Her father nodded. “And your cake business? Are you going to continue with that too?”

  “Yes. Lots of things on the horizon for me. And Duke asked me about some advertising and social media. He knows I did that before. I put together a bunch of things to go over with him. He might have me doing them too.”

  “I hope he pays you more than what your hourly wage is for a server,” her father said.

  “We haven’t gotten that far,” she said.

  She hadn’t even thought of it. No, that was a tiny lie. She had thought of it but didn’t want to ask. She hadn’t even gotten her first paycheck yet. Not that it’d be a ton, as the bulk of her money would be in tips anyway.

  “Make sure your voice is heard,” her father said.

  “I’m trying.” But it was so hard too.

  Eddie often took her silence as acceptance rather than agreement because she’d try to avoid conflict. Then the next thing she’d know, she was screaming bloody murder in a haunted house with Eddie and his buddies who were all laughing at her. She didn’t even tell him she had nightmares for weeks after.

  “If you don’t have any plans later, your mother would like you to come to dinner.”

  “I can do that,” she said. “I think I was going to walk the beach. I’ll drive down to the public beach and just relax.”

  “You haven’t relaxed once since you’ve been here,” her father said.

  “No,” she said. She felt like she could at the moment. Some of her anxiety was gone about her uncertain future.

  If it was replaced with anxiety over a building attraction for her new boss, well...she was keeping that to herself.

  10

  The Next Move

  “What are you doing here this morning?” Kelsey asked Duke when he walked into her office on Tuesday morning.

  “I wanted to go over some reports with you if you’ve got time,” he said.

  “I can make it for you,” Kelsey said. “You know that, but you usually give me some notice you are coming in.”

  “Sorry,” he said. “I’ve been busy dealing with stuff and got up early this morning.”

  He couldn’t sleep which wasn’t like him. Normally his head hit the pillow and he didn’t wake up until his alarm went off the next day.

  But he’d lain in bed thinking of everything going on and the next move to make.

  Not just with work but with Hadley too.

  There was something about her that tugged at his heartstrings as no one else had before.

  He could see little glimmers of confidence in her that needed to be pushed out. He’d done that with his staff over the years. He’d learned to figure out what motivated them to do their best.

  Some people needed hard love. Some needed a gentle prod. Others needed kindness and a chance.

  He was thinking Hadley fell into a combination of the last two.

  It wasn’t just with work though that his mind was spinning. This felt more personal to him and he wasn’t sure why.

  Kelsey started to punch a few buttons on the keyboard and then her printer went off. She rolled over in the chair to grab the sheets and hand them to him.

  “I imagine you want to talk about Southside? Here is what I’ve got so far in the time you’ve been running it. I’ve got it compared to this time last year too.”

  “Shit,” he said, looking them over and not stunned to see how much more of a profit he was running at. “You’ve been busy and working fast.”

  “I always will for you. And maybe there is part of me that feels as if I pushed you toward this, with the Breatons being my clients, that I wanted to make sure I didn’t steer you wrong.”

  “You never have before,” he said. “Things are looking better than I thought.”

  “I know you have it figured out in your head, but seeing it on paper is nice too.”

  He didn’t have the head for numbers like his sister or mother, but he knew how to run his business. He’d gotten that from both of his parents.

  His father had owned restaurants and pubs over the years. Not that Kyle Raymond was a cook. Nope, he was a businessman and had a lot of venture deals. He’d actually lost track of everything his father owned fully or was in a partnership with. Maybe two bars, one on the island, one off. Nothing in competition to him in terms of the food industry.

  But he did know his father had the island movie theater and bowling alley for sure. Pretty much anything family oriented in entrainment, his father had his pulse on. There were rental homes, hotels and more off the island. Yeah... too much for him to remember or even care about.

  “Yes,” he said. “Okay. I need an advertising budget. That is why I’m here.”

  “You’re going to listen to me,” Kelsey said, clapping her hands sarcastically.

  “Very funny,” he said. “I listen to you all the time and you know it.”

  “Because the older sibling is always the wiser.”

  “You’re only older by eight minutes,” he said. Kelsey never let him live that down either.

  “No time to get into old arguments,” he said. “I’ve got Stan’s daughter, Hadley, working for me.”

  “Really?” Kelsey asked. “I’ve heard her name before but didn’t know she was on the island.”

  “Guess she moved back a few weeks ago. Stan came in and asked if there was a place for her while she got on her feet. I’m not sure what was going on or happened and didn’t ask. She’s worked there before and I thought I’d give her a chance. It’s working out better than I thought.”

  “You’re smiling,” Kelsey said. “Do you think she’s hot?”

  He wanted to snarl at his sister. “So,” he said.

  Kelsey laughed. “Now I know what your motivation is. I never thought you’d do that.”

  “First off,” he said slowly, “I said I’d give her a shot before I even met her so I had no idea what she looked like and I don’t hire people based on that. You know it. I just figured everything that Stan and Louisa were doing and giving me control of it was the least I could do. Second of all, she’s worked there for years on and off when she visited and she’s great with the customers. But more than that, she is a baker. A home baker, but she’s outselling me.”

  Kelsey started to laugh even louder. “That has to be killing you.”

  He thought it would. “Actually, it’s not. I don’t know much about her other than she’s quiet and lacks confidence in things. But she shines when she’s baking.”

  “Aww,” Kelsey said. “She found one of your little weak spots. You love to see people shine when they find a passion in life.”

  This time he did growl at his sister. “Zip it,” he said.

  Kelsey shrugged. “Fine. I get it. She’s doing well and that might explain why your dessert sales were high last week.”

  “Yes,” he said.

  “Hate to break it to you, but that is part of why you’re doing so well too compared to last year.”

  He sighed. “I know. I’m going to keep it up. I’ve got her coming in five days a week to make all the desserts. When I’m there I’ll make something, as we know people do like some of my signature cakes.”

  “Triple chocolate fudge. Did you bring me a piece?”

  “I came in empty handed, so that is your answer,” he said. But he’d make sure she got a piece this week.

  Kelsey pouted a bit. “It was worth a shot. Back to why you came in. Advertising. What are you looking to do and spend?”

  “I did find out Hadley has a background in marketing and advertising too. That was her job before she moved here and what she went to college for. The baking is a hobby.”

  “Really?” Kelsey said. “Then I’m doing great for your business.”

  “How do you figure?” he asked, frowning.

  “I suggested you expand your advertising before and you didn’t listen. I suggested Southside to you and then this is kind of landing into your lap like it was meant to be. And you think she’s hot, so hey, Amore Island. Fate? You know how it is.”

  “Wise ass,” he said. “I’m not thinking of any of that.” And he wished his sister didn’t just point it all out in her logical OCD mind.

  Just because he thought Hadley was attractive and caught his eye on more than looks didn’t mean it had anything to do with the lore of this island.

  “I’m sure you’re not, but you heard it from me first.”

  “Like you are going to remind me forever,” he said. “She’s going to set up some social media things for me. There is already a Facebook page and I’ll give her access to start posting things there and set up some ads. I don’t know how to do that. I asked her to work up some ideas for other social media too.”

  “There are plenty to do,” Kelsey said. “But you need a following too.”

  “Which I’m sure I can get easily enough if Hadley knows what she is doing.”

  “And,” Kelsey said, “if you link into other family members’ profiles it will go faster.”

  He knew that and would suggest it. Many of the businesses on the island had all those accounts. Bond Casino, The Retreat. Bond Realty. Atlantic Rise. He’d get all his father’s businesses with it too. He’d make sure Hadley followed them and they were followed back or however it worked. His family was good about spreading the love and he’d make some calls. It’d work out for everyone.

  “On top of it,” he said. “I need an amount I can give her to use for advertising and I want to pay her a different rate. Plus a different rate for the baking. You’ve got to do payroll next week so I need it done.”

  “Thanks for telling me this now,” Kelsey said. “It would have been nice to have known that beforehand.”

  “She gets her first check next week anyway.” He pulled a piece of paper out. “She’s working two hours a day baking right now. So every shift she is working, just figure out two of that at a baker’s rate.”

  “The same rate you are paying your bakers at Duke’s?” Kelsey asked as she was writing it down.

  “Yes. She doesn’t have the experience on paper, but who cares? She’s selling out and worth it. I have no idea what to pay her an hour for the advertising. You can figure that out, right?”

  “I can,” Kelsey said. “She can keep track of those hours too.”

  “Once she gets it all set up, I’m not sure it’s going to be a lot of hours. She’ll be posting pictures while she works. She said she can set them up to do it while she is working. Snap some pictures of specials and then do it from her phone quickly to set them up throughout the night.”

  “Smart and efficient,” Kelsey said. “How about talking to her and see what her flat weekly fee is then?”

  “That could work. I’m meeting with her tomorrow. I’ll get an idea then.”

  “There is my boy.”

  He turned to see his mother in the doorway of Kelsey’s office. “Hey, Mom. I didn’t see your car when I got here.”

  “I was meeting a client this morning,” his mother said. “But I noticed your SUV when I pulled in. Everything okay? You’re not normally here this early.”

  “It’s going great,” he said. “I’m getting some numbers from Kelsey and going to start to do some advertising.”

  “So your sister got through to you,” his mother said. “Not that Duke’s needs much advertising.”

  “He’s doing it for Southside,” Kelsey said.

  “Actually, no,” he said. “I’d like Hadley to do it for both.”

  “Oh,” Kelsey said. “You didn’t tell me that. So then yes, a flat fee might work. You’ll have to figure that out with more accounts to set up. She’s used to Southside, not Duke’s. Are you going to have her at Duke’s working too?”

  “What am I missing?” his mother asked, moving into the room.

  He filled her in on Hadley and how this all came about. “No,” he said. “I’ll take the pictures when I’m at Duke’s and just send them to her. That is easy enough. Most of the menu is the same and she can schedule those posts from one night to the other. I run specials more than once so if I take a few pictures one night I can send them to her. If she is half as good as I think, she’ll file them away labeled and use that picture for when the special is run again.”

  At least he hoped so and was going to bring that up to her. He knew enough to not have her posting all the same pictures of the food each time.

  “Sounds like you know what you’re doing,” his mother said. “Not that I ever doubted it.”

  “Duke thinks Hadley is pretty.”

  He growled at his sister louder this time. His mother laughed again. “Leave your brother alone,” his mother said. “Everything he has always done has been for the business and not a girl.”

  He wasn’t so sure he wanted to be reminded of things he’d heard too many times in his life.

  That he wasn’t around enough. He couldn’t focus on more than one thing. He didn’t give as much attention to a woman as he did his restaurant.

  Whatever.

  Of course he was going to put more time into his business than some woman he’d just met. He couldn’t figure out why any woman would think differently and he’d expect no different from someone in return to him.

  “And it’s not going to change anytime soon,” he said. “Do you have anything else to go over with me, Kelsey?”

  “Nope. Not unless you’ve got questions, but you know how to reach me,” Kelsey said.

  “Dad would like to see you at some point,” his mother said. “It’s been over a month since we’ve all been together. I know you’re busy and work on the weekends.”

  “I’ve got tomorrow off at Duke’s,” he said. “I’m going to Southside to check on the supplies and interview a new cook. Had someone quit on me last minute Sunday and I covered that shift.”

  “Don’t you have any of your line cooks at Duke’s that want to step up?” Kelsey asked.

  He squinted one eye at his sister. “This isn’t my first rodeo. Yes. That’s the interview. I’m still going to interview him though and he lives closer to Southside than Duke’s so it’d work in his favor.”

  “Let’s leave your brother alone. Tomorrow night then, we can have dinner at the house,” his mother said.

  His mother was a good cook. He’d spent a lot of time by her side in the kitchen growing up. It was where his first love of cooking came from. Those memories he’d always have.

  “Why can’t Duke cook for us?” Kelsey asked.

  His mother let out a noise that resembled his snarl earlier. “I taught him how to flip his first burger. I’m pretty sure I can put food on the table just fine for my family like I have for years. Besides, everyone deserves to have a day off, Kelsey.”

  His sister winked at him and laughed. “I suppose your dinner will be fine, Mom. I can go to the restaurant to get Duke’s food.”

  “You don’t even know if he is the one that is cooking it,” his mother said.

  Kelsey crossed her arms. “Duke, do you or don’t you cook all my meals?”

  He looked at his mother. “I cook them all. She texts me when she is coming in and what she is having to make sure I do it.”

  “Kelsey! That is wrong,” his mother said.

  “Nope. It’s not. I love my brother’s food and I want his. That’s a great compliment and he knows it.”

  He shook his head. It was and he was a sucker for his twin sister and let it go. She did a lot for him anyway.

  “It’s not like she comes in daily,” he said. “It’s all good. You’ll get your cake this week too.”

  “Thank you, Duke. Your bark has always been worse than your bite.”

  He got up and left before he made some sarcastic comment back to her. He got what he needed today anyway and would go for a run. He'd do some work from home and then he’d go to the restaurant and get started on his day.

  Anything to get his mind off of meeting with Hadley tomorrow.

  11

  In The Shadows

  Hadley pulled up at Southside at ten. She knew the delivery was coming before then. The truck would have been on the nine a.m. ferry from Plymouth.

  When she parked, she saw the delivery guys wheeling everything in while Duke looked it over since a delivery was changed last minute.

  “I didn’t realize you weren’t working today,” Duke said when she walked closer to him.

  “It’s fine,” she said.

  “No, it’s not. I should have checked the schedule. It wasn’t until I got here and didn’t see your car that I wondered what was going on.”

  She smiled softly. “Did you think I was late or slacking off?”

  “No,” he said. “I can tell that in my staff right away. Just like I knew Diane wasn’t happy here, but I didn’t think she’d do what she had. Doesn’t matter. I’ve got a new chef starting tonight.”

  “That was fast,” she said.

  “Zeke is already employed at Duke’s as a line cook. He’s young and eager.”

  “Oh,” she said. “Was that the guy you were with before we opened yesterday?”

  She’d seen him here talking to someone, but he didn’t come over to say much to her. She hadn’t even known he was going to be here. He came in and went to his office and then was showing someone around. By the time she was done baking, she was taking pictures and cleaning up, then moving to the front of the house to get ready for the lunch service. He’d still been in the back with the guy.

  “Yes. He’s going to be shadowing the kitchen tonight, but he knows most of the menu. This will allow him to see how things are done for the few things he might not know.”

  She nodded. Most of that didn’t mean much to her. “That’s great,” she said. “And since he’s working for you already, no worries about tempers or walking off the job.”

  He frowned at her. “Tempers? Who has a temper?”

  She put her foot in her mouth with that. “No one. Don’t cooks have tempers in the kitchen? Diane did. I remember my father and mother telling me about it before. But I haven’t seen much of anything since I’ve been here.”