He’d spent yesterday back and forth between Jesse’s and Hop's Heaven at least five times getting everything ready for the Fall Family Fest. As if that wasn’t enough, he’d beeninterviewing sous chefs to take Charlie’s place all week. The upside to that was he’d found Lucas who’d be starting this week. Lucas was only twenty-five, but he’d grown up in the restaurant business, and Sean had high hopes he’d be a great fit for Jesse’s Pub.
He was glad that Jasper was too busy to ask him about the bags under his eyes or Nicole. Sean didn’t know what to make of Nicole. They’d had such a great night together. Could she still be mad that he’d left and hadn’t contacted her for a few hours? Man, the last thing he’d wanted to do was leave her bed and go deal with soggy French fries and rotting fryers. He shuddered at the thought of that massive pile of wasted chickens. He thought she would be understanding. She knew how important Jesse’s Pub was to him. His livelihood was the restaurant, and it had been an emergency. Sean didn’t do drama.
Maybe this was a red flag. His shoulders slumped. He knew it was nuts, but he’d been making future plans with Nicole in mind, and now all that was for nothing? At times like these, it was hard to cling to his positive attitude, but he was going to do his best.
Yesterday it had rained like crazy but today the sun was out, and Jasper had gotten a ton of hay put down so all the kids and their parents wouldn’t be walking around in a muddy mess. Not only were Sean’s refrigeration problems behind him, but he’d gotten a great deal on all-natural hot dogs for the fest today. He’d offered to donate the food for the event because he knew that pulling this off was crucial for him as well as Jasper. But Jasper had refused to accept that deal, so Sean was glad he’d be able to get the best food possible at the lowest cost for Jasper. He was feeling better already. The focus today needed to be on Marley Creek residents enjoying the fest. He was going to make sure that happened, even if he had to dress up and entertain the kids himself while their parents enjoyed a beer and a brat.
Chapter Nineteen
NICOLE
Zaina knocked on Nicole’s door. Nicole had managed to avoid most of Zaina’s texts and having to rehash the Sean incident up until now. Today, however, was the fest at Hop’s Heaven and there was no way Nicole could get out of this. She’d rather avoid talking about Sean or seeing him, but it was probably better to just go with the flow today. If she bailed, Zaina would kill her.
Nicole's plan was to keep the focus on Zaina and avoid talking about Sean.
Nicole poured herself and Zaina a cup of coffee,
“We have some time before we have to leave for Hop’s Heaven. Would you like a piece of apple cake with your coffee?”
“That sounds great. I had to run some errands this morning and then I had to get everything ready for my booth, so I didn’t get a chance to eat."
“How have things been going with Oktoberfest?”
“Nic, so far so good. We had the Marley Creek Business Association meeting the other day and Chief Hendrick shared with us that complaints have completely fallen off! We did it!”
“That’s awesome! I’m so glad it’s working out." Nicole paused, unsure if she should ask about Jasper, but her curiosity won out. “You helped out on Thursday, right? How’s it going with Jasper there? I know you aren’t a fan.”
Zaina, “Oh, he doesn’t bother me at all,” she said, her voice rising an octave.
“Mm-hmm,” Nicole said again.
“Besides, I barely saw him when I was there. I helped with the trivia night people, and he was at the main bar and in the actual brewery. Not that it would matter.”
“I see.”
“Stop! Let’s go over what’s happening today. I’m going to have a little booth there and dress up like a fortune teller to do tarot card readings for the Marley Creek Kids Christmas Fund.”
“You’ll be great. You’re super good at being very dramatic.”
“Is that a compliment or…?”
“I’m just kidding! What I mean is, you’re good at acting. I still remember you in all the plays and musicals in high school. You should do that now.”
“What do you mean?”
“Community Theater! You know you could be in one of the productions Oak Community College does. You don’t have to take a class, just live in the college district.”
“I don’t know about that. I’m busy with the store and spending time with Mike.”
“Speaking of Mike, where is he today? Is he going to be at the fest?” Nicole knew she was treading on thin ice here. The mess that had happened with Sean really didn’t give her any credibility to poke at Zaina’s relationship with Mike. Still. she couldn’t help asking even though she knew that Mike wouldn’tbe at the fest, because Mike didn’t show up for Zaina. He only came around when he needed something from her.
Zaina pursed her lips and put her fork down. “He really wanted to come, but he had a work emergency.”
“What does he do again?”
“Nic, you don’t remember? He’s in insurance, he works with actuaries.”
“Oh yes, that’s it, I don’t know why I forget. Huh, I wonder what the emergency was.”
