That didn’t mean anything, right?
“Do you try to find ways to brush her hand?” Dani put in.
Once or twice, but those were accidents.
“Do you find yourself wondering ‘what would Ava think?’” Back to Ollie that time.
“Do you get sweaty palms when you think about her?”
“Does your heart race?”
They were going so fast now, Zach didn’t even bother to reply.
“Or skip a beat?”
“Would you rather be with her than with anyone else?” At Eliza’s quiet question, they all fell silent and looked at him.
“Ha ha, guys.” Zach ran his hands down his pant legs. “Of course I have sweaty palms and a racing heart. You’re giving me the third degree.”
“Shakespeare would say you doth protest too much.” Ollie punched his shoulder, then smiled down at Eliza. “I tried denying it too, but Eliza won me over in the end. I know you two have a rocky history, but it’s obvious you like her. Life’s too short to hold grudges.”
Enough of this. “Did you come over here just to make fun of me, or did you have something else in mind?”
“Making fun of my big brother is always a positive bonus, but yes, I did have something else.” Ollie turned to Dani. “Can I ask you a few questions?” The two of them moved away a couple of steps.
“Ollie likes having you around,” Eliza said.
“He just likes to have someone to tease.”
“That too. But for real. Your family loves you.” Her face brightened in a wide smile, and then she stepped away to grab Ollie’s arm. “All set, Ollie?” They walked away.
“Now, where were we?” Dani glanced at her watch. “I only have a couple more minutes before I need to go.”
“It’s fine. You’ve teased me and put me in my place. Feel free to go.”
“I did have one other thing to talk to you about. I can spare another minute.” Dani clutched her clipboard to her chest. “I wasn’t going to ask until later, but then I thought you might want to have time to think about it.”
“Think about what?”
“I need a chef for the restaurant at the Grand.”
His heart rate picked up. Was she?—
“I know you don’t want to do it, you’ve turned me down before. I won’t ask you again. But do you know anyone I could ask?” Dani rushed on. “I’ve been having a hard time finding anyone willing to move on island for the rate the hotel can pay them. They all say that with tourism being too slow, they can’t trust that the restaurant will even last.”
His heart stilled. He had told her no a few months ago. But now…“Someone would be lucky to run that place. It used to be the best place to eat on island.”
“I know! We even had island people as regulars, not just tourists. I’d love for it to be restored to that, now that the hotel is almost back to normal.”
“I have so many happy memories there. Like the time Kate and I made Mom that cake for her birthday.”
Dani laughed. “I didn’t know there was that much flour in the world. You guys made a royal mess.” She paused. “Really good cake, though.”
He smiled. “Worth it. But wait. Shouldn’t James be the one to hire hotel staff?” Dani had finally convinced their older brother to move home and manage the hotel. “That doesn’t seem like it would be up to you.”
Dani brushed a hair out of her eye again. “I know it’s not totally my job, but I just feel so responsible to make everything run smoothly. The Grand wouldn’t even need a chef if it weren’t for the revitalization efforts. It would still be a burned-out husk. I want to see every aspect of it succeed. We all need to work together to make Jonathon Island amazing again. I’d like to have some good options to present to James and his assistant, Josh. And soon. Everyone I’ve tried to recruit hasn’t worked out.”
Someone to run the restaurant at the Grand? Only the job he’d dreamed about for years when he was younger. But he had new dreams now, right? Between Chefs Anne and Paul, he hoped to land a major position. Plus, Dani wasn’t asking him to do it, merely to suggest someone who could.
