An Unexpected Family. Jenna Mindel

      Going to the Fourth of July barbecue would be about introducing Rose to more folks in town. Establishing her as the new owner of the Grille and proving she belonged there. He didn’t want those Dean boys getting their hands on the diner. Not when Linda had wanted Rose to have it. Not when Rose wanted it. Whatever it took, he’d help her keep it.

      * * *

      Monday morning, Rose entered the diner a little before six in the morning. The early sun shone on a quiet Main Street, making the overnight dew glisten. It was so quiet this morning, she hated to ruin it. But she had a business to run and dropped whole roasted coffee beans into the large grinder and pressed the button. She ignored the teeth-jarring sound and savored the rich smell of fresh ground coffee. Would Cam be late? He knew the diner opened at seven, but they hadn’t talked about when he should arrive.

      A rap at the door startled her. Cam peered through the front door glass waiting for her to let him in. The sun hit him from behind, making the ends of his blond hair shine like gold. He wore khaki shorts and a T-shirt and a colorful bandanna over his head like a cap.

      Her mouth dropped open, so she closed it quick. “You’re early.”

      “Good morning to you, too. Haven’t you ever heard the early bird gets the worm? Believe it or not, I’ve always been a morning person.” He winked at her.

      Rose felt her cheeks heat and looked down, spotting a brand new six-pack of tall glass tumblers in his hand. “What are those for?”

      “Iced tea. I like my iced tea in real glass.” Cam headed for the kitchen like he owned the place. “Any specials today?”

      Rose hadn’t thought that far. Chuck had always been the one to decide which specials to make. “You choose.”

      He opened the industrial fridge and grinned. It was the same good-time smile he’d given her before. “I’ll see what you’ve got.”

      Rose ignored the swirling butterflies that raucous grin produced and followed him. “There’s a load of whitefish in the freezer Chuck was supposed to do something with.”

      Cam grabbed a small metal cart with shelves and loaded it up with things needed for the prep station. She’d had her doubts but this morning, Cam eased them. He definitely knew his way around a restaurant.

      Rose relaxed. “Coffee’s done, would you like a cup?”

      Cam didn’t even look up from the depths of the fridge. “Yeah. Light cream and sugar.”

      Rose fixed them each a mug. Easy, since they drank their coffee the same way. She offered a steaming cup to Cam as he filled the prep station with the items from the cart. “Here.”

      “Thanks.” He accepted it, took a sip and then looked at her. “It’s good.”

      “Hey, I want to thank you for all this.”

      Cam nodded. “You’re welcome.”

      “You said you’ve done this before?”

      He grabbed a metal mixing bowl and the muscles of his arms flexed. “From low-end to high-end, I’ve worked in a lot of restaurants. I used to wait tables at the Maple Springs Inn during my high school years. So, how do you fit into the Deans? You married Linda’s eldest son, right?”

      Rose sighed. “Yes. I was married to Kurt.”

      Cam looked concerned. “I read about Kurt’s death in a tour bus accident a few years ago. Then Linda—man, I’m sorry for your losses.”

      Rose had lost a mother-in-law she barely knew and an ex-husband she’d rather forget. She’d lost her husband years before his death, before his career really took off, but Cam didn’t need to know all that. “Thank you.”

      Cam’s intent gaze studied her. “I can fill in for Chuck until he comes back.”

      “But don’t you have another job, your own business perhaps?”

      Cam’s bright eyes dimmed. “Not for a little while.”

      Rose scrunched her nose. What did that mean? “I’ll pay you the same rate as Chuck. He was paid pretty well, but I don’t want him back. I’ve already emailed the newspaper to run an ad for a new cook.”

      He nodded as if the money didn’t matter. “That’s fine.”

      Rose went to grab the new hire paperwork from a small file cabinet under the cash register stand. She hadn’t even checked him out, references and the like. What if— No, he’d proven himself capable. “If you wouldn’t mind filling out your information and the W-4, I’ll place you on the payroll effective this past Saturday.”

      “Okay.” Cam took the forms and pen she offered. It didn’t take long before he handed them back.

      Rose glanced over everything. Cam’s handwriting was atrocious. “So, what is it that you normally do?”

      “Does it matter?”

      Rose felt her stomach clench. “It might.”

      Leaning against the counter, Cam folded his arms, which were already nicely browned from the sun. Those pesky muscles of his flexed again, too. “I’m a professional fisherman.”

      Had she heard correctly? “As in like a charter boat or guide?”

      His lips formed a grim line for only a moment, then that flirty grin returned. “As in the Bass Pro circuit. I’m heading for a qualifying tournament this upcoming weekend, so I can cook for the next few days until you find someone permanent.”

      “Oh.” She wasn’t sure what that meant, but it sounded an awful lot like something her ex-husband used to say when he was between music gigs.

      “It’s none of my business, but is it only you and your son working here?”

      Rose nodded. “After Linda died and the diner closed for a bit, the waitress she had went to another job. I just hired a replacement. She and a busboy both start later this morning. I enrolled Greg in a summer program that goes from eleven to four. Today is his first day.”

      “My church has a summer teen program. If it’s the same, Greg’s in good hands. They do a lot.”

      Cam went to church? He’d prayed over their food Saturday, but it was a rote prayer. Rose narrowed her gaze. “What church do you attend?”

      “The big white one at the end of Main, the other side of Center Park. Can’t miss it.”

      Rose knew exactly where he meant. The structure was Christmas-card beautiful as well as a traditional denomination she didn’t belong to. Looking into Cam’s blue eyes, she wondered where he was coming from. Nobody did something this big out of the goodness of their hearts without wanting something in return.

       He went to church.

      Anyone could attend a church. What really mattered was where a person placed God in their lives. “Why are you doing this?”

      Cam shrugged. “Let’s just say I’m trying to be a better person.”

      Rose didn’t like the sound of that, either. What had he done to make him need redemption? With his looks and lazy smiles, she could only imagine. She might find Cam attractive, but she wasn’t stupid, nor would she allow herself to become interested. Rose wanted to keep the vow she’d made not to date until after Greg was grown and gone off to college. She’d be older and hopefully wiser by then.

      Her husband had walked out on her and their four-year-old son. The next man she’d offered her heart to had crushed it. He’d turned out to be a fraud with no genuine interest in Greg. Her son had been only eight at the time. Old enough to have his heart trampled, too.

      Soon after, they got word that Kurt had died.

      Nope, Rose had been burned well enough to know not to misplace her trust ever again. Staring Cam down, she weighed her options and didn’t