Chapter 4
Consider Yourself At Home
Mara knew she’d jumped about a foot when Seth had surprised her. The man had simply walked into the kitchen, and she’d yelped as if he’d caught her with her fingers in the cookie jar.
There was no one here who would sneak behind her to cop a feel. No one like Anson in the bunch. At least she hadn’t hit him with the baking sheet. Slamming Anson with the muffin tray had been incredibly satisfying, but hitting Seth wasn’t necessary.
She didn’t know whether the smack with the tray or her immediate resignation had surprised him more.
Mara dried and put away her equipment. She’d already scoured the surfaces, so she knew there was nothing for Mr. Clean to complain about.
That didn’t stop her from double-checking after she cleaned the sink. All good.
She added the tray of muffins to the Danishes already in the middle of the table. “Help yourself.”
Seth hadn’t said another word after asking about coffee. He’d taken the last of the pot and made a new one. The scent told her he liked it strong, too.
He moved to the table and snagged a Danish.
As a chef, he’d know a lot about baking.
She wasn’t surprised to see his eyes roam over the pastry, probably automatically checking for appearance.
She did the same with everything she ate.
Part of the food’s job was to be visually appealing.
Food that looked terrible would never work, even if it tasted great.
Her lips curved as Seth nodded at the Danish before taking a bite. His eyebrows shot up, and his eyes flashed to hers. He nodded again, and that praise sent shivers over her skin.
The man stalked to the fridge and opened it with the hand not holding the Danish. “Fruit?”
Apparently, the man didn’t waste words. “Good idea.”
They worked together quickly to slice and plate a variety of fruit for the table. Between that and her baking, they’d have enough for everyone.
The door swung open, and Thea and Knox entered the kitchen. Knox grinned as he spotted the food. “I knew I smelled deliciousness. Mara, you’re officially my favorite Evans sibling.”
She laughed, knowing Ford and Knox had been best buddies for years.
The door to the outside opened, and suddenly the kitchen was full. Ford and Jolie returned with Amber, Gray, Nash, and the rest of his family.
Nash smiled at them all. “Mara and Seth, I’d like you to meet my family. Olivia, Charlie, and Ella Mae.”
The little girl smiled at them and snuggled into Nash’s shoulder with a yawn.
Charlie shook their hands. “We’re making different cider flavors for the farm.
Would it be okay if I asked both of you about more flavor combinations?
We’ve tried a bunch. Some are fantastic, but others are gross.
Do you think you can use some of our cider in the things you make? ”
Mara exchanged a small smile with Seth. They both nodded.
Charlie grinned. “That’s awesome. And the food smells delicious.”
Mara gestured at the table. “Help yourselves. It’s going to be fun trying out new recipes with apples, cider, and honey. I’m going to need taste testers.”
The boy’s grin widened. “I’m in. How about you, Seth? Will you need taste testers, too?”
Mara watched the man’s eyes soften, and his lips quirk to the side. Mr. Clean liked people a lot more than she’d expected. Maybe he was gruff on the outside with a squishy center, just like a crispy donut with apple filling.
Soon, the table was full. Watching people enjoy food was one of her favorite parts of being a baker. There was no point in doing it if you couldn’t make people’s days a little brighter.
Talk at the table turned to plans for the day. Gray smiled at her. “I’m hoping you and Babs want to tour the No Phailed Apples Inn and check out the kitchen. I’m looking forward to our place smelling as good as this.”
Amber nodded. “We can find out what equipment you both need.”
Mara grinned. “I can’t wait to check it out.”
From beside her, her brother laughed. “I’m surprised you weren’t knocking down their door when you woke up. But I’m glad you spent the time baking instead.”
She laughed even as she flushed. “It was a tough call.” And if she’d known the couple better, she might not have been able to resist the temptation.
Everyone stacked their plates in the dishwasher and thanked her as they headed off in different directions to go about their work for the day.
The four of them, five including Amber’s dog Boomer, walked along the farmhouse road toward the inn.
The field between the farmhouses was glorious.
Flowers she didn’t have names for bloomed everywhere, along with bushes and trees.
Apple trees were mixed in with a bunch of other species.
“You’ve created an incredible garden, Gray. It’s beautiful.”
“Thanks. We’ve had fun planning it. We’re going to keep adding to it over the next few years, but the bones of our vision are there.”
Beside her, Seth grumbled. “Tell me you have a vegetable and herb garden back there.”
Mara perked up. That would be amazing.
Gray slapped his buddy on his back. “I’m Italian, my friend. Fresh veggies and herbs are at the ready for you both. We can tour that after we check out the inn.”
Fresh ingredients were always a bonus, and Mara looked forward to the gardens, but it was the kitchen ahead that had her attention.
Amber led them up the front porch steps. “We’ll do the tour of the inn first and leave the kitchen for the grand finale.”
“Tease.”
Amber laughed at Seth’s growled word. “Yep. We want to give you an overview of the inn. That should help give you ideas of what we’ll need you to make. We’ll have actual guests two weekends from now.” Her voice faltered along with her steps.
Smiling, Gray kissed her and took her hand. “Breathe. We’ll be ready. You’ve covered all the bases.”
Eyes locked on Gray, Amber huffed out a breath. “You’re right. With Mara and Seth here, we’re completely ready. We can do this.”
He kissed her again, making Mara’s eyes mist.
Gray’s whisper barely reached her ears. “You can do anything, Amber. You’re incredible.”
Mara turned away from the private moment as Seth did the same from the other side. Their eyes locked for a moment, and she felt a tug in her heart.
Gray’s love for Amber was evident and strong. She wanted that. Wanted someone to know the real her, and love her anyway.
She yanked her eyes away from Mr. Clean and looked around the lobby of the inn, hoping her emotions hadn’t shown in her eyes.
If Seth hadn’t already figured out that some asshole had hurt Mara, the look of absolute yearning would have alerted him.
Gray’s support of and love for Amber practically radiated from the couple and filled the room.
Chaos Machine’s eyes had filled with tears. He wanted to kick the ass of the jerk who’d hurt her.
Gray broke the moment when he slung his arm over Amber’s shoulder and faced the group again. “Amber plans to have a small gift store here in the lobby. She’ll showcase Nimii’s moccasins, along with the work of other local artisans. Dani’s honey and Nash’s cider, too.”
Amber nodded. “There are many incredibly talented people in our area. You’ll have to head into Phail soon to meet some of them. Get a feel for the town, too.”
Seth nodded. “Family-friendly food? Comfort food options?”
Amber smiled. “Exactly. I’m betting you both have far better ideas than I do. I’m sure Gray can give suggestions, too. We’ve been here for a few months, and probably have a good handle on the type of people who’ll visit the inn.”
The inn had three floors, but the guest rooms were all on the second floor. There were eight rooms, each named rather than numbered. Apple-y Ever After, Pie Shop. Duckington Palace. The Apiary. Harvest Time. Blossom Time. Inn Cider. Toy Box.
Cheesy but fun. They’d decorated the rooms with the themes in mind. Not in a tacky, over-the -top way. Instead, they brought the theme out through the decor. Photographs on the walls, plaques with information on the photos and other items that covered the walls.
They’d used items from the history of apple farming to add to the fun of the rooms. He’d worried that the inn would be geared to old ladies, but he could easily see families and couples of all ages here.
The Toy Box room showcased the machinery needed to run an apple farm. An old wooden beehive served as a nightstand in the Apiary. Old tractor bits sat on the wall in Harvest. And a lot more.
While he hadn’t wanted to spend the time checking out anything before the kitchen, his buddy was right. This way, his brain was cooking with ideas. He could do theme nights where the meal matched a specific room.
Although he was pretty sure duck wouldn’t be on the menu. He’d check with Jolie to see how she felt about that.
He imagined Mara had plenty of ideas to go with the pie shop room, but he could make some savory pies of his own.
Finally, they headed down toward the kitchen. This time, they took a smaller staircase. Built for servants or just another access route?
His leg ached, and he worked hard not to limp, although he leaned on the railing more than usual. Hell, he’d never used a railing until that IED had changed everything.
Gray pointed out the door to the owner’s suite where he and Amber lived and a laundry room with two sets of new machines. Finally, his buddy opened the door to the kitchen.
Seth couldn’t contain his grin. The space was huge for what had once been a private home. Long countertops, an enormous island, and a table that would sit a dozen.
Unable to stop himself, he moved to the six-burner stove and ran his fingers lightly over the surface. The beauty was state-of-the-art and begging to be used. “Damn, Claus, you know how to shop.”
Gray laughed behind him. “Thought you’d like that. If you hadn’t shown up, I was prepared to send you pics of it to get your ass moving up here.”
That would have cemented his decision.
Amber’s voice was smiling when it reached him. “We were renovating anyway, so we decided to go top of the line with equipment.”
He knew what the stove would have set them back and nodded in appreciation. “She won’t go to waste.”
When Seth finally yanked his attention from the stove, he found they had a restaurant-sized refrigerator and a freezer twice the size of most fridges. He whistled. “You'd better get lots of guests booked in to pay off some of this equipment.”
At the far end of the island, Mara stroked a huge mixer. Restaurant-sized and new. The look of awe on her face probably echoed his own. There was also a stand-up baker’s oven she looked at with lust.
It took longer than it should have for him to tune back into what Gray was saying. “Two industrial dishwashers and a double sink, plus the prep sink. We’ve got a grill on the back deck with a rotisserie arm. And a smoker.”
Seth laughed. “I’m drooling here, Claus. This is every chef’s fantasy kitchen.”
And if that fantasy included a naked Mara moaning his name as he drove into her while she was spread on the island, it couldn’t be helped. The woman was gorgeous. And the way she hummed as she brushed her fingers over surfaces had his body reacting.
At least that part of him wasn’t broken. Chaos Machine wasn’t the one for him, but it was good to know all his parts were in working order.
He yanked his body under control and turned to survey the room—the room he’d be sharing with Mara.
The woman smiled at Amber. “I was thinking of getting a fryer for donuts. Apple donuts with honey drizzle and apple fritters might be popular.”
Damn, that sounded good.
Amber agreed. “I love that. Do you have one in mind? I didn’t even think about fritters, but now I’m not going to think of much else.”
While the women used their phones to search for an appropriate fryer, he turned his attention to the cupboards and drawers. A glance told him that Gray knew precisely what he was doing in a kitchen. “Planned for two people to be using this space, didn’t you?”
Gray leaned against the counter. “Sure did. You’ll each have your own space. Lots of utensil and pot drawers.”
Which were better than regular cupboards. “Why aren’t you taking on the chef duties yourself?”
Gray laughed. “I’ve got enough going on with the gardens and helping Amber with the inn, but you can bet your ass I’ll be playing in here some days, too.”
“It’s perfect.” Again, his eyes and mind wandered to Chaos Machine.
The laugh in Gray’s voice told him he’d noticed. “Sure is. I’m assuming you brought some of your own equipment, but let’s go through and make a list of what you’ll need in addition to what I’ve stocked.”
For the first time in a very long time, Seth was anticipating the future. This would be a good place. With only eight guest rooms, his shifts wouldn’t be too long. For now, they only wanted to provide a dinner service and a small breakfast service of Mara’s baking.
Amber and Gray didn’t want him working two shifts, but he didn’t sleep well, anyway. He could get up and make breakfast or lunch options while doing his dinner prep. That would give him time to rest his leg between shifts.
A future finally felt possible. He was alive, walking, and had a new kitchen to play in.
And a sexy coworker he’d need to ignore.
No problem.