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And maybe they had.
The second they were out of the room, Shane grabbed a glass decanter and launched it at the wall. Glass shattered and the amber liquid trickled to the ground. He didn’t drink—never could stomach the stuff—but there were some clients who appreciated a nice bourbon. Now, they’d have to be happy with a seltzer water.
Shane breathed heavily, his hands clutched in fists at his sides. His vision was a blur, and he had a hard time recalling why he’d ended up at his office in the first place.
Eloise’s phone!
He let out a curse and spun around. Madeline had stolen Eloise’s phone for whatever reason. With his luck, she’d already be long gone. His steps slowed as he made it into a more crowded area of the country club. Who was he kidding? He doubted he’d be able to get it back.
Shane raked two hands through his hair. He was a ball of nervous energy, and all he really wanted to do was go for a walk—or a run.
But he couldn’t. He had a restaurant opening, two cousins who wanted nothing more than to bring him misery, and a woman who was expecting him to return her phone within the next few minutes.
Why did they have to show up tonight of all nights? Maybe it was for the best that Brielle wasn’t interested anymore. The last thing he needed was for his cousins to latch on to someone they thought he valued. There was no telling what they might do.
He straightened his shoulders and headed for the restaurant. Before he made it five steps into the waiting area, someone tapped him on the shoulder. Shane glanced toward one of the kitchen staff but continued his stride. “What is it?” he demanded. Could this night get any worse?
“Sir?”
Shane spun around. One more thing was all it would take to break the camel’s back. It almost looked like the cook was trembling in his boots. Being intimidating wasn’t one of Shane’s normal personality traits. He’d never liked being that kind of boss, but at this moment in time maybe that was what he had to be. “Spit it out. I have a restaurant to oversee.”
“We’re short-staffed. Penelope just went into labor. She’s on her way to the hospital now.” The poor guy shrank back slightly as if Shane were the type to strike him down. The thought was laughable. If he had that reputation, his cousins wouldn’t be hounding him so much.
Pinching the bridge of his nose, Shane attempted to draw out any sort of solution he could find in the recesses of his mind, but there was none. He literally had nothing left to give in this moment.
“Eloise is a really good cook,” came a female voice.
Shane stiffened. Even above the quiet roar of the quickly filling restaurant, he could hear Faye’s voice. If they hadn’t arrived moments earlier with news of their new engagement, he wouldn’t have been able to place it. Actually, if he hadn’t dated Brielle for a time, he wouldn’t have even bothered facing her.
Faye grinned while Eloise dug her elbow into her sister’s side. “Seriously. Out of all of us, Eloise is the best cook. We all avoid the kitchen as much as we can just so she’ll give in and make supper.”
Eloise gasped. “Faye! I’m not a chef.”
“But youcancook.” Shane didn’t know what possessed him to accept this recommendation without another thought. He hadn’t tasted Eloise’s cooking, so he had no idea if Faye was just telling him what he wanted to hear. On top of that, he needed more time to figure out what to do about Marc and Madeline, along with the missing phone.
Eloise blushed a deep red. “I enjoy cooking, but I don’t think I’m going to be good enough to help out in your kitchen.”
“All we really need is an extra pair of hands.” The cook behind him jumped into the conversation, his voice hopeful. “It would be more helpful than you know.”
Shane studied Eloise. He hadn’t heard much about her from Brielle. Granted, Brielle didn’t like talking about her sisters much at all. She preferred to keep her family life tucked away. If he’d been paying attention, he would have noticed that was a big red flag. She wasn’t serious about dating at all.
He shook off the depressing thought. There were far more important things to worry about—a cook being number one on his list. Eloise shifted in her seat, and this time, Faye was the one to nudge her.
Shane had no other options. All he could do was pray Eloise was as good as Faye insisted she was. “Would you mind? I’ll make it worth your while.”
She glanced at her sister, then brought her gaze up to meet his. “Okay, but I’m not making any promises.”
2
Eloise
Eloise couldn’t believe she’d actually agreed to cook… for Shane Owens, no less. Okay, so she wasn’t exactly cooking for Shane. She was cooking for several actual customers who’d come to this restaurant to be wowed by the local millionaire.
She didn’t know if he actually had that kind of wealth, but she’d heard the stories. As she stared at the back of his head while they made their way toward the rear of the restaurant, she couldn’t help but let her thoughts wander.
Shane was the wealthiest man in town. He kept to himself, which was why it was so strange to find out he had family visiting. Did Brielle know them? They seemed nice enough, if not a bit more curious than the average local.
One thing she noticed right away was how different they were from their cousin. Every time she’d interacted with Shane, it had been—stiff. That was the only way to describe it. He seemed far too serious. Or grumpy. Perhaps he was a little bit of both.
