“I bet there are pumpkins here, too. I don’t know much about the climate zone, but it’ll be fun to see what local produce works with the apples.”
To her surprise, Seth kept the conversation going. Apparently, talking about food was safe, so she ventured a question. “What’s your favorite dish to make?”
His eyebrows shot up, and this time he looked at her, his eyes twinkling with humor, which shot his looks from gorgeous to oh-my-God.
He quickly returned his gaze to the road. “There aren’t many things I hate making. Mostly, it’s fun to experiment and try new things. We had duck as a specialty at one restaurant I worked with, but I’m thinking that’s off the menu at the No Phailed Apples Inn.”
She laughed. “Agreed. I’m betting Jolie wouldn’t take kindly to duck being served. I enjoy playing with recipes and flavor combinations, too. The fresh honey will be a bonus. I’ve never worked with cider before, but I’m sure I can figure out some good cider donuts or cupcakes.”
Seth nodded. “I was thinking along the same lines. The more local we can incorporate, the better it is for all the local businesses. Apples pair with a wide range of flavors. Using the cider and honey, and highlighting the local connections on the menu is smart business.”
“That should be easy to do. I wonder if they have connections to nearby farmers.”
Seth grinned. “You’ve heard them talk about Troy Phail?”
Mara knew Troy was another army buddy of her brother’s, so she nodded.
“Troy’s army team all live in his town now. They’ve created Phail Brewery and even grow their own hops.”
“That’s amazing. I wonder if Gray and Amber plan to sell their products at the inn.”
“They called it No Phailed Apples Inn, so I’m going to guess that’s part of the plan.”
Mara’s mind turned to what baked goods would pair well with the beers. She’d never made beer-flavored anything in her baking. “Do you know what types of beer they create? I’m wondering if I could use some of those flavors, too.”
“Beer-flavored cupcakes?”
She laughed. “You never know. It’ll be fun to play around and find out.”
They drove into a large valley with farms and roads leading to more homes and farms.
Seth pointed. “There’s Levi’s hops growing. And Falcon’s construction business. We’re almost to town.”
After a few more curves, a sign popped up on the right. Come to Phail to Succeed.
She laughed. “Ford told me Troy has a great sense of humor about his surname. I can see he’s right.”
The business section of Phail wasn’t hard to find. It was right there on Phail Way, with the No Fail Diner, Phail General, and Phail Central across the street from Phail Phoods.
She was laughing when Seth parked in a spot near the grocery store. “This place is ridiculous in the very best way.”
Seth nodded. “Sounds like Troy.”
“Do you mind if we check out the town a bit before we go into Phail Phoods? I’d like to see the rest of it. It’s too much fun not to explore.”
She heard the small sigh from Seth, but he nodded. “Sure. Why not?”
Which meant he didn’t really want to, but he would. Which made him sweet, even if it also proved he didn’t particularly want to spend more time with her.
Seth didn’t know if his leg would handle much exploring. The drive had him cramping up a bit, but he hadn’t been able to say no to Mara. Chaos Machine was full of joy and fun.
Which meant he should stay far away from her so he didn’t suck those right out of her.
The woman talked a lot. Had him responding, too, which surprised the hell out of him. He wasn’t much of a talker. Discussing recipes and flavor combinations had been easy with her. She had creative ideas.
Maybe sharing a kitchen wouldn’t be so bad after all, as long as she cleaned up her mess before he needed to start cooking.
Seth stayed on his side of the vehicle and stretched his leg out. His cane was in the back seat, but he didn’t use it unless necessary. He hoped it wouldn’t be required today.
