Page 3 of Windward Hearts

“Sorry,” June said, looking sheepish. “But also, please let me reiterate that you are saving our lives here. We went for a hike today⁠—”

“I froze to death,” Levi said solemnly, with no apparent regard for the contradiction inherent in this statement.

“—and it was so beautiful that we totally forgot to eat until we were starving,” June went on with no real regard for her boyfriend’s complaint. Even Jared, who didn’t spend that much time with June or Levi, knew that the Southern man’s intolerance for Massachusetts winters was a running joke between them. Besides, it was barely even cold any longer. March hadn’t exactly gone out like a lamb, like the rhyme promised, but April was gradually limping its way toward spring, albeit with a great deal of rain. Today had been nice, Jared had seen from the few glimpses he’d seen between spending long hours in the kitchen.

“It was very nice,” Levi admitted.

“Well, then,” Jared said, handing over the sandwiches, “it sounds like these are well-deserved.”

“Thank you!” June exclaimed. She made to go over to the hostess’ stand to pay for the meals, but Jared waved her off.

“We’re at the end of the night, so that would have just gotten thrown out anyway,” he said by way of explanation. This was another thing that he liked a lot about working in a small town and running his own restaurant; he could give away food at the end of the night instead of feeling terrible because he was constantly wasting food that could have fed someone who was hungry. After all, that was a chef’s true calling: to actually feed people.

“Are you sure?” June asked, then rolled her eyes when Jared gave her a pointed look. “Yes, yes, fine. Thank you, Jared. You’re the best.”

Jared waved to the happy couple as they headed out the door, already back to chattering pleasantly about their day and their plans to pick up Benjamin, June’s young son. He didn’t miss the part where Levi slipped some money to the wait staff, even though he had gotten takeout, but Jared wasn’t going to protest. He strongly approved of people who were kind to waiters. He’d known far too many chefs who acted as though the support staff of a restaurant were less important people just because they didn’t work with knives in the kitchen. He did not hold with such attitudes.

He went back to the kitchen to clean up for the evening, a routine that he found restful and therapeutic. He had been doing this the same way every working day since culinary school, and while it was never a good idea to totally check out while working with extremely sharp implements, he didn’t precisely have to focus either.

He felt about cleaning the kitchen the way some people felt about meditation.

His mind lingered on June and Levi. It was astonishing how life could change so quickly. A few months ago, June had been a single mom who was struggling to make ends meet and care for her young son, Benjamin. Then Levi had come to town by pure chance and heard her sing at the open mic night she regularly attended at Anchor Bistro, another local eatery. He’d been swept away by her voice, and now the two were recording a country music album together.

A whole life changed in just a few weeks.

How would Jared’s life change if he met that special someone?

He shook his head as he turned to wiping down counters. He wasn’t certain why these thoughts kept going through his mind recently. Maybe it was just that he was getting older. He was thirty-two now, after all. By the time his parents had been his age, Jared had been about four years old.

Or maybe it was just… time.

Either way, he reminded himself, nothing to that effect would be happening tonight. He finished up his cleaning tasks, then moved to a few minor prep items that would make tomorrow a whole lot easier. By the time the clock struck eight, which was the official closing time for Riverstone Kitchen, the only thing that stood between him and heading out the door was putting on his coat.

He saw Cadence and Tyler Meadows heading toward the parking lot as he went to the hidden closet where his coat and keys were hiding and wondered if they’d seen June and Levi, since the four were friends. No, wait—five, since Cadence and Tyler’s daughter was there too, slung over her father’s shoulder and apparently completely asleep.

Jared held his finger to his lips, indicating that he wouldn’t speak, then waved to the couple, who had recently reconciled after a rough patch. Another happy couple. Another happy family.

And another pang in Jared’s chest. Another what if that were me?

Goodness. He needed to stop with this. It wasn’t accomplishing anything, and if he kept daydreaming in the kitchen, he was liable to chop off his own finger with his absentmindedness.

Besides, he might not have a family of his own, but he was making families happy. He was feeding them, and feeding people was one of the best ways, in his opinion, of showing that you loved them. And he did love this community, in ways that he hadn’t even quite realized for himself until after he’d come back from his many years in the highly competitive world of elite culinary spheres.

That would have to be enough, at least for now. For now, he’d just make this beloved community as memorably sated as he could.

And that, he reminded himself as he headed for home, was an important role indeed. And maybe someday, maybe even someday soon, he’d have a little bit more than that.

CHAPTER THREE

Hope took an absent bite of the scrambled eggs she’d made herself for breakfast, then grimaced and spit the mouthful into a napkin. The eggs hadn’t been that good when they had been hot, and now that they’d grown cold, they were downright awful. Hope might have spent the better part of the past decade working near a kitchen, but that didn’t actually translate into any cooking skills of her own. And that was before she let the food sit on her plate for an hour while she was woolgathering.

Not that it had gotten her anywhere. She still had no idea what she planned to do once the restaurant closed.

She could probably get a job at another restaurant, possibly even another elite restaurant in the city. She had a lot of experience, after all, and she knew that Melissa would write her a great recommendation. She might even be able to connect Hope with an opportunity directly; after so long in the Boston restaurant scene, Melissa knew everybody.

But… Hope didn’t think she wanted that.

Figuring out what she didn’t want had always been easier for Hope than figuring out what she did want. She’d been blessed with a really supportive family who had been totally understanding when Hope had realized that college wasn’t the right path for her, and they’d never looked down on her for working as a waitress, even though her sister was a schoolteacher and her parents were both accountants, jobs that often got more respect.