Page 18 of Unforgiven in Cheshire Bay

I took in the man sitting across from me; handsome and charming, in a way I didn’t see coming, and yet, here was the guy who nearly ruined my life. Or at least was a close second.

“What is it you want to know?” I focused on the tip of his nose, then on the small smirk tugging on the left side of his mouth. Inhaling silently, I held my breath.

David relaxed, his broad shoulders sloping downwards. “Tell me about how you came into woodworking.”

My breath blew out in one fell swoop. “Okay, that I can answer.”

His brows knit together. “Were you worried?”

“I don’t talk about my private life to customers.” I dug my fingers into my napkin, and chanced a look at his expression, expecting to see something other than genuine concern.

“I can understand that.”

“Good.” Uncurling my fingers, I reached for a small piece of mushroom and popped it into my mouth. “As far as woodworking goes, to be honest, I sort of fell into it.”

“How’s that?” He leaned a little closer, wiping his hands on the cloth napkin and leaning onto his forearms.

“Well, a few years back I lost my job.” My focus leapt off him and shot over to another table, where I stared with great interest at the couple. “Trying to get back on my feet was difficult, but I managed.” The flickering candle on the table danced in the light breeze. “I got a job at the hardware store and was a quick study on using their machines for the customers and figured I could do that on my own.” And once I’d given birth to Vera, not leaving my newborn was a huge deal, but I wasn’t about to tell him any of that.

Pulling myself up, rather than hunching over, I carried on. “I started small, mostly making picture frames and wooden door signs, but then everyone started doing that as it became a hot new trend. While business was good, I needed to step outside the box and give the consumers something different, so I started making carvings.”

“And things grew from that?”

I looked into his face. He was leaning forward and taking in everything I said. “They really did. I was able to quit my part-time job and focus on this full-time.”

“That’s amazing. You must do well, I assume?”

I shrugged. “I can’t afford lavish trips and all that, but I can pay the mortgage and put food on the table, so I consider that a success. The market really helped launch things for me, and I’m forever grateful to Summer for putting it together.”

Summer Bates, my brother’s girlfriend, had been instrumental in creating a seasonal outdoor marketplace, and it was a huge touristy draw over July and August.

“What will you do in the winter?” He rested his chin in his hand, as a questioning expression settled over him. It was a little unnerving to be the center of attention.

“I will continue to make pieces and get a stock going. I don’t have much left, so the pieces I display at the market are fairly fresh, if you will.”

“You put your heart and soul into your work. There’s no doubt your customers see that too.”

A small smile tickled my lips. “I hope so. What about you? You’ve always worked here?”

He laughed. “No, not always, but I’ve been invested in the industry since, well, since I graduated high school.” He took a sip of his beer and licked his lips. “I worked odd jobs around town, as a teenager typically does, and eventually about twenty years ago I got a job here. Hated the way the place was run, hated my boss, the whole works.” He rolled his eyes for good measure. “I saved up, took out a sizeable loan, and ten years ago bought him out. My wife joined me—”

My gaze fell to his hand. There was no ring, and for some stupid reason, my heart hammered with the thought of him being single. Possibly.

“She helped decorate this, but it wasn’t the look I wanted, but since her parents were investors, I went with it. I only wanted to run it properly, and as long as the customers were happy, I was too.”

“Your wife did a nice job.” People loved it, and often raved about the décor, so Mrs. Dean knew what she was doing.

“I can’t fault her that.”

He missed my subtle subtext and leaned back in his chair, glancing around. “You know, now that I’m taking a good look around, I think she took a few ideas from here and scaled things down to fit our establishment.”

“Or maybe this owner saw your place and changed things up a bit? Competition is known for building on another’s success.”

He grabbed the last mushroom but pushed the last scallop my way. “Maybe. But I like the idea of thinking outside the box. Doing what no one has done.”

He pulled his hands off the table when our server appeared with our main courses.

Savoury spices filled the space and the steak looked mouthwatering. I couldn’t wait to dive in.

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