Chapter 22
TWENTY-TWO
RONAN
WILDCARDS
Unfortunately, the first interview was the only easy one of the day. Beckett had escaped on his horse after he’d filled his belly with Kain’s breakfast feast. Honestly, I was still a little surprised about the massive horse waiting in the trees when I’d chased after Kira.
The orchard was a whole new world from Chicago on a number of levels.
As I’d figured, Jess and Kain had hit it off. The two of them were going to meet up for drinks to talk over menu ideas later. I only hoped my friend would keep things platonic. He tended to get excited about a topic, and his charm was a dangerous thing.
Thank God for ride share apps. Evidently small town USA was just as up on them. Maybe even more so since public transportation wasn’t really a thing out here in the rural sectors.
I sent Kain back to my place to crash while I dealt with a chilly Kira for the rest of the day.
Between interviews, she trained our rapidly multiplying staff on the use of our sparkly new registers, which were essentially iPads on crack.
We had the main one behind the bar and a smaller setup located at the hostess podium near the front of the taproom.
As usual, Kira was always thinking about efficiency during busy times.
Unfortunately, the rest of the afternoon’s interviews were a bust.
Two of them thought they were the next social media sensation.
News flash, they were not.
Where Jess was thoughtful and clever, they were more interested in posing for the cameras than actual cooking and creating. We needed staffers to feed our patrons, not build their clout during taproom hours.
A handful of chefs came in, but they were just too set in their ways to be creative with an ever changing menu. They were actually built more like Kira. Organized and brutally efficient at the numbers game, but even my partner in crime saw they weren’t what we needed in the kitchen.
She was still fighting it, but we’d literally tripped over exactly what we needed twice today.
Kain, who opened the fridge and just clicked with an idea in his staggering brain, then somehow made everyone in the kitchen want it too.
The problem was—Kain wouldn’t be a permanent fixture, no matter how he was feeling right now.
Eventually his empire would require his attention for more than a few satellite calls and whatever else he couldn’t unload on his second-in-command.
While the kitchen was a good distraction for him right now, Kain wouldn’t be happy being a chef in a small town for very long.
And that was trouble for the taproom.
It might be great for the first season…
Hmm. Maybe that was the answer. Seasons and more importantly, changes.
I showed the latest contestant—because it had started feeling like a freaking game show—to the door and looked around for Kira. I found her in one of the swing chairs at the edge of the property.
Her mile high shoes were kicked to the side and she was curled into the bamboo, egg shaped swing.
One foot lazily sent the chair into a gentle rock as she stared out on the orchard below.
The sun had gone from brutal midday heat into a muted warmth that teased an ending to the heat wave that had plagued most of July.
A perfect evening to bask in the view of the landscape below.
I was glad to see she had taken a moment to relax, but the closer I got, the more I wasn’t so sure about that.
She was in profile from my vantage point, the waning sun gilding her in a soft gold.
Her hair was down and in a disorganized tumble, which told me she’d been rubbing at her scalp in frustration.
The skirt of her dress had shifted up in her position, showing off all that leg that made my mouth water.
Instead of her usual water or coffee, a tumbler full of dark liquid rested against her bare knee.
The bourbon was out.
Because of me? Or because of the day?
Probably both.
I came up behind her in the swing, twisting it lightly so she could see it was me.
The relaxed body language morphed into tension. “Go home, Ronan. It’s been a long one and I don’t have the energy for you right now.”
I moved around in front of her and dropped to the ground, propping my forearms on my knees. I reached for her to give me the glass.
She rolled her eyes, but handed it to me. It was a good sign that she didn’t tell me to fuck off. I took a quick sip and the smoky bourbon settled on my tongue. The aftertaste of apples left a nice echo in the mouth. Gave me a few ideas for one of the ciders. I handed the glass back. “Nice.”
“It was.”
I sighed. Yeah, I was definitely still in the doghouse. “The day started off rocky, but I think we did okay.”
“Oh, sure.” She tucked her other foot up under her leg and pulled her dress over her legs. Balls, I was enjoying the view. “Eight crappy interviews and one possible hire—not for the job I was looking for, by the way—is not a good day.”
“You may not have been looking for Jess, but you know she was a good find.”
She took a healthy sip. “She wasn’t in the plans.”
“It’s okay for the plans to change, Sunshine.”
“My schedule is already tight—something I don’t think you seem to comprehend.”
“I get it.”
“No, you really don’t. You’re playing with your friend and have the good ole boys charm with Beckett. I have to be the one who does all the boring stuff. You know, worries about logistics and plans, and staffing and supplies. While you guys just make chaos.”
I scooted forward to touch her.
She gave me a frigid stare and I sighed again, letting my hand fall away. “You’re right.”
One eyebrow rose as she paused before taking another sip. “Oh, really?”
“Yes. Except one part.” I linked my fingers.
It was natural for me to touch and reach for her, and she practically had a neon sign above the swing saying back off.
“Chaos is kind of part of the deal. The taproom is ever changing and some disorganization is going to come with that. One of the things I came to talk to you about. I was thinking about Kain—”
“Of course you were.”
“Just hold on. You’re right about Kain being a wildcard.
But maybe we lean into that. Instead of banking on one chef, we lean into the idea of a seasonal one.
If we find one that works all the time, that’s great.
However, it gives us an easy out if people don’t work for the taproom.
A handy way to not get locked into a long term contract. ”
“So, you think Kain is going to flake? Is that what you’re telling me?”
I shook my head. “Kain is one of my oldest friends, but I can tell you he’s going through something personal. Something I can’t really talk about until I see how much he wants to share.”
She narrowed her gaze at me. “Is he not going to show up one day?”
“No. He’s got too much integrity for that.” I held up a hand when she opened her mouth. “I know, I know. You don’t know him. I need you to put a little faith in me this time.”
“Unfair.”
“No, this next part will fall under that category.” At her frown, I rushed on. “I would appreciate it if you didn’t dig into his background. I know you’re thorough with research on employees.”
She tossed back the rest of her drink and set the glass down on the small table beside her. “That’s a lot to ask.”
“I know it. He’s not a criminal—don’t worry about that.
But he’s got a lot of heavy shit to work through, and I think the orchard will be good for him.
I didn’t really see the kitchen being part of that, but it’s probably the best place for him.
He’s well-traveled and has a huge knowledge of food and cooking.
While he may not have gone to culinary school, he’s got a lot of hands on knowledge that will help us. He’s also very business minded.”
That was an understatement, but I didn’t want to lie to her.
“He looks like he belongs on a beach.”
I laughed. “You’re not far off. His family is from Hawaii, though he moved here a long time ago. It’s how we met actually. Bumming around the Pacific Coast Highway, working just enough for us to get to the next place to surf.”
“Really?”
I nodded. “But Kain got his shit together and so did I. We got real jobs and moved on from our bum ways, but never lost touch. I have a good feeling his energy will be exactly what we need. Where you wanted Lennon because of her rep and flair, Kain will do the same with food. He’ll pull people in. I can almost promise you that.”
“Almost.”
“Nothing’s a guarantee, Sunshine. I think you know that more than most.”
She frowned at me and her face closed off again as she folded her arms in her lap.
I knew there was more to Kira’s story than she told me.
Especially when it came to the backlash of what her sister did.
But she held that piece of her in a tight little box and didn’t want to share it with anyone.
I also didn’t want to ask about it because gossip was always heavier than the reality of what happened.
It wasn’t going to be today unfortunately. I pushed off the ground and stood. “I’m going to go home and shower off this day and we’ll start again tomorrow.”
“Okay.”
Best I could ask at the moment. “Okay.”
Leaving her there didn’t feel right, but I knew I wasn’t welcome. Annette and Matt were pulling the garage doors down as I dragged myself up the stairs into the dining room. “Hey guys. Thanks for today.”
“No prob, Ronan.” Annette brushed her fingers off on the leg of her pants.
The dry days were bringing some extra dirt in when we had everything open. Another thing to worry about for keeping things clean on all the dark stain and ironwork in there. Further reminder of all the things on Kira’s list that I was oblivious about.
“Make sure she leaves when you guys do, okay?”
Annette nodded. “Will do. She’s still mad at you, huh?”
I grinned. “Probably will be a forever thing.”