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“You’re welcome.”
Sylvie went back inside and left Eddy alone to think over the earthshaking news.
My own place! Even the idea of being part owner left her giddy. Her original plan for California had been to work herself to the bone until she saved up enough money to buy a place and then start small. She’d resigned herself to the fact that it might take years to be a success, but now? Now she could realize her dream here in the place she’d come to think of as home. She liked the small community of people here and they liked her. She wanted to jump up, throw her hands in the air, and run around the yard like a happy child. Sylvia Stewart was a godsend, and if the new place actually came to fruition, Eddy vowed to never make her regret taking her on.
In the days that followed, Eddy continued her cooking, and whenever she and Sylvia got the chance, they talked and planned. How big would the diner be? How large a staff would be needed? Sylvie talked of apartments being built above the place, where Eddy would live, a notion that filled Eddy with even more glee. After living in tiny cramped boardinghouses most of her adult life, having her very own washroom was unimaginable. They also took a ride around the city and looked at available properties. One, they ruled out immediately due to its close proximity to Beech’s Shooting Gallery. The gallery was a combination saloon and shooting gallery. Miners could drink and practice their shooting on targets nailed on the walls. According to Sylvie, such establishments had been around since Virginia City’s birth. So far no one outside or inside had been killed, but everyone believed it would only be a matter of time, which was why the town council had been trying to outlaw the place for years. However, there was an open lot not too far from the boardinghouse that met their needs.
“Do you own it?” Eddy asked once she got down from the wagon and looked around. It was located near a large Catholic church on the edge of town.
“No, but I’m pretty sure this is one of Rhine’s. In fact, he owns most of the places we’ve looked at. I doubt the bank will let me buy new land without making me dance a jig and pay an extraordinary interest rate, so going with a plot he already owns might spare me the headache.”
“Will he be one of the investors?”
“Yes. No one else will back us the way he will.”
“Have you spoken with him?”
“I have. He likes the idea, and because he’ll be my largest investor, he’ll be on the deed as a part owner.”
Eddy thought about how that might impact her future. Having him be a part owner meant the two of them would be dealing with each other often, and considering their volatile relationship, there was no telling what effect that would have on her new life in Virginia City.
As if reading her mind, Sylvia continued, “I will say this about him. I’ve never known him to let personal issues get in the way of business.”
Eddy decided to trust Sylvia on that and not let herself be overwhelmed by worries of what ifs.
Sylvia said, “Now I don’t want you to be alarmed, but Zeke Reynolds will be our architect and builder. I’ve asked him to do some drawings for us to look at and approve.”
“Lord, Sylvie.”
She smiled understandingly. “I know, honey, but he’s the best man available and this, too, is only about business.”
Eddy sighed. Zeke had stopped coming to the dining room, and his cousin August had been very cool and distant lately.
“You’ll survive,” Sylvie promised. “We women always do.”
Sylvia left the kitchen to attend to her duties, and Eddy went to the sink to start washing the breakfast dishes. She’d come to a decision. She was done doing the two-step with Rhine. If he still wanted to have dinner with her, she would. As she’d told Sylvie, she hoped it would be the cure she needed to move on with her future, but more importantly, looking down the road of her life, she saw no opportunities for her to experience what it meant to be with a man who desired her. And he’d made it quite plain through both words and action that he did. She thought back on the fervent kiss they’d shared, the way he’d melted her at the market, the ways he’d been calling to her senses since the first time he carried her in his arms, and how vulnerable he’d appeared the night on the porch at the orphanage. Rhine was as layered as he was handsome. She’d been practical, levelheaded Eddy Carmichael her entire life, and for once she wanted to be reckless, throw caution to the wind and let him gift her with memories she might not otherwise have. Did the idea scare her? In some ways it did, but she set them aside. For one night she wouldn’t care about barriers, what was forbidden, or who he was, because heaven help her, she was in love with Rhine Fontaine.
At breakfast over at the Union Saloon, Rhine told Jim, “Sylvie wants to build a new diner on a plot I’m going to sell her, and in exchange I’ll be an investor.”
“So, when she woos away even more of our customers, where will that leave us besides headed straight to the poorhouse?”
Rhine smiled. “We’ll be fine. The miners aren’t going to abandon this place and we both know it. Eddy’s cooking is drawing such crowds, Sylvie can’t feed them all.”
Jim looked up from his plate. “And is Eddy going to be the cook?”
“Yes. If the plan works, Sylvie will make money and I’ll plow my take back into the Union so you and I can make more money.”
“Makes sense.” But he had a knowing look in his eye.
“This has nothing to do with Eddy.”
“I’ll believe it when roosters start laying eggs.”
Rhine raised his cup of coffee. “Okay, I’ll admit it’ll be nice having her stay in town rather than moving to California.” And making her a part of his life permanently, if things could be worked out.
Jim eyed him for a moment. “Having her around has been good for you.”
“How so?”
