Page 27 of Lost in You (The Monroes 3)

Yeah. Stubborn woman. Apparently that’s what attracted the Monroe men. “I realize that,” he stated. “But I would’ve cleaned up after anyone in my kitchen. Besides, you need to get to your room and get ready for the masses.”

“I’m going to need a really good dessert from you later,” she warned as she grabbed onto Heidi’s collar. “Something with plenty of chocolate or those strawberry macaroons you made the other day. Dip those in chocolate, okay? I should be done about four today.”

Liam laughed and nodded, though she couldn’t see him. “I’ll see what I can do for you. I know some people who ship me the best chocolate.”

Cora was one of the world-renowned Buchanans who dominated the chocolate importing business. They kept Liam fully supplied in anything he needed, from dark chocolate to white to even chocolate wine, which they’d just recently added to their roster.

When Cora reached the doorway, she turned. “Have you talked to Braxton since yesterday?”

“No, why?”

A wide smile spread across her face. “Ask him. Just make sure you keep your calendar clear for the next little bit.”

Confused, Liam rested his hands on the island. “For how long?”

“Just talk to your brother.”

And then she was gone, her soft shoes and Heidi’s nails echoing down the hallway. What was going on? Now Liam wouldn’t be able to concentrate until he spoke with Braxton, who most likely was in class.

Liam pulled out his phone and shot off a quick text to Braxton to call when he was done with class. Considering Cora’s sweet smile, nothing was wrong, but still Liam would have liked to know why he needed to keep his calendar clear for the next little bit. How long did a “little bit” actually entail?

In no time, the chatter from the dining room filled the kitchen. So far every group that had passed through had been great. The feedback they’d gotten was more than they could’ve hoped for. Everyone was thrilled with their stay and a few had already made reservations to return in the fall.

He had even survived the bachelorette party that left last night. They’d definitely been the most interesting group. They’d requested Wind Down with Wine to be their breakfast. Liam’s mind ran together all the guests that had come and gone. They’d only been open a few months, but the revolving door hadn’t stopped spinning. They were taking in guests and filing them out like an assembly line.

So he shouldn’t feel guilty about his need to go back to where he was happiest. He’d filled in when the resort had been in a bind. Finding a replacement wouldn’t be a problem . . . he hoped. He’d never wanted anything more than for all of this to work out, for his plans to fall into place and the move to be smooth for everyone. That is, if he actually managed to get the restaurant.

Liam started working on the potpie he was going to serve for lunch. No frozen food here. He knew his clients at the resort just as well as his patrons at Magnolias. An older church group would love something down-home and simple like a homemade potpie. And his crust was pure perfection, thank you very much.

His mother had stressed the importance of doing all things from scratch. She’d always said, “When we have our restaurant, people aren’t going to want processed foods. They want fresh.” He’d lived by her standards, making him exactly who he was today.

Liam mixed up the dough and rolled it out, using his mother’s old rolling pin. So many pieces of her life carried over into his. Nobody knew the old mixer he kept in his apartment had been hers, just like this rolling pin. He wanted to keep those memories of his mother, of happier times, locked inside where he could treasure them forever. He didn’t want to share her.

Even though he’d been young when she passed, Liam had kept a box of a few of her items. No matter where he went, that box had gone with him.

Liam’s phone vibrated on the counter. With hands full of gooey dough, he glanced at the screen.

I’ll swing by your apartment later.

Braxton was a man of many words. Couldn’t he just text him what this big hush-hush secret was?

Seconds later his cell vibrated once again.

Change of plans. Meet at Zach’s at seven.

Liam blew out a breath and shook his head. Whatever was going on, there was a family meeting being called. Staring at his phone for another moment, Liam willed the dam

n thing to ring. If he hadn’t heard back from Mark by the time he left work today, Liam was calling back. Friction and bad terms weren’t going to keep Liam from pursuing his dream of owning his own restaurant. Surely his brothers would understand.

Maybe he would know if the place was indeed for sale by the time the family meeting was called. Having Zach and Braxton together at the same time would make it easier to drop a hint and lay some groundwork, so that way when Liam left, it wouldn’t be so shocking.

“Excuse me?”

Liam jerked, his gaze landing on the doorway where a guest stood with a smile. Her eyes immediately went to the left side of his face. Instinct had him shifting slightly.

“I’m sorry to bother you.” The sixty-ish lady with short, silvery hair smiled. “My friends and I just wanted to tell you how wonderful the food has been while we’ve been here. Whatever you did to that quiche was absolutely amazing.”

Liam gave a brief nod and attempted to return the smile. “I’m glad you enjoyed it.”

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