Page 16 of The Restaurant on Plum Island
“You called me and then growled about how long I took to answer,” Ethan reminded her.
“Oh, right,” Bailey said. “I just wanted to let you know I’m on my way to Egypt today.”
“You changed your flight?” Ethan’s brows rose.
“Yeah, I thought it would be nice to get there a few days early and sightsee,” Bailey told him. “Don’t worry, Benny’s here too.”
“Good to know,” Ethan told her. “Did you get all the information about the production I emailed you?”
“I did,” Bailey confirmed. “Don’t worry, big brother, I won’t let you down on my first solo mission.”
“I know,” Ethan assured her. “Just be careful, and please don’t try to ditch Benny. He’s there to keep you safe.”
“I know!” Ethan could picture her rolling her eyes. “I’ve got to go. I’ll call you when I’m at the hotel.”
“Be careful,” Ethan said before saying goodbye.
Before returning to the table where Carly was waiting for him, Ethan messaged Benny. Not that he didn’t trust his sister. It was just that sometimes she could be impulsive. Once the message was sent, Ethan rejoined Carly.
“Sorry about that,” Ethan apologized, sliding into the booth.
Carly gave him a tight smile.
“Please help yourself to coffee and some snacks. They’re all made in-house by our remarkable chef.”
Ethan poured himself coffee and took one of the pastries, which was really good. “This is delicious.”
“They are mini caramel eclairs,” Carly told him before changing the subject. “I’m not being rude, but I have a lot of work today. You said you wanted to discuss using the restaurant as a possible location for the series?”
“Yes.” Ethan nodded. “But some other information has come to light, and I now have another offer for you.”
His eyes narrowed as he studied her. Ethan could see it now. Although Carly had changed her hair and switched to wearing ugly glasses and clothes designed to make her blend into a crowd. Once you knew it was her, you could see glimpses of Stella Hart that Carly tried so hard to disguise. Her beautiful hazel eyes with flecks of gold. The dimples in her cheeks when she smiled and her perfect porcelain skin. While Stella Hart was gorgeous with her golden blonde hair, even with the unflattering glasses and unruly russet hair, Carly Donovan was just as beautiful in a different, more natural way.
Ethan needed to figure out which was the real Carly Donovan and could she be trusted to tell him the truth about what had happened three years ago. He hadn’t believed the trashy tabloids or newspapersensation about her affair with Parker Drew. Ethan didn’t care if the world thought they were having an affair. He knew the truth. But what he wanted to know was why she’d lied to him about being separated from her husband or their marriage being a sham since not long after her child was born. Ethan had wanted to give her the benefit of the doubt and hear the truth from her.
But Stella had left without a word or explanation for pulling out of the movie and taking Parker with her. He was left with no choice as he was pressured into casting two people in the roles he didn’t want to cast, and his movie had been a disaster. Ethan had felt hurt and betrayed by Stella Hart’s disparaging article about the movie before disappearing. He had wrongly thought they’d had a connection, and she’d been the first person since his ex-wife died that he’d connected with and wanted to let in.
“Ethan?” Carly’s voice snapped him out of his reverie. “Is everything okay? You seem distracted.”
“Sorry. It’s this production we have going on in Egypt,” Ethan lied. “The director quit at the last minute, and I couldn’t leave the project here, so I had to send someone over there.”
“If you need to sort it out,” Carly told him, “we could pick this up another time.”
“No.” Ethan shook his head. “I’d like to get it all settled today as I need to establish all the settings.”
“Okay.” Carly nodded. “What did you have in mind for the restaurant?”
Ethan discussed what he and Caroline had talked about for the second episode of the second season, where a murder takes place on the hiking trail near the restaurant. The victim was the head chef.
Carly grinned, and Ethan’s heart slammed into his chest when the action lit up her eyes, making the gold flecks glint while her cheeks dented and her face transformed.
“Dave, my head chef, won’t like that plot.” Carly sipped some coffee.
“There will be quite a few scenes to be shot in and around the restaurant,” Ethan told her. “If you consent, we’d like to ask some of the townspeople if they’d play extras and dine or hike around here.”
“I’m sure if you throw in a free meal and the chance to be on TV, you’ll get a fair share of takers,” Carly assured him.
“That’s an excellent idea,” Ethan agreed, eyes scanning the establishment. “You’ve done a great job with this restaurant. It’s uniquely beautiful.”
