Page 22 of 40 and (No Longer) Fighting It
“Oh no. No way. You’d use it for evil.” Linc turned a warning look on his friend’s fiancée. “Not a good reason to hand over that info, Lily.”
“I don’t know.” Lily was still grinning from ear to ear. “What I do know is, it makes for good leverage.”
Shit. Not good.
They joked their way through the rest of dinner, though the question of Claire’s nickname for him nagged the back of his mind the whole time. As they were clearing the table, there came a moment when JD had gone ahead into the kitchen, leaving Lily and Linc alone in the dining room. Linc glanced up, stilling when he saw Lily staring at him.
“What?”
Lily tipped her head to the side. “I don’t know you well, Lincoln.” She fiddled with a fork.
“I know.”
“The thing is, JD loves you, and that means he trusts you, so I hope I can give you the benefit of the doubt when it comes to Claire.”
What exactly had Claire told her about their time in New York? Lily hadn’t mentioned the fact that Linc’s actions had cost Claire a future at a New York restaurant, so he hadn’t either. Maybe Claire hadn’t revealed that part?
No. If she had, Lily wouldn’t be calmly sitting down to dinner with him. He had a feeling she’d have gone all mama bear on his ass at the first opportunity.
“I know there’s chemistry there. Everyone near you two at the barbecue could tell that much.” Setting everything down, she squared off with him. “So let me tell you one very important thing to keep in mind.”
He set the dishes in his hand back on the table, giving Lily his full attention. He wouldn’t ask her to reveal anything private, but he also wouldn’t refuse any piece of information that might give him an advantage.
“If Claire values anything, it’s honesty.” Lily lifted troubled eyes from the table to him. “Honesty and loyalty. I have no doubt you’ll learn why at some point. If you’re interested in her, you’d better be loyal, and you sure as hell better be honest, or it won’t just be Claire coming after you. She’s loved around here, and this isn’t New York.” Her gaze heated. There was the mama bear he knew she could be. “If you drop the ball with her, the whole town will know about it, and we’ll come after you.”
He stared at her a moment. Vicious, but okay. “I can accept that, Lily.”
“Just don’t forget it.” She didn’t wait for an acknowledgment, simply moved ahead of him into the kitchen. Linc followed, her words churning in his mind.
Ten
Despite what people thought about Lincoln’s pretentiousness when it came to food, he found that Clayton Harding was a man he could admire. Linc had arrived an hour early for what JD calledpub night, and spent the time talking food with the Drunken Otter’s owner. The man had no “formal” training when it came to cooking, but he’d apprenticed in Ireland at various restaurants, as well as a couple of barbecue places in Tennessee when he’d returned to the States. Linc might be a New York City chef, but he knew the value of practical education was just as high as a formal one.
Clay knew the area too. They talked wholesalers and local preferences, allowing Linc to gain insight into what might appeal to his future customers. Not that he’d be stealing those customers from Clay. He’d actually advised the man on a couple of possibilities for getting his pub’s name in front of potentials. And Black Wolf Resort would definitely be sharing local options with their clientele. Not everyone wanted to eat in the same restaurant every night of their stay. The Drunken Otter was close to the resort and had quality food and a good atmosphere; it would definitely go on their list of referrals.
Besides, from what JD had told him, Clayton’s wings were even better than his barbecue.
Speaking of his best friend, JD and Lily were meeting him here shortly. As customers began to filter in, Linc asked Clay, “What do you think is your best draw to get butts in the seats besides the food?”
Clay grinned as he and his hand towel worked his way through a tray of wet glasses behind the bar, a hank of his dark blond hair falling into his eyes. “Not something that would probably work for you up in the fancy parts of town, but we have theme nights.” He nodded toward the currently empty dance floor. “There’s nowhere else to dance in Black Wolf’s Bluff except a honky-tonk on the edge of town, and that isn’t a place most women would feel safe. I started a couple of nights a week specifically for dancing—line dancing on Tuesday nights, and '80s night on Thursdays, plus a mix of sounds or a local live band on the weekend. They’re a hit, particularly with the women, and they have somewhere they can enjoy a drink, dance with a partner or just in groups, and be safe.” His eyes darkened as he glanced at the dance floor, and Linc got the feeling that looking out for his female customers wasn’t just a nebulous concept for the pub owner.
“Sounds like the perfect draw.”
“Fun, too.” Clayton nodded toward the door. “Looks like your crew is arriving.”
Linc glanced over his shoulder to see JD walking inside. His friend beelined to the bar, a frown on his face.
“Did you have to throw a total wrench in my week? Hell, the month?”
Linc hid his grin behind his beer. “Wrench?”
“Yeah, you know, having the entire kitchen in my house torn to pieces and put back together as slowly as possible.”
Linc’s laugh escaped despite his attempt at restraint. “That’s not a wrench; it’s a hammer.”
Clayton laughed too, although Linc noted a bit of sympathy in his eyes. No doubt he knew how much of a pain in the ass a kitchen reno could be.
JD wasn’t ready to stop his grousing. “It is my kitchen, you know. You could have asked.”
