Page 44 of Silent Partner (Pine Falls 3)

“Give it some time.” I bent over to pick up my water bottle.

He was quicker than me and grabbed it before I could. Once again, we came face-to-face, and I was met with a thoughtful expression.

“Kinsley, I hope you don’t mind me saying this, but it’s you who needs to give it some time.”

I squinted. “What are you talking about?”

“The truth.”

Believe me, I knew the truth. And the truth was, I was forgettable.

Chapter Eleven

I wasn’t sure that money made the world go round, but people with money sure made things happen fast. Once Brant and I had gotten all the details ironed out, he’d turned everything over to his own lawyer, Dominique, a fiery soul out of Denver who didn’t take no for an answer. If only I’d had her in my corner from the start of Two Girls and a Guy, she would have made such a difference. Giselle, Carter, and their lawyer had tried to play hardball, but Dominique had been unmovable. Giselle and Carter, of course, had asked for more money, even though Brant had offered them more than market value. Dominique had shut that down by threatening to cancel the entire deal. Giselle and Carter were too money hungry and quickly backtracked.

Two weeks ago when I’d shown up with Dominique, they had been more than surprised, to say the least. I think they had thought it was only a matter of time before I would give into them. Me taking over the restaurant wasn’t on their radar at all. I wished I had taken a picture of their dropped jaws after Dominique had presented them with my offer. If a picture said a thousand words, I think a picture of them in that moment would have been rated R due to language and the violence they wanted to inflict on me. Or at least in Giselle’s case. I think Carter, in an odd way, had been a bit impressed with me. He’d given me a sly smile that said “Touché.”

It still wasn’t a done deal, but at least they were out of my hair and I was running the restaurant how I saw fit. Dominique had worked her magic, and while we were finalizing details, I was placed in control of the day-to-day workings of the restaurant. It was weird living in limbo land, but I couldn’t put into words how amazing it was to go to work knowing I wouldn’t have to deal with Giselle and Carter. There seemed to be a collective sigh of relief among all the employees, especially Jai, who was helping me interview for a potential new sous-chef, station chef, and kitchen porter. I needed to replace Giselle and Carter since I would be taking on the role of executive chef and making Jai head chef. Sadly, now that I was solely responsible for managing the restaurant, I wouldn’t be in the kitchen as much as I wanted to be. Jai, on the other hand, was ecstatic to be promoted.

He and I sat at one of the back tables waiting to be served by two potential sous-chef candidates. There was usually a lull between the lunch and dinner crowd, especially on Wednesdays, so we were taking the opportunity to see what Francisco and Amelia could do. Jai had thought it would be fun if we made it like a Food Network contest where they came out to serve us and tell us about their dish. I rolled with it because I needed some fun after the last few stressful weeks of getting dumped by my boyfriend and partners. And you know, going into business with the man I love. And keeping that part a secret. Oh, and had I ever been right about everyone wanting to know who my benefactor was. People had their guesses—the Hollands obviously came up since my sister was related to them—but per my agreement with Brant, I said not a word. Well, my family knew. Their reactions had varied. Ariana was wary but happy for me. Jonah and Brock had high-fived Brant about it. That was weird. Grandma and Grandpa were reserving judgment, though I could tell they liked that Brant was in the picture. Then there was Dani. She’d tried to put on a brave, happy face about it all, but she was the worst faker ever. She’d had to hold on to Brock the entire time while congratulating me. It had sounded a lot more like condolences.

It all gave me some pause; however, it wasn’t only me that I had to think about. I looked around the restaurant at every employee. From the hostess, to the waitstaff, to the bartender—they all had a lightness to their step and wore big smiles. It was as if I had vanquished the evil king and queen and broken the curse. Now we were all free to live happily ever after. If only it were that simple. Truthfully, I was waiting for the other shoe to drop. For life to tell me to quit trying to rise above my station. I had to stop the constant voice telling me that I was destined to be the pauper, not the princess. I kept telling the voice I didn’t need to be the princess—I only wanted to cover my bills every month with a little extra to save. Was that too much to ask?

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