Connor introduced her around and showed her the layout of the place before heading to the marina. She spent an hour acclimating herself to the menu and the delivery schedule that Cheryl had left behind.
The most immediate need was a sous chef. But after talking to the chef, Maddy agreed that one of the line chefs sounded promising. She called him in for an interview, and he seemed eager to prove himself. She offered him the position.
The hostess called in sick, and Maddy spent the afternoon filling in for her and generally getting a feel for the staff and customers and the lay of the land.
It was a casual place, she’d been right about that. But the menu was surprisingly original, the food unexpectedly tasty. Someone had taken a lot of care with it, and a steady flow of customers filled the harbor tables from lunch to midafternoon.
She couldn’t be here from open to close every day, though, and she needed someone to lead the front of house through lunch hour. After a day of observation, she honed in on Amber, who worked the register. She had a good rapport with the customers and staff alike and seemed underutilized in her current position.
Amber jumped at the opportunity. Maddy gave her a crash course in her new duties during the slower afternoon hours and found the girl to be a quick study.
By the time dinner hour rolled around she had a full staff. As she helped set up the harbor tables she took a moment to appreciate the view. The bay was blue and calm today, the surface glittering in the sunlight. A sailboat moved through the channel and out into the open sea, its sails billowing with wind.
It was hot today, near ninety degrees, but the roof over the deck offered shade, and white fans spun lazily, moving the warm air. The deck jutted out toward the marina, where boats came and went throughout the day. True to his word, Connor had left her to her own devices, stopping in only once to ask if she needed anything.
Speak of the devil. She caught sight of him on a pier, unmistakable in his white baseball cap and white shirt. He was talking with a young woman with dark-brown hair. As Maddy watched, the woman tucked her short hair behind her ears and laughed at something Connor said. He reached down and swept her into a long, familiar hug.
Maddy turned away. She was here to run this restaurant, and that’s exactly what she was going to do.
By the time Maddy got home it was almost one in the morning. She’d put in a long day, and all in all she was happy with how things had gone. The Landing staff seemed relieved to have her there. She saw areas that could be improved. The menu could be a little more original, and the staff was in need of better training. Just because it was a casual establishment didn’t mean it couldn’t be excellent. Though she doubted she’d be there long enough to rectify either situation.
She closed the bathroom door quietly and let down her bun. Her scalp practically purred in relief. As she removed her small loop earrings, she fumbled and dropped one. The earring clinked onto the counter, then onto the floor.
She bent over, perusing the area, then concluded it must’ve dropped into the trash can. Great. It was nearly full, of course.
She rooted through the tissues, finding an empty Visine box (Nora’s), a Diet Pepsi bottle and gum wrapper (Emma’s). She didn’t know who the empty Oreo package belonged to. Okay, it was hers.
And there was the silver earring, way at the bottom. As Maddy reached for it, her eyes connected with another object, uncovered in her fumbling foray through the trash.
An oblong stick that had a tiny window containing a pink plus sign.
Chapter 12
By the time Maddy got up the next morning, Emma was knitting on the deck, Pippy curled at her feet. Maddy filled a mug and joined her sister.
“Morning,” Emma said from one of the Adirondack chairs.
“Good morning.” She’d hoped to sleep later, having gotten in so late, but her internal clock hadn’t allowed it. “What are you making?”
“An afghan.”
Gram had taught them all how to knit, but Emma was the only one who’d taken to it. “Already thinking about winter?”
“It’s for a charity. They distribute blankets to homeless shelters. Plus, knitting keeps my hands busy so I don’t eat too much.”
“You always did worry about your weight.”
“When you’re five four you have to. I swear a single pound is enough to make my pants tight.”
“You look great. Men like curves, you know.”
Emma made a sound that could’ve been agreement—or not.
Maddy thought of the pregnancy test she’d found in the trash can the night before. It was likely Emma’s. Years ago she and Ethan had decided not to have children, but that could’ve changed. It seemed more likely than Nora and Jonathan deciding to start over in their forties after they’d just reached the empty nest phase.
Maddy had lain in bed until almost two thinking about it. She hadn’t yet heard Emma on the phone with Ethan. Or Nora with Jonathan for that matter, but Jonathan had always been such a workaholic.
“How’d it go at the restaurant yesterday?” Emma asked.
