Keeping Guard. Christy Barritt

frozen?”

      “I make them ahead and freeze them. Saves a lot of time.”

      Kylie nodded, deciding not to interject her opinion as Nate showed her how the cakes were prepared. When he finished, Kylie glanced at her watch and saw they were close to opening. “So, when do the cooks get here?”

      Nate scowled and wiped the cast-iron stove top one more time. The appliance was spotless. “I am the cook.”

      Kylie nodded, choosing her words carefully. “I thought you managed the restaurant?”

      “I manage the restaurant and cook. Just like the hostesses are always the waitresses also. We’re not a big place, so we all have to wear multiple hats.”

      Kylie bit her lip. No, she’d never run a restaurant, but Kylie knew enough to know Nate needed more help. She did have experience running a successful catering business, so she knew how to manage people, how to develop recipes that would satisfy crowds, how to make her staff feel appreciated.

      Still, Kylie couldn’t waltz in, criticize Nate’s work and then be on her merry way. So she’d stay quiet, no matter how miserable it made her. She didn’t like to be told what to do, so she certainly didn’t want to offer unsolicited advice to others.

      Their first order came in, and both Nate and Kylie got busy. And quiet. Neither of them said anything, except for Kylie to occasionally ask questions about an order, or for Nate to state how to prepare a dish properly.

      Kylie felt at home in the kitchen. She always had. She loved coming up with new recipes or new takes on old recipes. But the food she prepared today was mindless. Sandwiches, soups, salads. Nothing exciting. Nothing revolutionary.

      It didn’t matter. This wasn’t her restaurant, she reminded herself again.

      After the lunch crowd left, Nate moseyed out front to talk with someone who appeared to be a regular customer. One of the waitresses came back to introduce herself to Kylie.

      “I’m Suzy.” The woman was probably in her mid-twenties with a sharp wedge hairdo that was black on the bottom and bright red on top. She had multiple earrings in both her ears and tattoos instead of jewelry around her fingers and wrists. “Good to have you here.”

      Kylie wiped her hands on a white dish towel and reached for Suzy’s hand. “I’m Kylie. I’m just filling in here for a few days, trying to get some restaurant experience.” Her words weren’t a lie. She did want experience. She didn’t want anyone else to know the real life-or-death reasons behind her being here. Only Nate. Her brother had said she could trust Nate, and she was going to have to take him at his word.

      Suzy set her tray on the counter, as if prepared to stay awhile and talk. “Well, I know Nate could use the help.”

      Kylie prepared a glass of water for herself and decided to take a break. She took a sip and stood across from Suzy. “You guys have a small staff.”

      “Things have been tight, so Nate tries to watch every dime. I tried to tell him there are some things you just shouldn’t cut back on. He doesn’t listen.”

      Kylie nodded. “He seems pretty…”

      “Gruff?” Suzy laughed, obviously not shy about sharing her opinion. “You don’t have to beat around the bush with me. Yeah, he comes across as a little grumpy sometimes. Deep inside, he’s not. I think the stress of owning this restaurant has just taken its toll on him.”

      Kylie leaned against the counter, intrigued to find out more about her temporary boss. “You make it sound like he doesn’t want to own this place.”

      “The restaurant was handed down to him from his father. Nate never wanted to own it, but I’ll give him credit, he’s tried to make the best of it. There’s rumor that the place might go up for sale soon, though. If Nate has his way, he won’t own this place very much longer.”

      Kylie pulled her chin back in surprise. “Up for sale? I had no idea.”

      “Yeah, he doesn’t tell many people about it. I think he’s afraid of disappointing some of his father’s old friends.”

      “Darlene and Harvey, by chance?”

      “Yes. You’ve met them?”

      Kylie nodded. “A couple of times already.”

      “Yeah, so all of that combined with the bad relationship he just got out of a few months ago—”

      “Kylie.” Both women snapped their heads toward Nate, who’d appeared in the doorway dangling a telephone. How much of the conversation had he heard? “You have a phone call. Your brother.”

      Suzy scurried away, no doubt before she heard an earful from her boss. Kylie had no choice but to approach Nate, though. She couldn’t read his expression as she took the phone and placed it at her ear. His gaze remained on her another moment before he turned and stomped back into the dining room.

      Once he was out of earshot, she finally spoke into the receiver. “I thought I already called you and told you I was here and doing okay. Are you doing the overprotective thing on me again?” She tried to sound lighthearted and erase all the worry that always seemed to be present in her brother’s voice.

      “Kylie.” His voice sounded serious, much more serious than she’d expected. “Your house was ransacked last night.”

      “Ransacked? What do you mean? I thought the police were watching it.” That ice-cold feeling chilled her spine again. She backed away from the dining area, out of earshot.

      “A cruiser was going past every ten minutes. We have no idea how the break-in happened. It almost seems like someone was watching, like they knew we were monitoring the house and waited until just the right moment to strike.”

      “Was anything taken?”

      “It’s hard to say. Nothing valuable. Your TV, computer, jewelry, all of those things are still there.”

      “So…” Kylie couldn’t finish her thought. Her mind raced with possibilities.

      Her brother’s voice softened. “No, this doesn’t appear to be a random break-in. This was mostly likely your stalker, and he’s most likely trying to figure out where you went.” Her brother paused. “Did you leave anything in your house that might give away your location, Kylie?”

      Had she? Her mind replayed the events of the past few days. The only place she’d written down her destination was in her notebook. She’d jotted Nate’s address and phone number, plus some quick directions her brother had given her. But then she’d torn that page out and had brought it with her. That paper had sat in the car seat beside her on the drive here. She was sure of it.

      “No, I didn’t leave anything there.”

      “Good. You should still be safe there in Yorktown. Did you let Nate know what’s going on?”

      “We talked last night.”

      “If anything at all suspicious happens, let him know. Promise me?”

      “I promise.” Before they hung up, Kylie told him about the note she’d found scribbled in her book.

      Her brother’s voice sounded stern. “Kylie, be careful. I don’t like this.”

      She nodded. “Neither do I.”

      SIX

      Nate looked away from a conversation with one of his regulars and glanced at Kylie, whose face looked whiter than flour. She slowly placed the phone on the hook, and from the way her body sagged, it looked like she hung on to the wall mount to keep from sinking to the floor. He had the urge to go and help steady her, but he didn’t. She seemed to like her privacy, and Nate wanted to respect that, even if he had to grip the chair to keep himself from rising.

      But when Kylie looked over at Nate with strained eyes, he decided she was inviting him to