Chapter 5
Livvie
We’d managed to keep the restaurant going during the renovations, at least for now.
We were down to carry out and delivery and had to use the catering kitchen, but we were making it work.
It was better than no income while still having to pay the kitchen staff.
We’d been scraping up enough business to keep out of the red, though there was no profit to speak of.
The construction crew had been making enough noise to raise the dead, arriving at nearly dawn every morning and waking me up, even though my cottage was a quarter mile away, near the edge of the acreage that was attached to the bed and breakfast. I’d come by today to go over plans for an updated menu with our head chef.
We had plans to expand the restaurant once the renovations were finished, and start offering breakfast, lunch, and dinner, as well as our famous brunches.
It was a big undertaking, but there were relatively few restaurants in Bluewater, so there was enough of a demand that we felt we’d be able to make it work.
Calvin walked in as we spread out some of the options I’d been researching for the menu. He smiled and for some strange reason, I got an uneasy feeling in my gut, but I waved it off. He’d been the perfect choice for the position. I was probably about to get cramps or something.
“Good morning,” I called and smiled back. “Join us.”
He sat across from Andy at the table. “What are we working on today?”
I slid copies of what I’d come up with over to him. “Just starting a new menu for dinner. What do you think?”
He started reading over the recipes and commented on a few ingredients he’d found that worked better.
Andy’s eyes lit up, and soon we were lost in a conversation about recipes.
“Okay,” I said with a laugh. “We can tweak the recipes later, but what do you think about the items themselves?” I pointed out where ingredients would overlap, helping with costs, and some studies that had been done about menu preferences in the Southeastern United States.
One of the workers called to Andy for some help, so he left me and Calvin to it. “We’ll pick this back up tomorrow, I guess.” After neatening my papers, I put them back in the folder and stood.
Calvin reached up and grabbed my arm. “Hang on, I have a question.”
Hissing, and jerking my hand out of his grip, I looked down at my skin. It burned like he’d scalded me.
“Are you okay?” Calvin asked. His eyebrows were raised, and he looked at my arm, confused why I was reacting like that to his touch.
“Sorry, uh, you shocked me.”
“Oh, funny, I didn’t feel it.” He sat back down. “But I wondered, until the bed and breakfast is up and running, what is my role to be? There’s no front of the house to manage at the moment, and the to-go orders are streamlined. The kitchen staff doesn’t really need me too much right now.”
“Well, the timing was bad. Take it to get settled in. Come in and help as you can, and I’ll still pay you your full salary.”
Calvin ducked his head. “Thank you for that. I’ll stop by every day and see if there’s any way of which I may be of use.”
“That sounds great. If I come up with anything, I’ll be sure to let you know.”
We both stood, and as Calvin turned away, Wes walked into the room, covered in dust or plaster or something.
Calvin froze as Wes stopped short, staring at the older man with rage in his eyes. What in the world? The atmosphere in the room went from perfectly normal and fine to incredibly uncomfortable in the span of a second.
“Can I speak to you?” Wes asked. I was fairly sure he meant me, but he didn’t take his eyes off of Calvin, so I couldn’t be absolutely sure.
Calvin returned the angry glare as good as he got. I walked around him so I could see both of their faces. “I’ll talk to you later, Calvin, okay?”
He nodded stiffly and walked out the back door, away from Wes.
Shaking my head at the oddness of it all, I turned back to my gorgeous contractor. “What’s going on?” I asked, hoping he’d explain the weird staring contest he’d just had with my manager.
“Termites,” he said.
“No.” I put my hand over my mouth and sat down. Termites were the worst. They could destroy the frame of a building in no time.
Wes stepped forward but didn’t sit down. He was too dirty. “No, it’s not that bad. We’ve caught it early before it got too bad. They haven’t infested the whole building, but we do need to spray and kill any eggs. I can do the job myself or you can hire a pest control specialist.”
I sighed. Did he know what he was doing? “What do you think?”
“It’d be cheapest for us to go buy the stuff ourselves. We can add it to the expense account for my services. Or you can go to the hardware store and buy it. I’ll spray it.”
I hesitated. What if I got the wrong thing? “Why don’t we go together, and I’ll pay. You can make sure I get the right thing.”
He nodded. “Sounds good.”
A growl drew both of our attention toward the door. Calvin stood there. “Calvin?” I asked. “Did you forget something?”
He shook his head. “I was just going to see if there was anything else I could do for you.”
“I’m going to head to the hardware store.
If you’d like, you could continue working on the menus and we’ll go over your work tomorrow to make sure Andy agrees.
” I smiled encouragingly, but inside I was beyond confused.
Maybe they knew each other and didn’t like each other, though that would be a big coincidence since neither of them was from Bluewater.
Stepping around Calvin, I followed Wes out of the room. His gaze didn’t leave Calvin until we were out the door and walking through the half-demolished registration area. “I’ll drive,” he said as he held the front door open for me.
Something was off. As soon as we got in the truck, I turned to Wes. “Do you know Calvin?” I asked.
Wes shot me a look out of the corner of his eye as he pulled out onto the road. “I don’t.”
“What’s the deal between you two then?” I asked. “There’s obviously an intense dislike on both of your parts.”
“No,” he said gruffly. “I just think you should vet your employees better.” He looked away from me, out his window. “Overgrown dog,” he muttered.
“Did you just call him a dog?” I asked. “How can you make an opinion about someone if you don’t know them? You didn’t even speak to the man.”
“Intuition.” He gripped the steering wheel until his knuckles turned white while I stared at him, surprised by this sudden anger.
“Well, that’s not good enough. Elaborate, please.” I crossed my arms and turned slightly in the seat to stare him down until he decided to tell me.
“There’s nothing to elaborate on. Isn’t he a new hire? Did you even check his references?” He turned the truck into the hardware store parking lot and parked.
“That’s none of your business,” I said haughtily. I’d run a background check on Calvin, but I’d liked him so much I hadn’t called anyone. To be honest, I’d forgotten. My temper bubbled below the surface, and I was sorely tempted to let it fly.
“Maybe I should’ve vetted you better. I’d like a contractor who does his job and doesn’t stick his nose in where it doesn’t belong!” I jumped out of the truck and slammed the door.
This man was going to drive me insane.