A Haven on the Bay - Nicole Ellis Page 0,5

so maybe those qualities would develop as their romance matured. But what if they didn’t? As the top of Theo’s head disappeared below street level, she felt more unsure about everything than she had in months.

2

Taylor

Taylor Argo edged the metal spatula under the crispy skin of a pink salmon filet and slid it onto a plate. He took a second to admire the grill marks on the fish and how sharply they contrasted with the classic white plates used in the dining room of the Willa Bay Lodge. Elegant and simple—exactly the type of cuisine he was known for.

Brandon, the new sous-chef hired to replace Meg when she left, moved in sync with Taylor, plucking the plate from the counter to add the roasted root vegetables and rice pilaf to the dinner special. He set the fish entrée next to another on the warming countertop.

Brandon wasn’t Meg, but he was working out.

Taylor had just flipped a chicken breast to its other side when he heard a woman tentatively clearing her throat behind him. He turned to see Kaley, one of the part-time waitresses who worked the dinner shift.

“Excuse me. Taylor?” Her voice was so timid that he had to strain to hear her over the hissing meat on the grill and the pot of pasta boiling on the stove. She shifted her weight from foot to foot, her face contorted with worry.

This didn’t look like something that could wait. Taylor glanced back at the grill to assess its contents. Nothing was in danger of burning, so he turned his full attention to the teenager standing a few feet away.

“Is everything okay?” he asked. Kaley was a newer member of their staff, but she’d acclimated quickly and didn’t seem prone to panicking unnecessarily. Besides, it was just after five o’clock, and they’d only had a few guests so far.

“Um, sorry to bother you, it’s just that some of the customers are asking about dessert.” She held up the tall, narrow dessert menu he’d printed out earlier in the day.

“Okay?” He cocked his head to the side. “I’m not sure I understand the problem.”

She took a deep breath. “We don’t have anything to offer them for dessert. I can’t find anything that’s on the menu.”

He stared at her. “That’s impossible.” He strode toward the walk-in refrigerator and yanked open the door, certain he’d be able to locate what their pastry chef had made earlier in the day. “Lara made mini cheesecakes and blackberry pie before she left. She was supposed to make some mousse too.” He scanned the shelves of the walk-in. His confidence sank as his gaze slid over each item that wasn’t one of the desserts on the menu. He spun on his heels. “Where are all of the desserts?”

Kaley shrank back, and Brandon poked his head around Taylor to see into the refrigerator too. “I saw Lara put something in there while I was prepping the salad greens earlier, but it looked more like a big cake than a pie or mini cheesecakes.”

He stepped out of the way, and Taylor shut the heavy door before looking at each of them in turn. “Did either of you see Lara make any desserts for the Lodge before she left?”

They shook their heads in tandem.

“Nope.” Brandon stared at the stainless-steel door. “I just figured she made them before I got here.”

“She was gone before I arrived.” Kaley’s eyes were as wide as the saucers for the espresso they served with dessert. “Does this mean we don’t have anything to give to the guests?”

“That’s what it’s looking like.” Taylor’s sense of calm was rapidly dissipating. He was at the end of his rope with Lara, but maybe there was a logical explanation for why they couldn’t find any desserts. “Okay, give me a few minutes to find out what’s going on.” Taylor told Brandon to man the grill and excused himself to his office, shutting the door and leaning back in the chair to take a few deep breaths before picking up the phone to call Lara.

It rang four times before she finally answered, her voice bright. “Hello, this is Lara.”

“Lara. It’s Taylor.” His voice was brittle, even to his own ears. He counted to five before continuing. “Where are the desserts for this evening?”

A pregnant pause followed. “Oh. I didn’t actually make any. I had a cake that I needed to get to a client tonight and I didn’t have time for the Lodge desserts.”

“You didn’t have time?” His brain was spinning.