“Hello?” I called.
Footsteps crunched from somewhere out of view and Greyson emerged with a sledgehammer hoisted over his shoulder. He had on a sleeveless shirt and his bulging biceps were glistening with a thin sheen of sweat.
I suddenly felt like I needed to sit down, but I steeled myself and forced a casual smile. “Sorry if I’m interrupting,” I said. I already felt some of my nerve threatening to slip. I’d quickly practiced this interaction in my head, but I had pictured him calmly standing behind the front desk. I didn’t imagine him looking like he walked straight out of some construction worker porn shoot.
“Hi,” he said. His face was neutral, but I saw his broad chest practically heaving.
Was he just tired, or was he feeling the same way I was?
“I heard you’re turning this place into a restaurant.”
Greyson set down the hammer with a thump and let it lean against the wall. He crossed his arms, looking down at me like he was in no rush to respond. “And where did you hear that?”
From his tone, I gathered he knew exactly where I heard it. “And I heard you needed a chef.” My heart was thumping so hard it felt like it was in my throat.
His serious face split with a crack of amusement. “And I suppose you want to apply?”
“Maybe I do,” I said.
“You don’t have any experience running your own kitchen.”
“Nobody does until they do,” I countered.
He stared, and I couldn’t read if he was annoyed or entertained by my back talk. “This is about saving my grandfather’s inn. It’s not the sort of thing I’d leave up to chance or some young, unproven woman. I need to make sure I’m getting it right.”
My instincts were all geared toward avoiding confrontation, so I had to swallow down the urge to turn my tail and run. I set my jaw instead, meeting his eyes. “I’ve known your grandfather since I was little. He’s practically family. I’d do anything I could to help him keep his inn. Could you say that about some fancy chef you bring in from out of town?”
Greyson shifted on his feet, then ran his tongue across his teeth with the hint of a smile. “Go on.”
“And I’m Fairhope through and through. My menu would be a real reflection of this town. It would make people feel like they were home, even if they were just passing through. That’s what you need, not some New York style tasting menu. People will want to taste what this town is about. If they wanted New York, they’d go to New York.”
He ran his hand down his jaw and his serious expression finally melted into a smile. “Alright. You’ve earned yourself a shot. But I need to see a full menu. I want the ingredients written up, where you’ll source them from, how much you’d charge, and I’ll need to sample everything. I’ll also need to know what kind of staff you’d need.”
I raised my eyebrows. Oh, is that all? But I wasn’t going to let a little overwhelmingly hard work deter me. “Okay. I’ll make it happen.”
“Good. You have one week, then I’ll start looking elsewhere. Until then, it’s your job to lose.”
I bit my lip and bounced on my feet. “Thank you.”
He nodded. “And Harper,” he said. “I apologize again about last week. I shouldn’t have done that.”
His words shocked me out of my excitement. In the moment, I’d almost forgotten the man offering me a chance at my dream job was also the one who had shared the incredible kiss with me. I wasn’t sorry he’d kissed me, but I also knew I couldn’t risk this opportunity by mixing my feelings in. So I tried to shrug casually. “It’s okay. We just got caught up in the moment.”
Greyson hesitated like he was about to say more, but he clamped his mouth shut and nodded. “Good. Then it’s behind us.”
“Totally,” I agreed. Liar, liar. I smiled again and then paused. “Where are Billy and Molly?”
“Oh,” Greyson said. “Their mom is staying in town. She got here a couple days ago, so they’re with her right now. She wasn’t willing to give up three months of seeing them, so she grudgingly agreed to work remotely and stay out here until we’re all back in D.C.”
I nodded. “That makes sense. So it’s just you here?” I mentally kicked myself for being nosy. I was prying to find out if he’d tell me whether that gorgeous woman I saw was still staying at the inn. I’d never seen her leave, but she easily could’ve left when I wasn’t creeping on the building from my window. I didn’t watch all day, after all.
“Just me,” he agreed. “But hopefully this restaurant will get this place some much needed business.”
“Well,” I said, bouncing on my toes again. “I have a lot to get ready for you. I should get to it.”