“Easy, killer. Nobody’s talking imminent physical danger. All I’m saying is that Simon is a cornered animal, and cornered animals are unpredictable. He could try to manipulate Hawk. Or make him an indecent proposal to trade sexual favors for business benefits. Or make it seem like they’re on a ‘date’ so that it looks to the town like Hawk is betraying you, selling out on his protest, and falling in line with Evola…”
I opened my mouth to instinctively deny everything she said… then blinked. “Okay, way,waytoo many people in town know about this date-that’s-not-a-date,” I admitted. “Even in the Hollow, people don’t tend to gossip about shit that hasn’t happened yet.”
“Mmmhmm. And if that’s the case, Hawk needs someone to watch out for him. They’re meeting at the…”
“Stag and Crowne,” I said distractedly.
“Yep. Which happens to be a prime dating location.” Crys gave me a look of wide-eyed innocence that might have fooled me… if she hadn’t been using the exact same words Betty Ann had just used and hadn’t been smirking while she said it.
I narrowed my eyes. “Okay, Chaotic Evil, be real. Do you actually think Hawk is in danger? Or did you overhear Betty Ann, and now you’re shit-stirring just to see what happens if I show up at the Stag and Crowne and interrupt Hawk’s business dinner like a chest-thumping caveman?”
She grinned. “I’m more Chaotic Neutral, to be honest. And I’m just providing you with all the data to make an informeddecision. Now, table four’s waiting for their receipt, and I don’t want my boss to get upset, so if you’ll excuse me…” She tapped the bill folder against her hand and walked off.
I stared at her back. I wanted to believe Crys was simply baiting me, but whatever else I doubted about her, she really seemed to care for Hawk. So although I tried to put it out of my head and remember that Hawk could take care of himself, I couldn’t quite settle. I would have given a lot of money to have eyes on Hawk, or at least on Simon.
My phone weighed on my pocket like an anvil, just begging me to take it out and send a quick bat emoji text to the man I loved, but I knew he had an incredibly busy day planned, and I didn’t want to distract him when I wasn’t sure what, if anything, was going on.
I was contemplating the distracting powers of afourthbatch of bread when the universe did me a solid for the first time that day.
“Erm. Mr. Wyatt?” Katey said loudly from the kitchen doorway, using an overly formal tone I’d never heard from her before. “Are you free?”
I glanced up from the sourdough starter I was measuring. “Everything okay, Katey?”
She darted a glance over her shoulder and stepped fully into the kitchen, letting the door swing shut. “Yes! There are some Evola guys in suits here to see you,” she whispered excitedly. “Said they have abusiness proposition. I put them at the big booth in the corner in case you want a little privacy. Hope that’s okay.”
I quickly washed my hands and straightened my shirt before heading out to greet them.
Katey was right—one of the men waiting in the booth was Simon himself, and the other was the marketing guywho’d spoken at the town meeting. “I’m Jack Wyatt,” I said, approaching their table. “How can I help you?”
The words were polite enough, but when I gave Simon an up-down and noted the extra care he’d put into his appearance—adatelevelof care—I couldn’t help scowling.
Simon didn’t seem to notice. He shot me a friendly smile. “Hi, Jack. I’m Simon Wentworth, and this is my colleague Nick Ormann, who is in charge of strategic partnerships at Evola. Do you have a few minutes to sit down with us? I know you’re a very busy man.”
After shaking their hands, my curiosity forced me to take a seat in the booth beside them. Nick had a large envelope in front of him, and Simon had a small laptop. “What can I help you with?”
Simon opened his laptop and clicked a few keys. “Actually, I think we might be able to helpeach other. One of the assignments our team has when we come on-site for an assessment like this is to identify local vendors we can partner with to provide a better experience for both our guests and the communities we come into with our resort concepts.”
He turned the screen so I could see the marketing mock-up graphics.
“What am I looking at?” I asked, wondering if he had an idea to hire Panini Jack’s to provide catering for any of the Evola meetings taking place here in town.
Nick slid the envelope toward me. “We’d like to offer Panini Jack’s an exclusive contract to provide the food service at the high-mountain dining enclave.”
I stared at them uncomprehending. “The… what?”
Simon pointed to his screen again. “As you can see, the resort design includes a quaint spot on top of Glassy Ridge where guests and visitors can stop to enjoy a one-of-a-kind local dining experience with world-class views. Right now, we’re calling itPanini Jack’s Aerie Grotto, at least internally, but we’re open to ideas about that.”
“Panini Jack’s…” I swallowed, staring at the screen despite myself.
Sure enough, the design showed a tasteful, open-walled chalet nestled right on Glassy Ridge in a spot where Hawk and I had picnicked more than once. Its single-story expanse was surrounded by deep, wide decking featuring tables with umbrellas, comfortable chairs, and potted planters overflowing with colorful flowers. The stylized illustration even showed a few elegant patrons enjoying their fictional luncheon, and a few people stood propped behind easels on the edge of the deck, painting en plein air.
My breath caught. I didn’t even know where to begin.
“I… don’t understand,” I said, mostly to buy myself enough time to determine how I felt about the ridiculous offer. On the one hand, I was flattered and couldn’t help but wonder what it would be like to expand my business in partnership with a well-funded, high-end resort concept.
On the other…what the actual fuck?
It was a week before the town vote. Whether Simon knew about my relationship with Hawk or not, for him to suddenly be approaching a local vendor when he’d never mentioned such a thing before meant that he was running scared, just as Crys had said.
