than once before. She’d straightened to her full height, which only reached Chris’ shoulder, and her chin cocked up in pride.

Finally, he could see her eyes. And how brilliant those eyes were—so similar to Rae’s and Kieran’s, yet different.

“I’m not here on behalf of The Sullens. I don’t work for my family’s hotels,” Chris replied.

“No,” the blue-haired woman pointed out excitedly. “You just build even better resorts!”

Chris studied the other woman with a curious smile. He offered her his hand. “I haven’t had the pleasure.”

The woman glanced at Rowan with a play of eyebrow before shaking his hand. “Alex Freeman, and this is Oliver An. We’re chefs. I’ve read an article about your three resorts in Bon Voyage magazine. They look spectacular. I mean, the views!”

Chris took pride in spotting the perfect locations for the resorts. “Thank you,” he said, then waved his hand to the view surrounding them. “This view isn’t something to sneeze about, either.”

“Don’t even think about it. This view isn’t for sale. You may enjoy it when you’re a guest at the Bright Head,” Rowan quipped. “So you may find your way back to the city now, Mr. Sullens. We have a lot of work to do.”

“I’m not here to make an offer on your land.” Chris looked Rowan in the eye. “I came on behalf of—”

“Rowan, I need a word in private,” Kieran cut in. “Excuse us.”

“You what?” Rowan stared at her brother as if he’d grown a pair of horns.

“He’s the help we need, Ro,” Kieran said. “I mean, here we are scrambling to open an inn and host a wedding, and this experienced world-class hotelier suddenly offers his assistance. We’d be stupid to say no.”

Rowan had barely wrapped her mind around the news that Chris Sullens was there on behalf of their father’s secret daughter—their half-sister. Then Kieran dropped another bomb that he’d accepted the Sullens guy’s offer to help with the wedding without talking with her first.

“Why would he help us?” Rowan stole a suspicious glance at the guy chatting with Alex and Oliver like they’d been friends for years. In jeans, a navy-blue T-shirt, and a light jacket, with his dark blond hair disheveled from his helmet, he didn’t look like an heir to a hotel empire. Though one could easily see money in Chris Sullens. And she didn’t mean by the fancy motorcycle he rode. It was how he stood and presented himself—relaxed and confident in his own skin.

If I were someone else, I would ’ ve believed he knew Kieran and me, Rowan thought about earlier today .

“Don’t get me wrong. He’s not doing it for us. He’s doing it for his friend. In his own words, she owns a third of this property now. If we do well, it benefits her, too. That’s logical to me. And after watching him this afternoon, doing everything I told him to do at the farm without complaint, I would’ve hired him on the spot if I didn’t know who he was.”

“You would?” Rowan whipped back at her brother, shocked. He sounded impressed. It wasn’t easy to impress Kieran.

“He’s strong. He learns fast. He knew most of the staff by name at the end of the day,” Kieran said. “Hell, I forget some of my staff’s names sometimes. That’s why I took up his offer when he said he could help with the wedding.”

“You should’ve talked to me first.” Rowan glared at him, still unhappy with what was happening.

“Sorry. I made an executive decision. He was planning to leave tomorrow afternoon, so I had to think fast.”

Still unhappy, Rowan relented to her brother. “Fine.”

“Great!” Kieran slapped her on her upper arm. “Hope you have a room ready.”

“Why?”

Kieran grinned, which was a strange, rare look on him. “Because you’re about to have your first guest.”