Roadside Attraction (Castle View Series Book 2) (13 page)

He grinned as he chopped peppers and onions. He put them on the still hot grill and after seasoning them, covered them and the chicken breast. He leaned against the wall.

“Did I ever tell you I wanted to open a sandwich food truck? What I’m making for you tonight would have been on my menu.” He looked over at Maggie who’d lifted her head to smell the cooking veggies. “I started working on a cute name but didn’t get very far.”

“Which ‘wich. Or The house of Josh. Or maybe, Sandwich Serfdom.” She groaned. “Those are all terrible. But you have to realize, I named my restaurant the Tiger Café. Real original, right?”

“I would have hired a branding expert. They know how to do this stuff. I know how to make delicious sandwiches. I don’t need to know everything, just how to hire the best people.” He buttered the bun to brown it on the grill.

“Speaking of, I have interviews for a new chef tomorrow. Are you sure you have to go?” Maggie watched him as he put together two sandwiches. He could feel her attention even though he didn’t look up to meet her gaze.

“Are you sure you won’t go with me?”

“Not won’t, can’t. Not now, not with Mom just getting home.” She took the plate he offered but didn’t pick up her sandwich. “You have to understand, she needs me.”

He nodded to her plate. “Eat. I understand what you think you know.”

She took a bite and he could see from the look on her face that at least her body liked it. The pain he was causing her by leaving showed in her eyes though. She ate half the sandwich before what he’d said resonated. She had to be beat down tired.

“What do you mean what I think I know?” Now, with some food in her body, the pain had left her eyes and she looked mad and ready to take on the world. Including him.

He finished eating his own sandwich, then took the plate to the sink. “I think you’re the one who needs to be needed. Your Mom has someone to help her, you even said she kicked you out of the house and told you to go live your own life.”

“I don’t think she meant go off with the first stranger who asks me to take a ride.”

He leaned against the counter and crossed his arms. “I’m a stranger?”

“You know what I mean.” Maggie blew out a breath, showing her frustration. “You have to admit we haven’tt known each other very long.”

“Look, Mags, I’m leaving at the first of the week. You can come with me or stay here. I’d like you to come with me, but I’m not going to force you.” He ran his hand through his hair. “I’m beat and I know you’re tired, so if we’re done here, I’m going to the motel.”

She looked at him, the pain had already returned to her eyes. She returned her gaze to her plate. “Of course, I’ll see you tomorrow. Thank you for making me something to eat.”

Josh grabbed his leather jacket and slipped it on. As he left the kitchen, he paused in the doorway, looking at her. “I really do want you to come with me.”

Then he walked out of the restaurant and to the front parking area where his bike waited for him. This was the only lady he understood. A machine of metal and heat that liked to be ridden fast and hard—the only lady in his life for the foreseeable future since Maggie Castle wouldn’t leave her home.

Sunday dinner was crowded at the big house. When Maggie and Tami pulled up into the driveway, cars were everywhere. Sandy Castle opened her arms from her place in the kitchen and waved Tami toward her. “Now tell me you didn’t come all this way home just to see me.”

Tami kissed her on the cheek and Maggie’s eyes filled with tears. She’d driven up herself yesterday to get Tami from school on the promise she’d do homework in the car. The kid had kept her half of the promise and they’d arrived in St. Josephs just in time to fall into bed exhausted. Tonight she’d ride back with a friend whose parents lived in Spokane.

“I’ve already told her she’s stuck up there until the semester ends after this. She needs to focus on her classes.” Maggie went over to the stove and checked on the dinner preparations. Abigail slapped her hand as she reached for a lid.

“You just go spend time with Sandy. Dinner’s my responsibility this week. You can cook next week.” Abigail gave Maggie a hug, whispering the next comment in her ear. “She’s doing great. I can’t believe how quickly she’s bouncing back.”

Maggie stepped away from the stove, her hands up in surrender. She flinched as she saw Brad watching her as she made her way to the table to sit next to Tami.

He raised his eyebrows. “Or you could get that boy toy chef of yours to cook.” He looked around the room. “Where is he anyway? Sleeping it off?”

She narrowed her eyes at her brother. “None of your business.”

“Seriously, where is the guy? I was starting to get used to him.” Brad kept pushing, and Maggie knew he sensed a sore spot. That was Brad’s superpower. Finding things that made other people uncomfortable.

“Leave her alone, Brad.” Tami diverted the attention to her place at the table. “She doesn’t want to talk about Josh.”

“Brad, please don’t tease your sister.” Mom sounded tired, like she’d had to break up this fight one too many times.

Destiny appeared and Maggie realized the woman must have been standing outside the kitchen, letting the family settle in. Now, she knelt next to Mom. “Everything okay? Do you need a drink or a pain pill?”

Mom shook her head. “I’m fine. I just want my children to behave themselves for the next hour so I don’t have to swat someone with my cane.”

Maggie smiled. “I think you’re stuck with your walker for a bit.”

“You think I can’t swing that just as well?” Her mother matched her smile.

Destiny looked up at Brad, her eyes narrowed. “Well, I’m sure at least one of them can be an adult. Do we have to ask you to leave, Mr. Castle?”

Brad’s eyes widened. “All I did was ask a question.” He looked around the room and judging the negative response from the family, he held up his hands. “Fine, I’m the bad guy here. I’ll keep my mouth shut.”

Destiny raised her eyebrows. “I highly doubt that you’re capable of that, but at least be civil please.”

Laughter filled the room and Tami pointed at Brad. “She’s got your number and she’s new to the family.”

Mom put her hand on Tami’s. “Let’s talk about something more positive. Tell me about your classes. How is life in the big city?”

Maggie relaxed into her chair and listened as the conversation flowed around her. She couldn’t help but remember the last family dinner where her mom had been healthy and Josh had been at her side. Now, there was an emptiness that made her want to cry. Of course, it probably was all about seeing her mother’s mortality. Even Maggie couldn’t explain away her feelings of loneliness without adding Josh into the mixture.

She excused herself and went to the bathroom. Running cold water, she patted the cool washcloth to her face, pushing away the tears. Sometimes hard decisions needed made. Choices between people she loved. She’d made the choice to stay close to her mother. That was the only one she could make. Even knowing that she’d made the right one didn’t ease the pain she felt about losing Josh. The new chef started on Monday and Josh and his bike would be gone Tuesday morning.

She squared her shoulders, took one last look in the mirror at the woman who looked like an older, sadder version of herself, and nodded. Time to start living again, this time without Josh to warm her heart and her bed.

Dinner had been cleaned off the table when her mother called Maggie to her side. “Help me get to my chair in the living room. I’m tired.”

Destiny appeared by mom’s side. “I can help.”

Mom waved her away. “Brad, go show Destiny the horse barn. She needs to get out of the house and realize what’s around us.”

“Mom, I don’t know—”

“I’m still your mother.” Mom cut him off. “I may be a little banged up, but I can still decide who is going to help me and when.” Mom turned her glare at Brad into a smile toward Destiny. “You need to take some time for yourself. Do you ride?”

Destiny shook her head. Her eyes had grown wide either at the thought of riding or spending time alone with Brad, Maggie couldn’t tell. She almost burst out laughing.

Sandy nodded. “Then Brad can teach you how. Everyone should ride at least once in their lives. It’s an experience you’ll never forget.”

Brad came up beside Destiny and took her arm. “She’s not going to give up so I guess we better go introduce you to the horses. I’m sure we can find a mare that you’d like.”

Maggie matched Mom’s slow pace into the living room. When her mother settled into her chair, Maggie put the walker to the side within reach. “Do you need anything? Water, a book, something to eat?”

“We just ate dear.” Mom nodded to the couch next to her. “Sit down and tell me what’s wrong. Where is your young man?”

Maggie sank into the couch. She’d been expecting this conversation. “Getting ready to leave St. Josephs, I guess. I hired a new chef.”

Mom looked puzzled. “I don’t understand. What does your hiring a new chef have to do with Josh leaving?”

“He’s on some sort of find yourself trip. St Josephs was just a stopping point because his bike broke down.” Maggie fiddled with the hem of her shirt. “He never planned on staying.”

“He didn’t plan on meeting you either.” Her mother reached over and touched her arm. “You’re not telling me the whole story. I can feel you holding back.”

“You’re right, as always.” Maggie could feel her lips curving into a grin, but she still kept her head tilted away from her mother. “He asked me to go with him. He had some silly idea we could go on the road.”

“Why did you say no? It was obvious when I saw the two of you together that you had fallen for him.” Mom took a sip of her water. “Of course, I might be kicked out of the worried mom’s club for saying this, but I think you should go with him. You need an adventure in your life.”

“I need to run my restaurant and take care of you.” The last was out before Maggie could stop it.

“No, honey, you don’t.” Mom paused. “Look at me.”

Maggie lifted her head and met her mother’s gaze. “Yes I do.”

“Stop saying that. You have always been the steady one. Brad’s a brat, Mark’s the adventurous one, and you are my solid and steady girl. Well, you need to break out of that role and go have some fun. Tami’s off to college.” She held up her hand to stop Maggie’s response. “If she needs a place to stay while you’re gone, she can come here.”

Maggie leaned forward, her forearms resting on her knees. She looked up into her mother’s face. “You want me to take off with a man I barely know on a motorcycle to tour the country for God knows how long.”

“I don’t, but you do. And I want you to be happy.” Mom’s smile was wide and genuine. “You love this guy, I can see that. And he seemed to be quite taken with you when I met him.”

“Love doesn’t solve everything.”

“True,” her mother responded. “But without it, there is no reason for the rest. I’m sure you can hire a manager for the restaurant. I’ll look after your interests with your brothers. You just go.”

“I don’t know if I can,” Maggie whispered, wondering if her mother could understand the fear that filled her with just the idea of leaving with Josh. “I don’t want to make a mistake.”

“Honey, we all make mistakes. It’s part of life.”

Those words haunted her all night. When she woke the next morning, Maggie still hadn’t made a decision. Of course, Josh thought she was staying, so in a way, she had already made the decision, hadn’t she?

She showered and got dressed, not looking forward to her last day with Josh Reyes.

***

Angelina sat perched on the motel railing in front of his room when he opened the door. “What are you doing here?”

“Good morning to you, too.” She put her arm in his and led him to her rental car. “Get in. I’m taking you to breakfast.”

“Not hungry,” he lied. Then his stomach betrayed him. He’d been on his way to grab some breakfast at the diner when he left the room. Sighing he moved to the passenger side door of her SUV and climbed in. He waited for her to start the car before speaking again. “Fine, breakfast. But you’re not going to change my mind on this.”

She turned in her seat to back the car out of the parking lot, ignoring the backup camera on the dashboard. When she finished and saw him looking at her, she shrugged. “I don’t like using those things. I don’t trust them.”

“That’s Papa talking. You really have to get over being scared of technology.” He clicked his seatbelt closed. “Do you even own a computer yet?”

“I’ll have you know that Rick bought me a laptop for my birthday.” She pulled the car onto the road. “He showed me how to use it to Skype him when he’s on an out of town trip. I suppose you don’t have a computer you’ll be taking with you? You could keep in touch that way.”

“I have my tablet. I’ll email you and we can set up a time.” He took a sideways glance at his sister. She was giving up way too easy. Something was wrong.

They found front row parking on the street and when they went into the diner, only a few booths were filled. “Mondays must be a dead day here in town,” she observed. “I was here for lunch yesterday and it was packed.”

“Sunday after church crowd.” He’d ordered pizza from the small chain delivery place for both lunch and dinner. He’d eat at the restaurant today and then first thing in the morning, he’d be on the road. He led his sister to the first empty booth. Why he was thinking about food right now eluded him. Because you’re not thinking about Maggie. The thought burned through him and he pushed it out of his head. Yep, that’s why the focus was on meals. And he’d use that technique for the first leg of his trip, or maybe longer. The waitress greeted them as soon as they sat down. “Coffee and o.j.”

When Angelina ordered the same, he leaned back and studied her. His sister was a stunner. Thirty-five and unmarried, she went through boyfriends like they were candy. The latest, Rick, had stayed on his sister’s good side for longer than most. Josh assumed the reason was because the guy was out of town a lot. She waited for their drinks, then finally met his eyes over the lip of her coffee cup.

She took a sip, then sighed, setting it down. “He really wants to make it right with you. He told me to say you’d be an executive chef soon.”

“Papa doesn’t want to do anything but what he wants to do. I think a food truck would expand our brand into the future. He thinks it will cheapen what we do.” Josh drank his juice in three large gulps.

“He has good intentions.” She shrugged. “And you and I both know he’s not very open to new ideas. It takes him a while to accept new things.”

“Which is why I can’t go back.” He played with his spoon. “I have to make my own way in this world. I need to find what I want to do.”

“You need to cook. Even here.” She lifted her hands. “Even here in the boondocks, you found your way to a kitchen that needed you. Doesn’t that tell you what is your true destiny?”

“Probably, but maybe it’s just habit. Maybe I’m supposed to be a lion tamer, or a librarian, but since I grew up in the restaurant, that’s all I know.” He thought about the two tiger sisters and how one had been the other’s protector all her life. What would happen if one of those tigers died? Or left?

When their food arrived, he dug into the skillet, savoring the crunchy country hash browns and gravy. The salty smell of the ham made his mouth water and all thoughts of where he should be left his head for the enjoyment of the meal. He noticed his sister reacting to her omelet much the same way and smiled. They’d been taught to respect the food and eating was more of a religion to the Reyes family than a chore. That was one similarity he’d noticed between his family and the Castles. They both took Sunday dinner seriously. He’d wondered what they’d done yesterday, while he was eating his chain pizza, but he’d pushed the thought away.

Finally, their meal consumed, they returned to their coffee and the staring. She took her camera out of her purse and snapped a shot of him before he could say anything.

“What was that for?” He was sure he knew her answer before she spoke.

Tucking the phone away, she took out her car keys. “Proof that I talked to you. Papa isn’t going to be happy that I’m coming home alone.”

“Blame it on me. He knows I’m the stubborn one.” He paid the check and they rode to the motel room in silence.

As they sat in the car, parked next to his bike, she finally spoke. “Look, you better call me or do that computer thing soon or I’ll send the cops after you.”