Page 36 of Made for You

It was a total hit. Which is great for the inn, and the bakery.

Now I’m back in the kitchen to start making a strawberry cheese danish and donuts for Emerald Roasters. And while those bake, I have to make picnic baskets for some of the guests who are going out on snowmobiles later. With the added meals at the inn I’m spending a lot of extra time in thekitchen.

Alone in the kitchen, however, means extra time to dwell on Liam. Emma is going to take care of some housekeeping in the rooms so I don’t even have her to distract me.

I grab the puff pastry I made yesterday, and the strawberries from the refrigerator. The fresh strawberry jam is my favorite part of this breakfast delicacy.

As I slice the strawberries, I note to myself that I didn’t see Liam this morning during breakfast. I don’t know why I keep getting my hopes up with him. He hasn’t texted me back, and he hasn’t come to the inn. It’s like he’s actively avoiding it because of me. The more time that passes, the more the anger takes over.

“Oh my God, that was such a good rush this morning!” Emma bursts through the kitchen door.

“It was a good turnout.” I say stirring in some sugar to the strawberries on the stove.

“Why don’t you sound more excited?” She leans a hip on the counter next to the stove.

“I am! I passed out a lot of cards for people to order before they leave, so that’s great,” I say, a little more animated and cheerful.

“But, Liam didn’t show up?” She raises her eyebrows in my direction.

“He didn’t. I don’t know why I expected him to. He hasn’t made any effort to talk to me in two days. Honestly, if he acts this childish, it just pisses me off.”

“I get it. But he’s struggling lately. He’s had a really tough time. Not saying that excuses his behavior. But just give him some time.” She places her hand on my shoulder.

“Yeah, sure, I’ll just—” The bell from the front desk cuts me off.

“Sorry, be right back.”

I slide my jam off the burner to let it cool, and start pulling out the items to make the sandwiches for the guests’ picnic basket.

Wiping my hands on my apron, I walk out into the main room to check the status of what’s left from earlier. I don’t get far before I hear Emma talking about me.

“This is Violet, she’s our chef here, so if you need any meals prepared for lunch or dinner, just let her know. She usually keeps the fridge stocked though. Breakfast items are put out every morning for the guests as well,” Emma explains to the guest checking in.

I’m not sure why she points me out specifically. Usually she just tells the guests and we have a paper request form they can fill out and leave on the island for me.

“Hi, it’s so nice to meet you,” I extend my hand to the man.

“It’s lovely to meet you as well.” His eyes roam up and down my body and I want to shy away under his intense gaze.

There is something so familiar about this man. I swear I know him, but I can’t figure out from where. He fits the bill of every asshole I ever met at Larry’s parties or election events. The typical New York Wall Street guy.

“I have jam on the stove, I need to get back to the kitchen but please let me know if you need anything.”

I scurry back to the kitchen, grateful to be away from him. Something about the way he looks at me makes me feel uncomfortable, along with the feeling that I know him.

I’m just packing up the sandwiches into the cooler when Emma comes back into the kitchen.

“Damn girl, he was hot, and clearly interested in you!” Emma says excitedly.

“You think? He was a little intense with the staring.” I scrunch my nose up.

“He’s from New York City too, maybe it’s just one of those aggressive New Yorker personality trait things?”

“Maybe that’s why he seems so familiar. I swear I know him. But I don’t know from where. What is his name?” I know New York City is big, but his face is so familiar.

“Alexander Williams. He said he’s here on business. But I don’t know what he actually does. I didn’t ask because I was too busy trying to figure out if he’s as muscular as I think under his suit.” She winks at me.

“The name doesn’t sound familiar. Maybe I’ve just seen him around, we did a lot of catering for businesses on Wall Street with the culinary school. He seems like the type to be on Wall Street.” I place the cover on the cooler and push it to the side of the island for the guests to pick up when they’re ready.

---