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“I think we’ll keep the snack shack for old time’s sake,” he said, forcing himself to look away from her and back out over the grounds where he would build the new restaurant. “But the new place, I’d like it to go over there,” he pointed, “so the pines can ring the back of it. We’ll have a deck out there, too, a garden area, and the trees will provide some shade, as well.”
She looked where he pointed and nodded. “It’s a good spot. But a wood deck requires a lot of upkeep. What about flagstone?”
Sam thought about it. “Good idea. Easier to clean, too. I called Dennis Barclay’s construction company last night and he’s going to come up tomorrow, make some measurements, draw up some plans so we can go to the city and line up the permits.”
“Dennis does good work.” She made a note on her iPad. “Franklin stone could lay the gravel paths and the flagstone. They’ve got a yard in Ogden with samples.”
“Good idea. We can check that out once we get the permits and an architect’s drawing on the restaurant.”
“Right.” Her voice was cool, clipped. “We used Nancy Frampton’s firm for the addition to the inn.”
“I remember.” He nodded. “She’s good. Okay, I’ll call and talk to her tomorrow. Tell her what we want up here.”
She made another note and he almost chuckled. She was so damn determined to keep him at arm’s length. To pretend that what they’d shared in the office last night hadn’t really happened. And he was willing to let that pretense go on. For a while.
“As long as you’re making notes, write down that we want to get some ideas for where to build an addition to the inn. I want it close enough to the main lodge that it’s still a part of us. But separate, too. Maybe joined by a covered walkway so even during storms, people can go back and forth.”
“That’d work.” She stopped, paused and said, “You know, a year ago, we put in a restaurant-grade stove, oven and fridge in the main lodge kitchen. We’re equipped to provide more than breakfast and lunch now.”
He turned his head and looked at her. “Then why aren’t you?”
“We need a new chef.” Lacy sighed and pulled her sunglasses off the top of her head to rest on the bridge of her nose. “Maria’s ready to retire but she won’t go until she’s sure we’ll survive without her.”
Sam smiled, thinking of the woman who’d been at the lodge since he was a boy. Maria was a part of Sam’s childhood, as much a fixture on the mountain as the Wyatt lodge itself. “Then she’ll never leave.”
Lacy smiled, too, and he wondered if she realized it. “Probably not. But if we want to serve a wider menu to more people, we need another chef to take some of the work off her shoulders. Maria doesn’t really want to retire anyway, but she can’t handle a larger load, no matter what she says. Another chef would make all the difference.”
“Make a note,” he said.
“Already done.”
“Okay then.” Sam took her elbow and turned her toward the snack bar. “Come on. We’ve got to go down and finalize the party setup. But first—chili dogs. On me.”
“No thanks. I’m not hungry.”
“As I remember it, you’re always hungry, Lacy,” he said, practically dragging her to the snack bar.
“Oh, for—” She broke off, gave in and started walking with him. “Things change, you know.”
She was right. A lot had changed. But that buzz of something hot and electric that hummed between them was still there. Stronger than ever. Two years away hadn’t eased what he felt for her. And since that kiss, he knew she felt the same.
“Mike’s chili hasn’t changed. And that’s all I’m thinking about right now.”
Of course, he was also planning ahead. So no onions.
Four
“Dad’s really glad Sam’s home.” Kristi drained the last of her wine, then reached out and snagged the bottle off the coffee table for a refill.
“I know,” Lacy said, sipping hers more slowly. She remembered the too-much-wine-and-brownies fest she and Kristi had had just a few days ago, and Lacy could live without another morning-after headache. “Your mom’s happy, too.”
Kristi sighed and snuggled deeper into the faded, overstuffed chair opposite Lacy. “I know. She hasn’t stopped baking. Pies, cakes, the cookies I brought over to share. It’s nuts, really. I don’t think the oven’s cooled off once since Sam arrived. Between Mom’s sugar overload and Maria making all of Sam’s favorites for dinner...I think I’ve gained five pounds.”
