27. Chapter 27
twenty-seven
A fter taking a nap, Annie toured another apartment. She struggled to concentrate, her awareness elsewhere, rather than on safety factors, cleanliness, and the amenities. It felt like she was wasting the property manager’s time.
When she saw Peter’s cabin keys on the little table by the front entry, she knew she had no choice but to drive to Northgold.
To silence her senseless curiosity once and for all.
To prove she’d made the wise choice.
To move forward again, no regrets.
Her mind worked chaotically as she organized and packed. Caught in her thoughts, she didn’t realize at first that Molly wasn’t in bed fawning over Bell or talking to the TV; she was on the phone with Peter.
“Don’t pat yourself on the back too hard,” Molly laughed. Her tone then grew serious. “Julian has to want to see her, too.”
Molly’s truth bomb stung.
Crap.
It made Annie’s decision to go that much riskier. But her plan was to enjoy Ellie’s cooking and whatever festivities she had planned. If he wasn’t there, then they weren’t meant to be...
If he saw her, but snubbed her, then that was also just as well. Big ouch, but she wouldn't push him .
Expelling a pent up breath, Annie tugged the zipper of her duffel bag closed. She went to inform Molly she was taking off.
Molly hugged her. “You look so grim! Nobody’s forcing you to go to Northgold, hun.”
“Pray I don’t embarrass myself.”
“You’ll be okay, no matter what happens.” Molly settled back against her heap of stacked pillows. “Miss you already. Call if you need us.”
“Miss ya already, too.” Annie did her best to twist her cynical smile into something more sweet and lighthearted.
When she drove away from the house, her heart sat in her stomach.
I have to know…
That I made the wise choice.
Julian, Teagan, and several other volunteers had been running and bussing dishes non-stop for hours while Ellie and two new kitchen assistants whipped out burgers, chops, breakfast platters, and homemade soups. Every plate was licked clean, or saved in a to-go box.
When Julian wasn’t cleaning up for the next set of guests, he helped the dishwasher. Sparkling plates and silverware disappeared to the dining room the second they were clean and dry.
“We don’t have enough places for everybody to sit,” Ellie lamented when Julian checked on her. She fried a pile of chopped potatoes, flipped a few patties, and watched a pot of boiling pasta. She wiped her forearm over her brow. “The line’s been out the door for hours.”
Julian smiled. “They’re too busy catching up on the town gossip to mind. ”
She smiled back. “Thanks for being here. What do you want for supper?”
He shook his head. “You’re busy.”
Rolling her eyes, Ellie went to the fridge. She threw a beef patty on the grill. “It’ll be done in fifteen minutes.”
Sixteen minutes later, Julian leaned against the lunch counter, finishing his burger and side of steak fries. It had only taken him one bite to realize how starving he was, and how muddled his thoughts were.
Rich wandered over after finishing his meal, but only stayed long enough to say goodnight and good job, before leaving the party for the night.
Mr. and Mrs. Jaminseon also came over to praise him for all the hard work he’d done and tell him how relieved they were that the tree he’d chopped down for them was gone before they left NWD as well.
“Where do you need me?” Julian went back to the kitchen to find Ellie again. The griddle was so full of food he could barely see the black surface underneath.
She yanked a plastic cup from the nearly empty stacking zone, filled it with ice, poured a dark caramel soda, and handed it to him. “No, you go sit.”
“I’m fine.”
She went to the industrial fridge and pulled out two fresh cream pies. She reached for a plastic slice divider. “Everyone’s entitled to a thirty-minute break. I’ll make you eat a whole one of these if you don’t go sit down.”
Slice of banana cream pie in one hand, cup of soda in the other, Julian went back to the dining room and took a spot standing at the end of the bar. He wasn’t sure if this much sugar was the best or the worst idea.
“All you’ve done is run around for the last hour.”
Julian frowned and turned at a woman’s voice .
Dee squeezed in between him and the middle-aged woman sitting on the nearest stool. Julian had been so focused on eating he hadn’t looked around the room.
“I never expected to see you working here?” The nurse’s eyes sparkled.
She’d pulled her hair up at the temples with black barrettes, leaving the rest to flow over her shoulders in soft waves.
She wore a soft pink knee-length dress that was tighter on top and looser on the bottom.
Her abruptness caught Julian off guard, and he quickly swallowed his bite of pie.
“I’m helping Ellie for the night—just tonight—after helping with the remodel.”
“Gotcha! You look like you’re a natural.
” She grinned brightly before chucking her head toward the booths.
“I’m out with my parents. They were supposed to meet my new boyfriend tonight, but —” Dee rolled her eyes and fluttered her eyelids — “he got stuck at work. So we came here.” She twirled an end of her hair around a finger, giving him a bright grin.
He smiled back. Even over the smell of home cooking he could smell her nice perfume. “Well, that’s a shame. At least this is a good consolation prize.”
Dee raised her eyebrows and nodded. “Heck, yeah it is.”
Julian picked up his fork and stuck more pie into his mouth.
He hoped she wouldn’t sense his tiredness and take it as disinterest, because Dee was always excited to see him.
After she’d already tried asking him out, it was impossible to tell how she meant him to take her comment about a new boyfriend.
But if she was happy, that was what mattered, and she seemed to be just that.
“The restaurant looks beautiful, Julian.”
“Thanks. ”
“Northgold wouldn’t be the same without this place.” Dee said, leaning forward a bit. She lifted a hand, set it down on top of his. “Sometimes I wish Thomas had priorities more like yours?”
Her hand was warm. He raised a brow. “And what are those?”
Dee smiled coyly and rolled her eyes again. “Community-minded. Makes time for others...”
Not qualities I would’ve picked, but sure.
“Handsome…” she added.
Julian’s face flushed. He admired her consistent interest– which he would’ve been stupid to mistake for just plain neighborliness– but he couldn’t shake the feeling of wary disappointment.
Her flattery would’ve felt more genuine and welcome if she wasn’t already attached.
He’d never mess with another man’s girl, and he wouldn’t root for someone’s relationship to fail.
A polite smile spread across his lips. Maybe someday, Dee… but not tonight. “Surely I’m less handsome than the man who’s currently your boyfriend.”
An unidentifiable look flashed in Dee’s eyes before she pulled her hand away and laughed nervously.
“He’s handsome in his own way. Different from you, I guess.
” She smiled brightly again, her eyes giving him the up-down.
Whether it was subconscious or on purpose Julian couldn’t tell, either.
“Well, I better get back to my parents,” she said. “See you around.”
“See ya.” Julian waved goodbye. When she turned away, he blinked, shook his head, and stuck another bite of pie into his mouth.
“Oh!” a woman exclaimed.
Julian turned in time to see cups fly and scatter across the floor in a puddle of cola and ice. A group sitting at one of the new tall bar tables blocked his view, but he guessed one of the new waitresses had accidentally dropped her delivery platter .
A couple restaurant patrons exclaimed their surprise. A few others rushed over and threw down their cloth napkins.
Julian dashed to the back of the restaurant. The last thing they needed was a slip-and-fall and a sticky floor for guests to complain about. He looked for the mop bucket in the maintenance closet—
Empty?
— before turning on his heel and heading towards the kitchen. Teagan stood in the kitchen doorway with the rolling yellow bucket.
“Diana done goofed,” the young waiter said to the prep assistant. He then spied Julian out of the corner of his eye. He smirked. “Julian’s stan crashed into the waitress.”
What? Julian raised a brow.
“Your girl.”
Julian shook his head. “...Who?”
Teagan didn’t answer. He shouted, “Corner!" as he left the back of the house. Ellie left the kitchen, too, towel in hand, and followed him.
Curious, Julian poked his head out the serving window, but quickly lost interest. Teagan hadn’t meant Dee, had he? Dee was sitting with her parents, but her back was to him. He shrugged. Everything seems under control.
“We need more plates,” said Ellie’s prepping assistant, elbow deep in raw pork chops and applesauce stuffing. “The dishwasher is taking a smoke break.”
Julian looked at the dish sink and grimaced. “Gotcha.”
Reaching for a pair of yellow gloves and the sink hose, he got to work. Two plates in, someone roughly linked their arm into the crook of his elbow.
“Come with me,” Ellie hissed into his ear.