“I made a sunflower seed vinaigrette. It’ll be on the salads for the weekend’s dinner service. You like?”
Libby didn’t answer, as she was too busy chewing. Instead, she nodded. Hope’s concept was working. Her friend asked guests to trust that she would give them the best plate of food one could procure in this little corner of the world, filled with the bounty available right here. It was different and risky. As Camila, Hope’s restaurant manager pointed out in the beginning, if you had a hankering for a specific menu item, you’d have to wait until Hope deemed it ready to grace her plate. But that rarity made every plate, every bite, special.
Unfortunately, this gem her friend had created was hidden here in Irish Hills and getting the word out had proved tougher than Libby had anticipated.
They didn’t have the luxury of a slow build.
That’s where Goldie was supposed to come in, but now, that plan was in jeopardy. Libby reluctantly put her fork down and explained the situation to J.J. and Hope.
“Okay, so the film festival, we’re not doing it? I thought that was the whole point of getting her here, aside from us getting to see her.” J.J. was talking with her mouth full, and Libby fully supported it.
“Yes, that was the point, but she is in hiding, literally. The way I convinced her to come was to put her up in the hotel. It’s secluded. It’s got the woods on one side and the lake on two corners, so no one will be able to see that she’s there. Well, unless they’re floating by with binoculars. Oh, look, Earl, it’s Oscar winner Goldie Hayes!” Libby was confident that she’d put Goldie in a good hiding place.
“Or, living in the caretaker cottage because you told Dean and me to get a guy.”
“Oh, yeah, I’ll have to give her a heads up. When’s he coming?”
“Uh, Dean set him up yesterday. Joe’s a great find. He’s an expert in historic restoration, and also, he’s a hunk. Anyway, he was about to take a job in Covert Pier. We had to move fast. He’s back in this area to be close to his son and grandson.”
“A hunk? We’re how old?” Hope said.
“Never too old to appreciate a good-looking man, anyway. Dean said he’s got a few weeks in between jobs, so he snapped him up.”
“That’s good.” Libby was only slightly worried that Goldie would run into a hunky contractor on sight and flip out. She added it to today’s list of worries.
“So, no film festival, what gives?” Hope didn’t have time for tangents. Thankfully, she got the conversation back on track. Hope’s success here depended on Libby figuring out how to get people to Irish Hills. Like Libby, she was motivated to make Irish Hills a happening little summer tourist town.
They had won a grant from the Small Business Downtown Revitalization Authority, but now, they needed traffic!
“She’s been burned badly by her director and her agent. We practically ran out of L.A. with a pack of wild Victor Superhero Universe fans throwing tomatoes at her. Trust me, I’ve never seen anything like it. She’s a pariah at the moment.”
“Oh, that’s awful. She’s a goddess. What in the world?”
“Right now, she’s in hiding, and that was the only way I could get her here. I mean, Irish Hills is very quiet, and the odds of being spotted by paparazzi here are, uh, well, let’s say about as likely as being abducted by aliens.”
“Ah, wrong, Herb Redding. He was abducted last year. Just ask him.”
Libby narrowed her eyes at J.J., who appeared to be serious.
“What? It wasn’t nearly as bad as when a sasquatch pulled Betty LaPierre out of her car through the driver’s side window over on Addison Road. So, you know, just heads up if your windows are open.”
Libby soldiered on and outlined how she’d gotten Goldie here. “Be that as it may, she’s a no on a film festival. My Plan B was to make the news by having her eat here. We could be the downstate Traverse City with her celebrity. But it isn’t going to work.”
“Did you ask her?” Hope said.
“I asked her about the film festival and asked her to eat here, but it’s a no-go. Now, I feel like the priority has to be whatever she needs,” Libby said.
“Agreed. She was a Sandbar Sister long before she was an Oscar winner,” J.J. said.
“I’m in full agreement as well, but we need to come up with a different idea, hopefully soon. The restaurant isn’t anywhere near capacity. I’m in a position to have to lay off two servers less than a month into the operation.”
“Ugh, yes, okay. I’ll think of something.” Libby didn’t have the answer yet.
“We have to figure it out. This isn’t all just you anymore. We’re all in this,” Hope said.
“Right! Now, you told Goldie, dinner at Nora House?” said J.J.
“Yes. I offered to pick her up, but she said no need.” They’d all be there since Hope didn’t serve dinner on Wednesdays. “Anyway, you bring this dressing, and we can’t go wrong.”
