Page 5 of Fake It Till We Fall
Mostof the doors and windows.
My gaze landed on Willa’s Whisk and the still-undecorated storefront.
A part of me itched to walk over and offer to help. Just a neighborly thing to do. A kind gesture. No hidden agenda. No other reason.
Only, this year, there was a reason.
I shoved my hands in my pockets and started to walk.
“Brother!”
I turned to see Ethan in the door of Peaks & Brews.
“Get over here and warm up with a cold beer.”
“That doesn’t make any sense,” I shouted back.
“Get over here!” My twin brother, Reid, appeared next to him, his arms crossed over his chest.
I knew when I was beat. Besides, warming up in the brewery beat the alternative of sitting in the cab of my truck with a thermos of stale coffee.
“Five minutes,” I called back.
Reid raised a brow, as if he knew exactly what—or who—had slowed my pace.
I shook my head, tore my eyes from the undecorated restaurant, and headed toward them.
Chapter Two
Harper
With Grandma settled into her armchair upstairs with a fresh cup of tea, her knitting, and the television remote, I was back in the dining room with my laptop and my notebook list. Happily, I’d already made quite a bit of progress.
Help wanted ads were posted on local community job boards, looking for part-time serving staff and kitchen help. I used the same job boards for a head chef, but I also expanded the search to some of the nearby cities. If we were going to get the type of chef we needed to manage things for Grandma, I knew I’d have to look further afield.
With any luck, I’d get some interest for those who were interested in moving out to the mountains in the middle of winter. Fortunately, Trickle Creek was a popular destination, and I was hopeful we’d get a few quality candidates.
I’d also grabbed a menu and a marker and had started trimming things, which was a harder task than I’d anticipated. It was a balancing act to keep the classics without upsetting theloyal customers—all while keeping things streamlined enough to cut down on food costs.
Satisfied with my progress so far, I clicked open the accounting software I’d had Grandma install a few years back to help with the bookkeeping. It wasn’t my favorite job, but it was important for me to know where things were at and what exactly we were working with.
I clicked over into the vendor invoices and started to scroll.
Most things were pretty normal, but a note under an entry for Trickle Creek Hardware stopped me.
Free delivery as per Grayson Lyons.
A twinge hitlow in my belly before I could shove it aside.
Grayson.
High school sweetheart. First love. The boy who kissed me behind the bleachers and made me believe we’d have forever.
Until he changed his mind.
Or was it me?
It didn’t matter anymore. He was the boy who broke my heart, because it turned out he changed his mind.
