“Let’s go,” she said.

  Libby and Snowy followed them to the door. Jamie bent down and scratched behind Libby’s ears. Snowy rubbed her face against his leg, claiming her territory.

  “Bye, guys,” he said, opening the screen for them to race out. “Off you go to chase lizards and things.” The cats raced out the door.

  “Bye, Daddy. Bye, Auntie.” Amber scooted out of the kitchen chair and raced to the door. She jumped into Jamie’s arms and smothered him with kisses, then turned to Cathy and reached out her arm. Cathy moved in close for a group hug. Over Jamie’s shoulder, Cathy could see Pam watching intently from the kitchen.

  Jamie sat Amber down and went to the kitchen to kiss Pam on the cheek. “Thanks for breakfast, hon. You girls have a fun day, okay?”

  Pam’s high beams were on again. “Off to work you go,” she sing-songed to them.

  ****

  Cathy parked in the back of the shop and led Jamie in through the kitchen.

  “Good morning, Tim,” she said.

  Tim stopped straightening up a shelf and waved.

  “Mornin’, boss lady,” he said. His gaze moved over to Jamie and a half-grin crossed his face. He sauntered over and put an arm around them both. “And to you, Jamie. I couldn’t be more happy to see you two. I thought I was going to have to handle the whole place myself. And I am noooo chef!”

  “But he makes one fab cocktail,” Cathy said.

  “I do have talent in some areas,” he said, preening in his flared bell-bottom pants and shiny disco shirt.

  “I bet he does,” Jamie whispered to Cathy.

  Jamie’s little aside comments always made her laugh. “Back to work,” she said. Cathy pulled the lunch board out and stuck it at the entrance of the café area, then joined Jamie in the kitchen for the prep.

  That was the last thing she remembered until four hours later when the full lunch rush was over. Their first day of service had gone amazingly well. Jamie was a wizard in the kitchen. They worked perfectly in sync, hardly needing to say a word. A look, a point, and he knew exactly what she wanted or needed.

  Like they’d spent lifetimes working together.

  She snapped back into reality, at least today’s reality.

  “Oh, by the way,” Cathy said, “tomorrow is the day I visit the Head Start program for kids after lunch. The one I told you about. I can drop you at home if you don’t want to come.”

  “Tell me more about it again,” he said.

  He looked genuinely interested, so she explained how she brought over healthy sandwiches and snacks for the low-income kids. “I really want them to understand nutrition. Many of them are not learning that at home.”

  “I’d be happy to help. I’ll bring the station wagon for extra room if you want.”

  “Sounds good.”

  Cathy headed to the back room and dialed Jill’s home number. Her husband, Dan, had called last night to tell her Jill had her appendix removed and would be in bed a while.

  Dan answered on the third ring.

  “How’s the patient?” Cathy asked.

  Dan hesitated. “She’s fine,” he said. Then in a whisper he added, “But not having an easy time staying in bed or not helping with the kids. She wants to go back to work.”

  “I’ll set her straight. Just tell me when it’s a good time to visit.”

  Dan assured Cathy that in a few days Jill would be better and more settled.

  “Well, tell her I send my love and will see her Thursday. Tomorrow I’ll be at Head Start. And tell her to rest or else!”

  Cathy leaned against the wall. There was a lot going on. She really needed a break, some time to think, a glass of wine.

  She walked back into the store, where Jamie and Tim were having a quiet conversation. From the look on Jamie’s face, it looked intense. Cathy walked a few steps toward them. “Hey, you two, something going on I should know about?”

  Tim raised an eyebrow. “If you only knew,” he said, smirking.

  “Listen, I’m going to run over to Sebastian’s Bar for a glass of wine. Do you think you two could finish up here?”

  Jamie looked surprised. “Sure, if that’s what you want.”

  No, it was not what Cathy wanted, but it was what she needed. She was alone. Jamie was married to Pam. “You know, I just need to clear my head.”

  His face looked concerned.

  “No worries,” she said. “Just want some alone time.”

  “Check ya later,” Tim said. “I’ll take Jamie home.”

  “Oh, there’s a fantasy come true,” she teased.

  Tim was a good friend. He’d been through a lot of heartache, and many nights the two of them had shared their sad luck stories over a drink. He knew her well and probably felt her vibe.

  “Be good, you two.” Cathy waved as she walked toward the rear exit.

  ***

  Jamie followed Tim to the front of the store. “Hey, thanks for offering to take me home,” Jamie said, watching Cathy leave.

  “Anytime,” Tim said with a wink.

  Jamie was quite sure that was an invitation. He certainly was not interested in men, but he could tell Tim probably knew that already.

  “I’ll be right back,” Jamie said. “I’m going to call and let my girls know I’ll be home soon.”

  Jamie picked up the back phone and dialed. It made him uneasy thinking about Cathy wandering off to a bar by herself.

  “Hello,” Pam said, her voice rising.

  Jamie couldn’t tell if she felt chipper or stressed. He knew Pam wanted a home, and he was trying to give it to her. But he wanted Amber to grow up with a yard to play in, open fields and trees, not some dirty city. He’d pushed hard to try the Wine Country, hoping she’d relax and find it as soothing as he did. She was a great mom to Amber, and he was sure Pam would see Sonoma was the perfect place for a kid to grow up.

  “How was your day?” Jamie said. He could hear the TV in the background. Pam relayed their day sewing new clothes, making cheese sandwiches, and watching Romper Room and Captain Kangaroo.

  “I’ll be home to see my two girls soon,” Jamie said before hanging up and returning to the front of the store. “Do you need any help with closing?” he asked Tim.

  Tim opened the cash register drawer and started counting bills. He placed a stack of one-dollar bills on the counter in front of Jamie. “How are your counting skills? Are those hands as good with sorting as they are with cooking?”

  Jamie shrugged. “We’ll find out,” he said. He sorted the bills in piles of ten, enjoying the mindless work.

  “So, how do you like working at Health & Hearth so far?”

  Jamie finished counting the money in front of him. “I dig it,” he said. “Cathy is easy to work with, and the clientele are friendly.”

  “Cathy’s special all right,” Tim stared at Jamie.

  Tim didn’t miss much.

  “I could see myself having a place like this someday,” Jamie said. “Maybe adding an upscale dinner service too.”

  “Cathy might be interested in expanding. You could broach the subject with her.”

  Jamie let the idea run through his mind. Working with Cathy every day. He could run the dinner service and expand the menu. The two of them could really build the business. “I need to get something stable right now,” Jamie finally said. “With a wife and child to support, I need to interview high end.”

  Tim nodded. “We can’t always get what we want. Take me, for instance. Last year I fell in love with this hot guy who forgot to mention he was already married to a woman.”

  “I’m sorry, man,” Jamie said. “That must have hurt.”

  “It always hurts when you can’t have the one you love.” A pained expression crossed Tim’s face. “And he loved me too, but he couldn’t leave his wife or she’d keep the child.”

  Jamie’s stomach contracted. Was that line directed at him? He certainly felt like he was falling hard for Cathy. Falling wasn’t the word, more like rolling over a cliff and having nothing to hold on to. This was not like him. His eye never strayed from the marriage.

  Tim closed and locked the cash register drawer. “You ready to get truckin’?”

  Jamie didn’t really know what he was ready for. “Right behind you. Lead the way.”

  ****

  Cathy pulled into the dirt parking lot of Sebastian’s Bar just off River Road. There were a few pickup trucks and an assortment of cars. It was a popular place with the locals.

  The atmosphere with the high-beam ceilings, old photos, and memorabilia on the walls always felt cheery. Richard, the bartender, waved at her from behind the L-shaped oak bar. He was the owner and was almost always there with his wife, Kate, who still looked like she lived in southern California. She was young and gorgeous, with her long blonde hair and manicured nails, but she always looked a little overdressed here in the woods. The guys didn’t seem to mind one bit. That was a no-brainer. As long as they didn’t put the moves on her, all was fine. She was clearly off-limits.

  Cathy sat up at the counter and ordered a glass of chardonnay. “Bohemian Rhapsody” was playing on the jukebox, and she caught a lyric about trying to escape from reality. She could relate. Taking a sip of wine, she surveyed the surroundings. The usual carpenter-looking guys were there in work boots, Levis, T-shirts, and flannels with the sleeves rolled up. Most straight guys on the river were carpenters, or at least trying to be. She’d dated a few. Real estate started to boom, and with all the remodels and odd jobs, there was a lot of work for craftsmen.

  A couple of Cathy’s regulars waved to her from the pool table. She waved back.

  “Your nectar of the gods, my lady.” Richard set a chilled glass before her with a mock bow.

  “Where’s Kate?” Cathy asked.

  He started towel drying some glasses. “She should be here any minute. I think she was working on her tan at Waller Beach today.”

  Cathy raised her eyebrows. “You let her go there alone?”

  “She knows the secluded places. Most of the guys down there are gay anyway.” He laughed. “She knows how to protect herself just fine, and the all-over tan…” He winked at her.

  Cathy shook her head. “You men, is that all you think about?” She forced back a smile as Richard turned to help another customer.

  Sitting to Cathy’s left on a bar stool was a hunky guy. He was obviously tall, with dark hair falling around his face, and long slender fingers wrapped around a cold beer. He appeared to be in conversation with the woman on the other side of him. The woman leaned over, breasts bulging out almost in his face, and tried hard to get and keep his attention. Her eyes drifted to Cathy.

  Cathy watched the woman throw her woven purse up on the bar and reach in.

  What was she getting out, a sign that said, “He’s mine!”

  Mellow out, lady, Cathy thought.

  The cutie turned toward Cathy, and she saw his eyes travel down her body and back up.

  “Hello,” he said. “Name’s Chuck.”

  His front view was even better. Cathy flirted a bit, sipping her wine, fully aware that the woman on his other side was giving her dirty looks. He was very attractive, funny, and seemed nice. But what was she going to do, invite him home with company there? Or, if she didn’t come home tonight they’d wonder where she was.

  Her mind drifted to Jamie. Suddenly the game did not seem that interesting.

  On the other side of Chuck, Miss I-Want-Your-Body pulled out a large jar of Vaseline and put it in on the bar. When Cathy started to laugh, he turned to see why.

  The woman pushed the jar over in front of Chuck and gazed, most suggestively, into his eyes. Cathy watched his body freeze and couldn’t wait to see what he would do next. The jukebox banged out “Love is in the Air,” but in this case, love was in the Vaseline jar.

  Cathy found this hilarious. Was the woman suggesting…? Of course she was!

  Chuck pushed it back toward the woman. Cathy leaned over and saw her shrug, drop it back in her purse, and get up to leave. She shot Cathy one more dagger-eyed look and walked out.

  Chuck turned to Cathy, and they both cracked up. “Can I buy you another glass of wine?” he asked.

  Normally she would have said yes and known where the evening was headed. “Sorry, not tonight,” Cathy said. “Company is waiting for me at home.”

  “Can I have your number?” he said, pulling a matchbox out of the dish on the bar.

  She wrote down a fake one, kissed his cheek, and made her exit.

  CHAPTER TWELVE

  Cathy overslept the next morning, exhausted after the day back at work and the late night at Sebastian’s. Now they were running late, with no breakfast. Jamie was driving them to the shop this morning. It took a little extra time to load more produce from her garden and bring supplies for later, when they would work with the Head Start kids. Cathy’s stomach growled, and she hoped he didn’t hear it. She looked over at the bag of food he’d brought along and waited for him to offer. But he just kept staring straight ahead again.

  He was making her ask. It was ridiculous. Was he mad at her?

  “What’s in the bag?” she asked.

  He opened it and produced a luscious-looking scone. She reached out her hand and waited. Nothing.

  “Please,” she said, trying not to sound annoyed.

  He handed one over with a look of victory. It was delicious, better than the ones in the shop. Another recipe she would have to ask for.

  Jamie turned the corner a little fast and mumbled under his breath when a driver almost cut him off.

  “Is anything wrong?” she asked.

  “Just tired,” he snapped. “I didn’t sleep real well last night.”

  Cathy took another bite of the flaky scone. “Hope I didn’t wake you when I came in?”

  He shot her a side glance. “It was late.”

  “So?” she said. When did he become her gatekeeper?

  “So, I was worried.”

  Cathy swallowed hard. She wasn’t used to anyone caring when, or even if, she got home. Except maybe the cats. But they could go a few days as long as there was food and water. She touched his arm. “I’m sorry.”

  He pulled into the parking lot behind the shop, switched off the car, and turned to face her. Hurt was written across his face. “I know it’s not my place. I know…”

  “Jamie, stop. Thank you for caring.”

  They held each other’s gaze. The silent communication said all they could not voice.

  Tim had just opened the shop when they arrived. Already there was a lineup for his Wednesday morning special: carrot, raisin, apple muffins with organic coffee. She doubted Jamie could top those.

  “Morning, Tim, how’s it going?” Jamie said, like he’d worked there forever. “Shall we show Cathy how this place should be run?”

  Jamie threw her an apron.

  Cathy caught it in mid-air. “Watch out, or I’ll tie this apron around your neck and pull the strings tight.” First he withholds food from her and now he knows how to run things better than her?

  His grin distracted her, with that darn dimple embedded in his chin. What time she got home was really none of his business. She could take care of herself and they had a lunch to get ready for. Prep began, and soon the café was filled with the scents of fresh-baked honey bread for the curried tuna sandwich special.

  Apron on, Cathy was ready to work. Jamie was at the sink, washing the leeks then chopping them with brisk, fine strokes. On the stove in a large pan, butter melted into luscious cream on one burner, and garlic and potatoes sautéed with the leeks and rosemary on another. The aromas made her mouth water.

  Her hands were wrist-deep in veggie burger mix now, as she squeezed the beans, rice, veggie, and chopped nut mixture and added some fine olive oil. She could feel Jamie watching her. She was not used to this scrutiny in her own place.

  “Would you like some to play with too?” she asked, holding up a handful of the mushy mixture.

  Immediately she felt like an idiot. Playing with your food was not exactly his level of expertise. His frown did not help. She mixed with renewed vigor.

  “We could make snowballs,” he said with a wink. Now he was next to her, watching over her shoulder. She could feel sweat beading on her upper lip.

  She held up her grimy hands. “May I pass to wash or…?”

  “Mind if I taste it?” he said.

  “It’s a great recipe; everyone loves it,” she snapped. She had no need to feel defensive, but he was making her nervous. “Go ahead,” she said before she could dry her hands and strangle him.

  His long, shapely finger dipped into the mixture and then popped into his mouth.

  “Tasty. Have you thought about adding some chives and a touch of cumin?”

  Cathy wanted to be mad, but his voice sounded so innocent and it was a damn good idea. “No, but that sounds good.”

  He dropped a bunch of chives on the cutting board next to her to chop. He must have been used to working with a sous chef who did all the prep work while he was the recipe creator. What the heck, she had time.

  Jamie added the sautéed leeks into the warm creamy butter mixture and then poured half into the VitaMixer. Quick pulses blended the ingredients, and then he poured it back into the soup pot.

  “Voila, cream of potato leek soup, served hot or cold.” He held a spoonful to her mouth.

  It was smooth, flavorful, a perfect mixture of cream soup and chunky goodness. Better than Jill made, but Cathy would not say that aloud.

  “Pretty good,” she said.

  He glared at her, waiting. He knew just how good it was.

  “Okay, great.” Cathy turned to get more ingredients. She sliced tomatoes for sandwiches and stocked the salad containers, trying not to notice how efficient Jamie was. She should be happy. Customers loved his food. But what about after he left?

  “So, are you going to share your recipes with us before you take off to gourmet pastures?” Cathy asked.

  “Of course, but I want chef’s credit,” he said.

  Cathy turned to give him a dirty look, but the sparkle in his eyes told her he was kidding. He knew he pushed her all-too-easy buttons. “I will name today’s special after you.”