Chapter Seven
“So now you have world-famous chefs working for you in your restaurants.” Ava glanced at him, her eyes sparkling in the brief instant of contact. “Do you still do your own cooking at home?” Then her smile dimmed, as if she realized she’d stepped into personal territory.
Ransom knew she’d been purposely avoiding it. “I even chop vegetables.” He smiled to take the bite out of the memory of all the times they’d worked together in the kitchen. It had been one of his greatest joys in their relationship. Almost as much as their lovemaking.
“When I’m not working on the cooking show—”
“—or writing a new cookbook—”
“—I like to fly out to the different restaurants and just take over the kitchen for a night, to keep my hand in.”
He still supervised some of the major events himself, like the New Year’s Eve gala, especially since Gideon was a Maverick and Dane was organizing. He’d jumped at the chance to cater that event because he’d thought Ava might be there. He’d spotted her glossy red hair across the ballroom, but every time he made his way over, she seemed to disappear.
“Doesn’t a world-class chef get ticked off when you take over?”
He laughed. Ava had always made him laugh. When she wasn’t driving him wild with that beautiful body of hers. “Most of them say business booms in the few weeks afterward.” He shrugged. “There are a few who resent it, but that type doesn’t last long. I don’t want prima donnas who run their kitchens like tyrants.”
“It’s like a test, then,” she mused.
“As much as I enjoy it, yes, it’s a way of testing how they treat their employees.”
He was also known for hiring female chefs in a male-dominated field. As if women hadn’t been doing the cooking for millennia. He didn’t mention that to Ava. She would say that women didn’t need to be given a chance by a man, that they could make it on their own, just the way she had—spectacularly.
“That’s kind of admirable,” she said, glancing at him. “You don’t just walk away from all your employees when you move on to another project.”
“The work environment at all my restaurants is important to me.” He was gratified that she approved of what he’d done. Not because he needed approval in general, but because he wanted hers.
They chatted about his career, and with each topic, he thought, That happened before you left me. Or, That came after you were gone. The discussion made him think of how it all started for him, too, in his family’s mom-and-pop restaurant back home in Milwaukee. People referred to places like theirs as a greasy spoon, although his mother had kept everything spotlessly clean. But his parents were always working, and they had him and his brother working there too.
In fact, his father had worked himself to death, dying of a heart attack when he was only in his fifties.
Ransom had already struck out on his own by then. He’d worked as a caterer, been on cooking competition shows, worked cruise ships as a chef. He’d been a personal chef and created menus for resorts. He’d already been thinking about a cookbook too.
When his father died, his mom wanted him and his brother to take over the restaurant. But there was no way Ransom could go back. He’d been twenty-four, and Milwaukee just wasn’t in his life plan.
His mother had stopped speaking to him, and it was only when she became ill with cancer that she finally forgave him. But even in those last few weeks he had with her, he’d still felt the pain of her rejection. He felt it even now, but at least he’d repaired his relationship with his brother, Adam, who’d taken over the family restaurant.
He sensed his maudlin thoughts bringing down the atmosphere in the car. He didn’t want to waste his time with Ava ruminating about the bad parts of his past. He wanted to remember the short year they’d had together. How good it had been.
And not for the first time, he wondered what his life would have been like if she hadn’t left him.
* * *
His story was amazing. Some of it she’d known, a lot she hadn’t. But sitting in the car with him, even as she tried to concentrate on her driving, Ava felt overwhelmed—by his scent, his body heat, his masculine presence. She hadn’t realized it would be like this.
She could only breathe normally again once they pulled into the parking lot of her San Juan Bautista senior living complex, and she could finally step out of the car.
The care home had different levels, each catering to the needs of her residents—independent living, assisted living, memory care, and a hospital wing with twenty beds. Residents sometimes convalesced there until they could return to their own apartments.
As they walked up the front path, Ransom gave a low whistle. “The landscaping is incredible.”
A flush of pleasure washed through her. “I want each of my facilities to feel like a home. There are walking paths throughout the grounds.” Along with green lawns and flowering bushes, tubs filled with annuals and big shade trees with benches. “We have two koi ponds the residents love. Last year, the raccoons were catching the fish, so I worked with our landscaper to figure out how to keep the animals away without hurting them. Now we have netting over the ponds that protect the fish, but allow people to enjoy them.”
“It’s like a five-star resort.”
She beamed with pride. “Of course. That’s what I do. Dane caters to the younger generation at his resorts, and I get them when they’re entering their twilight years.”
“But only rich people can afford to come here.”
Was that censure in his voice? “We do a lot of fundraising so that even people who can’t afford the fees can do so with the generous help of our donors. And,” she added, “I learned a lot when I worked at your grandmother’s convalescent home. I didn’t want my care homes to be like hospitals. I wanted them to be homes. I hire people who show great respect for all my residents.” She looked at him squarely. “Which is why I couldn’t abide that catering company a moment longer.”
“I’ve always wished I could have moved her somewhere better,” Ransom said with a wistful note in his tone.
Ava waved off his guilt. “You did the most important thing by visiting her often.” Ava had looked forward to every visit, too, always making sure she was the one attending his grandmother. “I try very hard to encourage family visits. That’s one of the reasons for our amazing Sunday brunch. I’m always pleased to have so many families coming to visit. That’s very important to me.”
“I’ll look over the brunch menus again, keeping that in mind—enticing the families,” he said, as if making a mental note.
“Shall we go in?” she asked, trying to dispel the memories that talk of his grandmother brought on.
“Of course.” Ransom held open one of the big double doors.
Inside, her lobby was sumptuous, if she did say so herself. Plush wall-to-wall salmon-colored carpeting in a pattern of fish and water lilies covered the floor. There were no throw rugs anywhere, since they created a trip hazard. A pretty crystal chandelier hung from the ceiling, and paintings on the walls reflected the water motif in the carpet. The chairs and couches were a soft leather, and the reception desk was made of blond oak rather than plasterboard.
Ava smiled at Judy, their receptionist. The woman waved, obviously on the phone. Through an archway, a mailroom housed the individual mail cubbies.
Ransom took it all in. “Very impressive.”
“Everyone deserves to be surrounded by beauty.” No sterile linoleum halls or gray walls here.
In the wide hallway beyond Reception that led to the dining room and lounge, Ava spied a woman struggling to put on her cardigan. Walking swiftly toward her, Ava touched her shoulder. “Mrs. Hansen, can I help you with that?”
“Oh my dear, I should’ve put it on before I left my apartment.” She allowed Ava to help her slip a hand through a sleeve, one after the other, while she held on to her walker.
Ava patted down the ruffled collar. “You’re all set,” she said with a smile.
The lady took her hand. “Thank you so much, my dear.”
Many of her residents didn’t use Ava’s name. She never asked whether it was because they didn’t remember it, or because dear was simply how they addressed someone lovingly.
Ransom stood right behind Ava. “That’s a lovely cardigan.”
Mrs. Hansen beamed, and Ava was glad he knew how to treat an older woman. He’d always taken such good care of his grandmother.
The lunch hour was just ending, and the vestibule between the dining room and lounge was filling up with residents. She greeted several, smiled at others. She knew all their names. That was important to her, knowing who they were. She did that for the five facilities in the Bay Area, though it was much harder to do when she visited her care homes in other regions.
With Ransom in tow, she spied Mrs. Greeley.
Her heart seemed to bubble over with grief, and taking Mrs. Greeley’s hand in hers, she asked, “How are you doing? I know you were upset when I was here the other day. I hope everything is better now.”
Mrs. Greeley raised sparse gray eyebrows almost to her hairline. “I was upset?”
All Ava’s grief for this lovely woman melted away. “Never you mind. I’m just glad to see you’re doing so well.”
Mrs. Greeley’s smile spread across her face, wrinkled with love and laughter and years of a good life. Then the woman turned her walker. “It’s so good to see you, dear. But I must run, or I’ll miss armchair volleyball in the auditorium.”
Ava patted her shoulder. “You mustn’t miss that.” When the little lady was gone, Ava said to Ransom, “I’m so glad she doesn’t remember that horrible incident. She’s the woman I told you about. The reason I fired the caterer.”
“Then I’m doubly glad she remembers armchair volleyball.”
Ava gazed fondly after the woman’s retreating figure. “We provide lots of activities, yoga, and exercise classes to help everyone keep in shape. There’s also bingo and bridge and other card games. Plus, we have guests come in for concerts and lectures on various topics.” She couldn’t help putting her hand on his arm. “We also have some marvelous musicians and knowledgeable people right here. Some of our events are put on by our very own, which everyone loves.”
“It’s great you provide so many things to keep people’s minds active as well as their bodies.”
She nodded. “We even have shopping trips into town and to the outlet mall.”
When he said, “I’m impressed,” she felt herself glow with his praise.
After trying so hard to please her parents—and never feeling like she had—she’d eventually taught herself not to need people to notice her accomplishments. Though her brothers and sister complimented each other as a matter of course, it was different with Ransom. It was like being that young girl again who’d suddenly made her parents notice her. Like the twenty-one-year-old woman who’d wanted always to please Ransom.
But she wasn’t that young woman anymore, and she couldn’t let herself get carried away by his praise. She couldn’t need it. “Would you like to see the dining room and kitchen now, since that’s what we’re here for?”
Ransom gave a flourish of the hand. “Please, lead on.”
The same plush salmon carpet led into the dining room. Tables for two sat along either side, one looking out over the rose garden patio that so many of the residents loved, the other overlooking the green lawn of the quad and the steps and wheelchair ramp up to the auditorium beyond it.
The rest of the tables in the room were set up in groups of four or six. Many were already being cleared and laid for dinner as lunchtime wound down.
A woman still seated at a table waved at her, and Ava waved back. “I’ll just be a minute. I need to say hello to Edith. Take a look around, then we’ll tour the kitchen.”
But Ransom followed her, even as he seemed to catalog the setup, while Ava took one of Edith’s hands in both of hers. “You look amazing, as always.” But Edith’s mouth drooped into a frown. “What’s wrong?”
Edith pulled from Ava’s grasp and held out both hands. “My nails are atrocious. Can you do them with that pretty pink polish like we did last time?”
Ava didn’t hesitate. “Of course, Edith.” She turned to Ransom, saying, “I hope you don’t mind. It won’t take long. You can get a head start checking out the kitchen. You don’t need me for that.”
“I’ll stay with you. I’d rather have your input on the kitchen.” Then he smiled at Edith. “And I’d love to get to know this beautiful lady.”
Edith beamed at him like a star bright in the sky and clapped her hands. “Oh goody. I always like to have a handsome man nearby.”
Ransom did a waiter’s bow. “Thank you for the compliment, dear lady.”
Edith giggled, completely charmed.
She wasn’t the only one.
* * *
Ava waved down a passing server. “Could you get Edith’s walker, please?”
The man nodded, rushing off to do her bidding. Obviously, he was part of the new group she’d hired for the next two weeks.
He returned promptly with the walker, which, Ransom realized, had been stored outside to avoid crowding the dining room. Ava took over, situating the walker in front of Edith and taking her arm to help her grab the handles.
It wasn’t only the complex that impressed him. It was Ava herself. He loved watching her with her people. When they saw her, they simply lit up. She’d reached for each of their hands, smiling, saying hello, knowing all their names. That was extraordinary considering how many facilities she owned. The way she helped Mrs. Hansen with her sweater, her hands careful, her smile caring, had bathed his heart in warmth. Her concern for Mrs. Greeley, the woman who had been abused by the former caterers, was further proof of Ava’s heart of gold.
They walked slowly across the vestibule and into the lounge, where Ava strode ahead to pull out a chair. Then, once again, Edith was seated.
“I’ll just put your walker over here in the corner,” she told the lady.
Edith said, “Oh, thank you, dear.”
Two sofas flanked a fireplace in the pleasantly decorated lounge. It was empty now of residents, but several card tables waited for their return, and a grand piano sat in the corner ready for the next recital. The latest bestsellers and DVDs filled two bookcases, and another held puzzles and games. A big-screen TV hung next to the fireplace, probably for a movie night.
With a hand on Edith’s shoulder, Ava said, “I’ll run to my office and get my nail kit. That pretty pink polish you love is inside.” Then she turned to Ransom. “Will you be okay for a few minutes?”
He wanted to laugh. It was as if she’d forgotten all the times he’d visited his grandmother. “Edith and I will be fine.” After he waved her off, he sat at the table with Edith. “Your nails are beautiful as they are. But I’m sure Ava will perfect them.”
Edith, her silvery curls bouncing, leaned forward to put her hand over his. “She’s such a dear. I know she’s a busy woman, but she never seems to mind doing my nails.”
With a smile, Ransom said, “She’s a gem.” Edith couldn’t know how much he meant it.
“She must have been a manicurist in a past life. She does the most amazing job.” Holding up her fingers, bent at the joints, she surveyed her nails. “With these hands,” she said, acknowledging her arthritis, “it makes me so happy when my nails are pretty.”
They chatted about the weather, about how much Edith had enjoyed lunch, with a description of each dessert she’d had, until Ava returned, setting her nail kit on the table.
Taking the seat beside Edith, Ava angled the chair. “They don’t look so bad, Edith. But I’ll pretty them all up.”
“Thank you, dear.” Her eyes shone.
Ava removed the old polish, buffing and filing, while the three of them chatted. Edith enthused about her son’s visit the previous Sunday, and how he’d brought all the grandchildren, as well as a couple of great-grandchildren. Ava’s smiles and her attention made the woman feel special.
He would make sure those Sunday brunches were the best, now that he’d seen how important they were to Edith and all the lovely people living here.
As Ava began painting Edith’s nails, another woman entered the lounge, walking toward them, a cane gripped tight in her hand.
“Oh goody. We’re having a nail party.” She looked at Ransom, blinking rapidly, which might have been a fluttering of her eyelashes. “Can you do my nails?” The words seemed to tumble out of her.
Before Ava could speak, he said, “I’d love to. Ava has several different polishes. Why don’t you pick out your color?”
Ava stared at him, her mouth agape. Ransom smiled inwardly. Oh yeah, he still had some surprises for her. He’d been known to do his niece’s nails, and his brother’s little girl always loved it. He didn’t see the family often enough, so it pleased him to be able to help this sweet lady.
Standing formally, he pulled out a chair. “Let me help you.” He hung her cane on the side of the table and helped her to settle. Then he put a hand to his chest. “My name is Ransom.”
The lady gave a craggy smile resembling Edith’s and beamed at him through blue eyes slightly cloudy with cataracts. “I’m Myrtle,” she said. “And I love having my nails done.” She chose a bottle of coral polish and held it out to him. “Can you do this one?” The excitement in her voice seemed to shimmy down her arms, making her hand shake as she gave him the bottle.
“Of course.” He held her hand in his, squeezing with the lightest pressure.
Ava watched him warily. He could almost see her mind working, probably thinking she’d have to redo his work. But he got busy removing the chipped polish from Myrtle’s nails.
“You look familiar,” Myrtle said, her gaze on him. “Have you been here before with…?” She waved her hand at Ava.
“No.” He smiled. “I’ve never been here.”
“You might have seen him on TV,” Ava said. “Ransom has a cooking show. Recipes from Ransom.”
So she knew the name of his show.
Edith and Myrtle gasped at the same time. “Oh my,” Edith said, her cheeks turning pink. “You’re the hottie who makes all those delicious meals.”
Ransom laughed. “Thank you very much. I’m glad the meals I cook look delicious.”
Ava looked at him and mouthed, Hottie?
He raised a brow. And wondered if she still thought he was a hottie after all these years.
The ladies asked him all manner of questions, not letting him answer one before they asked another. The two dears did most of the talking, as if they were starved for conversation with someone younger than they were, someone perhaps who reminded them of their children or grandchildren.
Ava was putting on Edith’s second coat of polish, and he’d just finished buffing Myrtle’s nails, when Edith said, “You know, I miss Lochlan terribly. He was such a dear man. And his niece is such a lovely girl. She did my nails, too, while she was here.”
He wondered who Lochlan was even as Ava said, “I miss him, too, and I’m so glad I could help him stay here.” She put her palm over the back of Edith’s hand. “And now, Cammie, his niece, is dating my brother.” She actually seemed to beam as brightly as the two ladies.
He knew Cammie, Dane’s personal assistant, and he remembered now that her uncle’s name had been Lochlan. Ransom had worked with Cammie on many of the projects he and Dane had been involved in. He knew, also, that they were now a couple. Having seen it coming for years, he’d always wondered why it was taking them so long. But at last they were together.
Once again, Ava impressed him. It was as if she were saying to the old lady, “I acknowledge and understand your pain that he’s gone, and I feel it myself.” She was empathetic, compassionate. Ransom had recognized that in the way she treated his grandmother, but to see her in action here, with these two delightful women, brought it home to him again.
Ava Harrington could be described in one word: impressive.
Although there were many more he could use. Gorgeous. Stunning. Amazing. Sexy. Perfect.