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The inn rang with loud voices as Zander and Tyson stepped inside. Jacob and Derrick were fighting again. It was only weeks ago that Zander had straightened Jacob’s nose after Derrick punched him in the face during an argument. Zander was a veterinarian, but when his mom called, he’d rushed to the inn to doctor his brother’s busted up face.
“We’re here,” he called out, hoping to stop the bickering.
Ella rushed out of the other room to give him a hug, her pretty brown hair flying behind her. She leaned against his chest and sighed. “They fight all the time.”
“They always have. We all do,” he reassured her. “We’re different than a lot of families, but when push comes to shove, we’re here for each other. We’ll do anything to protect each other, and more than that to protect you, munchkin.”
“I know. But I still don’t like it.” Her face pinched into a worried frown.
“Here, I brought these for you.” He handed over the bouquet of brightly colored daisies.
“Oh, thank you.” She hopped up and kissed his cheek, a smile blossoming in her eyes.
“You’re welcome. What’s for dinner?” he asked, going for the distraction. Ella hadn’t spent much time with the family before she’d moved back in with Jacob. She wasn’t used to their rowdy way of doing things. Deep in his heart, he knew she’d adapt. She probably didn’t even realize that she fought with her father the same way everyone else did.
“Chicken something. I don’t know the proper name, I forgot to ask Heather. She’s great. She even let me help cook. I can’t decide if I’m going to be a painter, or a chef, when I grow up. Not that I’m not grown up already, even if Dad won’t admit it.”
“Munchkin, enjoy being a kid and keep on trying new things. You never know what your gift is until you stumble on it.”
“You have a gift with animals. Grandma says so. Just like Dad has a gift for business.” She grabbed him and Tyson by the elbows and dragged them through the inn, past the front desk and sitting room, toward the dining room. “Heather says we’ll eat as soon as you’re here. Good thing you weren’t any later, dinner would have been ruined,” she declared with all the drama of a teenager.
Laughing, he allowed himself to be towed to the table and took a seat between his mother and Jacob’s girlfriend, Lexi. He leaned over and pressed a kiss to his mother’s cheek and passed her a bouquet of carnations. He gave Lexi a pink and yellow bouquet of mixed flowers. Tyson set the wine on the table. “Hi, Mom,” Zander said. “You look great. Did you get your hair cut?”
She smiled. “Thank you, dear. The flowers are lovely. I did get my hair cut. Thanks for noticing.”
He didn’t see any difference in her hair, but he recalled her mentioning going to the salon.
“Zander, have you met Heather?” Jacob asked. “She catered for us when the caterer we hired couldn’t make it. Turns out it was a good thing. She needed work and I needed a chef. She’s more than that, the woman cooks like a five-star chef. I don’t know what she’s doing in a tiny place like Half Moon Bay when she could be cooking for a high-end restaurant.”
“We’ve talked a time or two,” he said when his brother stopped singing Heather’s praises. Zander had mingled at the inn’s opening, but it had been an absolute zoo with Jacob rolling in via helicopter at the last second. He had talked to Heather a few times, and now that he’d met her again, at the clinic, he was curious about her.
“Here she is now,” his mom exclaimed. “Isn’t she lovely, Zander?”
“Mom don’t try and hook up my staff. They’re off limits,” Derrick growled.
Zander turned toward the door to the kitchen. Heather, his Heather, stood in the doorway in a pristine white chef’s jacket. Whoa! “His Heather?” What was he thinking. He barely knew her.
Her blonde hair was pulled into a tight, no-nonsense bun. She had a huge tray of appetizers in her hands and a nervous look on her face. She glanced around the room but didn’t seem to meet anyone’s eye.
“Heather. Nice to see you again,” he said, unable to stop grinning. Something about her made him smile.
“Dr.Bellamie. I didn’t expect to see you here.” she lied. He could tell when she avoided his eyes. She cooked for a Bellamie. How could she not expect to see him at a Bellamie family dinner? And what was with her calling him doctor?
“Call me Zander, please.”
“Oh,” Lexi said. “I didn’t realize you knew each other. Do you have a pet, Heather?” Lexi was the friendliest person Zander knew. She chatted to everyone and had a gift for putting them at ease. She would be the consummate innkeeper’s wife once they married.
“No pets,” Heather said. “I bumped into Zander yesterday.”
“I rescued her from a wild animal.” He chuckled.
“That sounds exciting.” Ella clapped her hands. “Tell us about it.”
Heather started placing the delicate appetizers in front of everyone. “Tonight, we have two appetizers. Baked cranberry brie bites and mushroom pastries with a tomato garlic aioli sauce.”
“But what about the wild animal?” Ella bounced on her chair.
“There’s nothing to tell,” Heather moved around the table carefully setting each duo of appetizers before one of his family members.
