“What’s up?” he asked casually.
“Roy, we need to talk,” she said, keeping her tone light. “About next week.”
He straightened, wiping his hands on his jeans. “What about it?”
“I’ve got a tasting menu coming up. A big one,” she replied. “That means things need to run smoothly around here. No missed details. No last-minute surprises.”
Roy cocked his head. “You saying I’m the problem?”
“No, I’m just saying I need everything to run smoothly,” she replied, steady, although she wanted to bop him on the head. “I can’t juggle everything myself.”
He dragged a rag over his hands, scrubbing harder than necessary. “I do everything around here. Your father hasn’t complained.”
She held his gaze. “This isn’t about my father. He hired you to do certain jobs; I hired you for others. And I need to be able to depend upon you to do what you’re paid for.”
For a moment, neither of them spoke. Silence filled the air. Mia didn’t have to look around to know the other men were listening.
Roy shrugged. “I’ll do my best.”
Damn. It wasn’t a promise. Not really.
Mia nodded anyway, although the knot in her stomach didn’t loosen. She walked back to her barn, telling herself she’d deal with it later.
But for the first time, she wondered how much longer she could afford to ignore it.
Roy watchedas Mia walked away.
A tasting menu. Big client. Of course.
She hadn’t looked at him when she said things needed to run smoothly. Hadn’t needed to. The message was clear enough.Do better. Try harder.Stop screwing things up. Like everything that went wrong around here was his fault. Like he wasn’t already doing the best he could.
His jaw tightened.
He’d been here when her dad needed help. When the bills piled up and the pressure sat heavy on the farm. He’d been here when Mia left town to chase something bigger, something better, while he stayed behind and kept the place afloat. Her father had believed in him. Trusted him.
That had to count for something.
Then Caleb showed up. With his dog. Acting like he belonged. Acting like he had a say. And Roy hadn’t missed the pause earlier, the way Caleb had slowed near the door. The men had heard. Caleb had heard.
And now there were expectations. Lines drawn in the dirt. A sense that if something went wrong, he would be the first one blamed.
Roy turned back to the workbench. The hammer lay where he’d left it. His hands curled into fists.
Mia didn’t see everything he did here. Didn’t appreciate what he’d sacrificed. So what if the coolers hadn’t been washed? He’d been busy. There were always a hundred little things that needed fixing around the farm.
If she wanted things done her way, then maybe it was time she learned what happened when he stopped smoothing things over. When he stopped fixing the small problems before they turned into bigger ones.
Just this once.
Roy picked up the hammer and got back to work, already telling himself it wasn’t his fault.
CHAPTER 22
The restof the week was a whirlwind for Mia. She prepared most of the food for the farmers’ market and Sunday’s event and now it was Friday night. Her feet ached, and her shoulders were tight, but there was a sense of anticipation she hadn’t felt in a long time.
She looked at her watch. Five o’clock. Caleb was picking her up at six thirty for drinks and taking her somewhere with live music and maybe a shared plate if they were hungry. Casual. No pressure. She could handle casual. Probably. Mia hurried over to the farmhouse, prepared a light dinner for her dad, snacked on some cheese and crackers and raced upstairs to shower and dress.
The shower didn’t take long. Dressing, though? That was another story. It’d been so long since she had been on a date, she had forgotten how to dress.
