Roadside Attraction (Castle View Series Book 2) (9 page)

Josh wanted to reach over, release the waves of dark hair, and throw that damn phone across the room. He hated seeing her this wound up but maybe it would help her see the wisdom in his plan. A guy could only hope. He sat back on the couch and opened a magazine he found on the coffee table. He’d just finished the article on the numerous people celebrating Frank Sinatra’s 100th birthday when she hung up and sank into the couch next to him.

“Tell me what’s wrong.” He put the magazine back onto the wooden coffee table and pulled her close to him.

***

Maggie sat at the counter, her mind still on the argument she’d had with her brother. He was making her life impossible. Just because he’d been some big shot in a car rental business didn’t give him the knowledge to run a restaurant.

“You’re still brooding.” Josh stood in the doorway between the kitchen and the living room watching her. “You know what I think you should do, so now you have to make a decision.”

“You make it sound so simple.” Maggie thought about the restaurant. If she left, would Mark even keep it open? Or would it turn from the upscale dining experience she’d brought St. Josephs to more of a quick sandwich shop. A place for people to grab lunch after visiting with the tigers.
You can’t live two lives.
Her mother’s old saying came into her head. When Maggie was a little girl, she’d tell her mom about all the things she wanted to be. A fashion designer, an astronaut, a chef, and mother to a dozen kids. Typically her mom had been folding laundry or making dinner during these discussions and Maggie remembered her laughter, not at her daughter, but at the dreams of being everything.

“It is simple.” Josh frowned. “Or is this just my dream? You can tell me if I’m over-stepping. I know we just met, but I think there is a connection between us. Am I wrong?”

Maggie hesitated, not because of her feelings, but because of the intensity of them. She saw a splash of pain cross over Josh’s face.

“I guess that’s my answer.” He turned toward the entry. “Look, I’m heading to the motel. I’ll be at the restaurant to work tomorrow, but you better find another chef. I’m leaving as soon as my bike is fixed.” He turned back and looked at her one more time. “With or without you.”

The too-big bed felt cold as Maggie tossed and turned. How had Josh become part of her life so quickly? Her body ached, not just for the fevered touch when they made love, but more for the warm companionship of having him close. She’d never been one to spoon and cuddle in the afterglow. A habit that had gotten her in trouble with most of her short relationships. One guy in college had told her she treated sex like a dude, wham-bam-thank-you-sir, and she was done.

The trouble with those guys was once the sex was over, she hadn’t know what else they had in common. She hadn’t felt that way with Josh. They talked movies and books and food. They talked before, after, and heaven help her, even during sex. She could even imagine the cottage by the sea he’d promised her.

All she had to do was give up her life here. 

Her cell buzzed as she lay on her bed, wondering if she even set the automatic coffee pot last night. She’d been so upset about the restaurant and Josh, she’d just gone through the motions. Watching television but not even remembering what shows she’d had on. Now it was time to act like a grown up and get ready for work.

She grabbed the cell off the bedside table and answered. “What?”

“Well, good morning to you too.” Brad’s voice was a little too chipper for—she rolled over and checked the time on her clock—eight in the morning. 

She sat up and walked toward the bathroom. “What do you want Brad?”

“Okay then. Now that we have the niceties over, I want to talk to you about Mom. I’ve got that woman coming over this morning to interview for the assistant slot. I want you to talk to her too.”

Maggie stared at her bloodshot eyes and tousled brown hair. If she hadn’t known better, she would have said she had a bender last night. Instead, she hadn’t even finished the first beer she’d opened right after Josh left the house. No way would she admit to either herself or anyone else that she’d been crying. She focused back on the conversation. “What are you talking about? Did Mom change her mind?”

“Of course not. She’s as stubborn as that old mule we had when we were kids.” Brad chuckled. “What was his name again? Charger?”

“Steed,” Maggie answered absently. “So if Mom doesn’t want help, why are you interviewing her?”

“Because Mon needs the help. She just doesn’t know it. We’ll get her lined up and as soon as she comes to her senses, we have itin place. Shane isn’t going to be able to lift her off the floor if she falls.
”
Brad slowed his words to add emphasis and, probably, Maggie thought, to tick her off.

She shrugged. Shane was a big boy, he probably could help her mother off the floor but sometimes it was better not to argue with Brad. What Brad wanted, Brad got. It had been that way since the kid was born. Now her brother took his entitlement for granted.

When she didn’t respond, Brad assumed her silence was acceptance. “Great. She’ll be here at nine. I want you to get a feel for her, since you’re female.”

“And I’ve got special female insights?” Sometimes her brother could be insensitive. But mostly, he was just clueless, especially when it came to the other sex. “Thanks for the vote of confidence.”

“You know what I mean. You’ll know if Mom would like her or kick her out the first day.” Maggie could hear the pen tapping Brad’s desk. He had a nervous twitch when something was important. It was his tell and both Maggie and Mark had tended to use it against him when they were kids. No matter how this would turn out, Brad was determined to take care of Mom. She might as well get on the bandwagon.

“I’ll be there in thirty minutes. Make sure we have coffee,” Maggie grumbled and hung up the cell. She’d wanted to hang around the house thinking about Josh’s offer. But no, she had to take care of her mother and deal with this crazy idea from Brad. As she got ready for her day, she thought about riding the highways on the back of Josh’s bike. Her arms wrapped around his body, watching the world flow by and stopping at places along the way that amused them. Not just the big attractions, but the water fountain by the side of the road boasting of clear, artesian well water. Or the little shop selling opals dug from an Idaho mine. 

Her mind was still playing with the idea of leaving when she arrived at the winery. The building was massive, making her Tiger Café look tiny. The woodworking Dad had hired out for her bar area had been the same crew that did the winery so the places appeared similar. Deep, rich, and with a Hemingway era theme. She’d loved playing dress-up and coming down to the tasting room for tea parties with her dolls as a kid. She wondered if that playtime had cemented her career of restaurant owner at the age of five. A career she was thinking about walking away from just to follow a man.

Old habits die hard. She’d been accused of being flighty during high school and college. And honestly, back then she had been more intent on making herself fit the current boyfriend’s mold. When she dated the quarterback, she joined the cheer squad and hated it. When she dated the brain, freshman year of college, she read the classics and talked about novel structure. It had been Moonchild, her last serious boyfriend, who’d made her realize what she was doing. In fact, he’d dumped her after she’d offered to quit school and sell flowers by the road to pay for their bohemian life. “This isn’t you, it’s me.” He’d put a hand on her shoulder and kissed her tenderly. “You need to live your own life, not mine or the next guy you think you have fallen in love with.”

And yet, here she was ready to dump everything she’d worked for to get on the back of Josh’s bike. Something was holding her back, but she didn’t feel like it was Moonchild’s words. Was she reacting from the pains of being an adult? Or seeing Tami grow wings? Or did she really have strong feelings for a guy she’d met less than a week ago?

“Earth to Maggie.” Brad stood in the doorway to his office holding out a cup of coffee. “What’s got you so lost in thought? Don’t tell me your new guy’s dumped you already?”

She grabbed the cup and pushed past him to the couch. “No, he hasn’t dumped me.” She paused, wondering if Brad was the one she should be confiding in. “Actually, he’s asked me to go traveling with him.”

Brad sat next to her, his forearms on his thighs and studied her. “Wow, that’s out of left field. Are you seriously considering going? What would you do with the restaurant?”

“I suppose I could hire a manager easy enough. Mark likes messing with my plans. He could take over some of the strategic planning and oversight.” She twisted the silver bracelet on her wrist. Her dad had given it to her when she’d opened the restaurant. A small tiger was the only charm he’d added. Was she dishonoring his memory by even thinking about leaving Castle View behind?

“Yeah, he’s been all up in my business this last week too. I know he means well, but the guy needs to back off. We survived fine without him all those years he lived in California.” Brad leaned back on the couch.

“We both know that’s not true. Dad was amazing, but a crappy businessman. Mark needs to learn to have some kind of bedside manners while he’s cutting the fat from the business. And he forgets we might know something about what’s fat and what’s not.” She shook her head. “I’m just worn out. And worried.”

“You could go for a while, see how you like being away. I don’t think you’ve even taken a vacation since you left college. Castle View may or may not survive, but you being here or not, isn’t going to make the difference.”

She reached out to slap his arm but he dodged her half-hearted attempt. “Thanks for making me feel important.”

“Hold on, I’m just saying the company isn’t resting on your back alone. Maybe Mark and I could step up to cover you while you’re gone.”

“And then there’s Mom.” The more Maggie thought about the problems, the more she was convinced she couldn’t leave. For a short while or not. Too many people counted on her.

Brad looked at his watch. “The answer to that problem should be stepping in the door right about now.”

As if he’d conjured her, a knock sounded at the office door and a petite blond walked into the office. She looked at the two of them and smiled. “I’m Destiny Brooks. I’m here for the medical assistant interview.”

Brad bounced up out of his seat and held out a hand. “Brad Castle. This is my sister, Maggie.”

The newcomer nodded to Maggie. “Nice to meet you. I’m assuming neither of you need a physical therapist or medication assistance so who is the patient?  I’d rather interview with them as it’s a very personal relationship. I want to make sure they like me.”

Brad motioned for the woman to have a seat and after a slight hesitation, she sat on the chair next to the couch. After he returned to his place on the couch, he looked at Maggie. “So the patient is our mother. Sandy Castle. She’s in her early 70’s, mostly gets around fine, but there have been some incidents lately.”

“Incidents? Like what?” Destiny pulled out a notebook and scribbled some notes.

“We believe she fell last week and she’s been having some memory problems.” Brad answered.

“That’s it? One fall and a bit of forgetfulness and you’re ready to hire her a companion? By your standards, I should be considered for assistance since I’m constantly misplacing my keys and I’m not the most graceful person.” She put the cap back on her pen.

“Look, my brother may not be explaining everything correctly. Maybe you should meet her. And then you could let us know if we’re off base here.” Maggie scooted up on the couch.

“But first, we need to settle on the particulars.” Brad held up his hand as Destiny started to speak. “We know you’re trying to open a physical therapy business in St. Josephs. We’d like to be your capital partner.”

“Brad,” Maggie interrupted, but he waved her back.

“Like I was saying, we’d like to help you be successful. All we need is for you to evaluate Mom and let us know if she needs assistance. If you agree, then you move in to the big house and live there as her roommate until other situations are deemed necessary. You can even hire caregivers, run your business, but you would live with Mom as long as she needs you.” Brad put his arm across the back of the couch. “So what do you think? Are you interested?”

“All I need to do is evaluate her? And you’ll help me fund my practice?” Destiny’s face twisted into a frown. “That doesn’t seem fair.”

“You’re right. We’ll pay you a more than fair rate for your evaluation. If you think she doesn’t need assistance, then we’ll help you work with the bank for an affordable loan. Only if you move in will we fund the costs of opening.”

Maggie couldn’t believe what Brad and Mark were offering. Castle View was struggling enough without taking on a new business to finance.

Destiny looked at her, then at Brad. Finally she sighed. “I’d heard the Castles ran the town, but I never thought I’d have to be part of your serfdom.” She held up a hand when Brad started to speak. “Having that said doesn’t mean I’m not interested. I’d be a fool to turn down such generosity. I’ll be honest with you, the bank manager doesn’t think too much of my business plan.”

Brad nodded. “He’ll come around. And all it will cost you is a lunch with the two of us and Mom.” Brad looked at his watch. “Maggie, can we get a reservation for four for eleven?”

“I’ll text Sarah.” Maggie pulled out her phone. “What are we going to do for an hour?”

“Go get Mom, of course.” Brad stood and held up a hand to Destiny. “Ready to meet the real power behind Castle View?”

Maggie finished her text and stood. There was no way she was going to miss this. If Brad got Destiny through lunch with her mother, Maggie would dig into her own savings to pay for the carrot he’d promised the woman.

They drove up to the big house in Brad’s BMW, with Destiny following in a cute little SUV. Brad looked into the rearview mirror. “I bet I could pick that car up and move it with no problem. How’s she going to get around in the snow?”

“Why are you so concerned?” Maggie considered her brother.

“I’m interested in keeping our mother alive, not anything else. We just need to keep Mom out of that death trap.” He focused on the road ahead, but Maggie caught him looking behind them several times. Hmmm, her brother did have a heart.

She stared out the window watching the woods speed by her mind returning to Josh and his offer. She couldn’t just leave. No matter what Tami or Brad said, she had responsibilities.

***

“I didn’t think you’d need a ride anymore.” Cari sat in the front of her pickup watching as Josh climbed into the cab. “Seems like you and the boss have been hitting it off.”

Josh leaned back and closed his eyes. “Seems like you should just drive and stop gossiping.”

He heard Cari’s laugh and then the motor roared to life. “I don’t typically, but you and Maggie are making it so easy. Don’t get me wrong, I like seeing the boss happy. She’s been through a lot and never takes time for herself.”

“That’s what I hear.” Josh opened his eyes and looked at his co-worker. “So what type of engine does this have? It can’t be standard.”

“Way to change the subject.” Cari pulled out of the parking lot and started telling him all about the high performance engine she’d built specifically for the truck, ordering in parts from new best friend, Norm.

Josh rolled down the window and tried to focus on Cari’s story. He liked her and appreciated the ride, but his mind was on Maggie.