CHAPTER THREE
Maggie looked up from her grater when Harper entered the kitchen.
“What are you making?” her sister asked.
“Fennel cakes. I mix up the grated fennel with some bread crumbs and cheese, fry them in oil and then top with a bit of sour cream and smoked salmon. I’m trying to put together a repertoire of appetizers for some of the events we’ve got coming up. I thought I’d try them out on the family at dinner tonight.”
Harper made a face. “Isn’t fennel the stuff that tastes like licorice? I hate licorice.”
“Give it a chance, will you? The bulb doesn’t taste like licorice at all once it’s cooked. It’s light and bright, like a little bit of spring. Exactly what we need on a November day.”
“Okay, I’ll try it, but I won’t promise I’ll like it.” Harper leaned her hip against the stainless-steel counter. “You know we’ve been trying to recruit a full-time hotel and restaurant manager, but nobody is willing to move to the wilds of Minnesota to take a chance on us.”
“Yes, I know.” They hadn’t been able to find a head chef either.
“We talked to the owner of the hotel where Luke works. He’s not happy about losing him, even temporarily, but he understands his reasons for coming home. He’s says he’s a hard worker, manages staff well and really understands the industry. He wants him to come back to California as soon as he can.”
Maggie stirred Parmesan cheese and panko bread crumbs into the grated fennel. She couldn’t look at her sister. “You mean as soon as Abby dies.”
Harper sighed. “Yeah. I’m sorry, Maggie. I know how close you were to her as a kid. I really wish you’d visit her. She’s been asking for you, and I know you’ll be sorry if you don’t go. I’ll come with you if you want me to.”
Her reasons for avoiding Abby now seemed childish and petty. “I want to see her, too. I might take you up on your offer, but I’m not sure what to say to her.”
“All we can say is that we love her.”
Tears welled up in Maggie’s eyes, obscuring her vision. She blindly stirred the fennel mixture and blinked them back. She did love Abby. Like a mother.
“So, are you okay with us hiring Luke? Grampa Bill wouldn’t tell me the whole story, but he hinted the two of you had gotten pretty close the summer I was away working in the city. He made it sound like he didn’t approve.”
“He didn’t. Neither did Grandma.” Maggie pushed back the tears and turned to face her sister. “Luke worked at the lodge that summer, mowing grass and tending the flower beds. I had a serious crush on him, my first ever. He was good-looking and nice and funny, and I fell head over heels. But he was eighteen and on the verge of leaving home, and I was fourteen. Grandma and Grampa didn’t have to worry, though, because Luke didn’t think of me as girlfriend material. More like little sister material.”
Not the whole truth, but all she was willing to share. She really believed, even now, that she and Luke had had something special. But he used her, just as her grandparents had said.
Harper smoothed Maggie’s hair. “I’m sorry you got your heart broken.”
“I survived. And I grew up. Luke is an old friend, that’s all. I’ll have no problem working with him. In fact, I’m looking forward to it.”
She hoped she was telling the truth. Even as she said the words, the anger that had been simmering in her chest since Luke’s arrival made her clench her fists.
“I’m glad to hear it.” Harper sounded relieved. “At least we’re able to help Luke. I wish we could have him here indefinitely, but since that isn’t in the cards, you and I and Ethan will need to absorb as much knowledge as we can from him while he’s here. I’m hoping the restaurant and hotel will be running like a well-oiled machine by the time he leaves, and we’ll be able to manage everything ourselves.”
“We can do it.”
“I think so, too. Ethan is smart and hard working, and he’s got so many great ideas for the lodge. And I love the recipes you’ve developed for the restaurant so far, though I’m reserving judgement on the licorice-flavored appetizers.”
Maggie laughed. “Have a little faith, will you?”
“I have all kinds of faith in you. That’s why Ethan and I want you to be our executive chef. We want you to permanently head up the lodge’s kitchen.”
The laughter died in Maggie’s throat. “I don’t have enough experience to be executive chef.”
“Perhaps you lack experience, but you certainly don’t lack talent. I’m confident you’ve got what it takes to make our restaurant a success.”
Panic swirled in her gut. “Harper, the restaurant is too important to leave in the hands of an inexperienced chef.”
“You set up our kitchen, didn’t you? Ordered the equipment and everything the restaurant needs, right?”
“Yeah, but—”
“How many new recipes have you developed for the restaurant?”
“About thirty,” Maggie said reluctantly. “I was trying to get things ready for the head chef. They’ll probably want to put together their own menus, though.”
Harper ignored her. “And you’ve spoken to suppliers to ensure we can get a lot of fresh local ingredients.”
“Well yeah, but—”
“But nothing. You’ve done everything an executive chef needs to do except to actually accept the position.” Harper looked directly into her eyes. “I’m not gonna lie, Maggie. Ethan was very reluctant at first to make you head chef. But over the past few months, he’s seen how hard you’ve worked, and he loves your food. He agrees with me that you’re the best person for the job. Even if we could find someone with more experience who was willing to take a chance on us, no one else will have the same connection to the lodge as you. No other chef will want it to succeed as much as you.”
Maggie massaged the spot between her brows where a headache was beginning to form. Harper was right. No other chef wanted the lodge to succeed more than she did. But almost every other chef in the world had more self confidence.
Harper laid her hand on Maggie’s shoulder. “I don’t mean to put pressure on you, but Ethan’s been advertising for an executive chef since June without any success. We’ve interviewed a couple of people, but the only training one candidate had was working in a fast-food restaurant. And when we googled the other candidate, we found out he’d been in jail for fraud.”
She hadn’t thought it would be so difficult to find a chef willing to take over the kitchen. But the lodge was some distance from Minneapolis and totally unproven. No chefs were willing to put their reputations on the line.
“With Luke joining the team, Ethan and I think we need to make firm decisions about our staff. You’ve come through for us every step of the way, Maggie. For my wedding, for the wedding we hosted here last month on short notice, and with everything you’ve done to prepare the kitchen. We wouldn’t ask you to head up the kitchen if we didn’t think you could handle it. We know you can do this, and we’ll support you all the way.”
Maggie stared into her sister’s eyes. She was truly grateful for the confidence she had in her. She owed everything to Harper, and to Ethan. Before they’d called her home, she’d been on the brink of financial disaster.
She squared her shoulders. Step up, Maggie. “If you need me to be executive chef, then that’s what I’ll be.” She ignored the little voice in her head that screamed in terror at her words.
Harper beamed at her and squeezed her shoulder. “That’s such good news, Maggie. I promise you, you won’t regret it. You’re going to be brilliant.”
Brilliant? She’d settle for “didn’t screw up too badly.”
“I hope you don’t regret it.”
“Never. I want to tell Ethan the good news. I’ll let you get back at it.”
“See you at dinner, Harper. About an hour.”
Maggie turned her attention back to her fennel cakes as she dropped spoonfuls of the mixture into the heated frying pan and flattened them with the back of her spatula. Since fennel blubs weren’t readily available in Minnesota year-round, her plan was to develop a similar recipe using grated potato or zucchini for the pancake and smoked walleye for the topping.
Her stomach did an anxious somersault. Would Luke have faith in her cooking?
He’d probably worked with chefs far more experienced, and likely more talented. She’d wanted to be a chef since she was that fourteen-year-old girl who fell in love with an eighteen-year-old boy one summer. Luke had encouraged her dreams, had told her she could do whatever she set her mind to do.
Would he still feel that way?
Dread settled in her gut. She was no longer the girl who thought she could do anything. Life had disabused her of that notion. If she blew her chance as head chef at the lodge, she had no place else to go.
The next morning, Luke parked his rental car in front of the lodge and let it idle a few minutes before getting out. Much about the old lodge looked the same, but so much was different, including a whole new wing of rooms stretching out on the right-hand side of the building. To the left of lodge, the conference and event center was being built. The two-story structure was hip-roofed and clad in a barn-board siding that made it look as if it had been there for a hundred years. The guest wing addition was built of logs and made to look and feel as if it had been part of the original structure. He wondered what old Bill Swenson would think of the changes. This place had been his pride and joy.
A wave of bitterness washed over him at the thought of the old man. He couldn’t blame him for protecting his granddaughter. No, Luke had no one to blame but himself for hurting Maggie.
He pushed aside old resentments and turned off the ignition. Since he was staying in Minnewasta for the next few months, he’d need to get his own vehicle, preferably something used and cheap. He had a car and a condo back home in Napa to make payments on, and money was tight. He’d talked to Ethan Hainstock the previous evening and had accepted the contract offered. A very fair offer, considering his position was only temporary. He hoped he could make it all work financially so he could be here for his mother.
Thinking of the reason he’d returned to Minnesota put a lump in his throat. He couldn’t fail her.
Harper was in the front entry to greet him as he stepped into the lodge. She reached out her hand to him. “It’s good to see you again. I can’t tell you how pleased we are to have an old friend working with us.”
Luke grasped her hand, feeling immediately more at ease. “I want to thank you for hiring me on such short notice. It wouldn’t be possible for me to stay in Minnewasta if I didn’t have work.”
“I’m grateful you’re here. But I’m sorry about the reason you had to come home.”
The lump was back in his throat. “Yeah. Me too.”
Harper squeezed his hand before letting it go. “We’ve arranged a meeting of the whole family this morning to introduce you to everyone and get you up to speed on where we’re at in construction and renovation.”
“Sounds good.”
He followed her into the dining room, which remained much the same as he remembered. The only difference was that the windows overlooking the lake now included three sets of French doors that led out to a large deck. Guests could enjoy a meal or a drink outdoors in good weather. Luke give them an A plus for that innovation.
He noted the new tables and chairs in the dining room that were modern while still retaining a rustic vibe. Also a good addition.
Four people sat at one of the dining tables, including his stepfather Reese. Maggie was on her feet, refilling everyone’s coffee cups. Ethan sat next to a man with dark hair and eyes much like his own. Beside him was Scarlet Lindquist. He hadn’t seen her in years, but he remembered her from high school though she’d been two grades ahead of him.
Harper started the introductions. “Of course, you know Reese. He’s been our general contractor on the renovations to the lodge and the new additions. You met my husband Ethan yesterday. Beside him is his brother, Cameron Hainstock. Cam designed and built eight new luxury cottages where the old ones used to be. Two are completely finished, and the interiors of the other six should be done by late spring.”
Cam Hainstock rose and offered his hand. “Pleased to meet you.”
“I’m glad to meet you, too. Maybe you can show me the cottages later today.”
“I’d be happy to.”
“You know my sisters,” Harper said. “Maggie is our executive chef, and Scarlet heads up our marketing efforts.”
He grinned at Maggie. “I always knew you’d make your dream of being a chef come true.”
She didn’t smile back. “Well, you know. Family connections.”
Her comment stunned him. She made it sound as if she only got the job because of family nepotism. The Maggie he’d known was fiercely proud and confident in her abilities.
Harper didn’t let the remark pass unchallenged. “Hardly. We’re lucky to have you.”
He extended his hand to Scarlet. “Nice to see you again. It’s been a long time.”
She shook his hand and smiled. “It has. It must be at least twelve years. It’s good to see you again, too, Luke.”
Harper sat down at the table and Luke took the seat next to her. Maggie poured coffee for them before sitting across the table.
“I thought we’d give Luke the Reader’s Digest version of what’s been going on here the last few months,” Harper began. “As you’ve probably guessed, my sisters and I inherited the lodge from our grandparents. Unfortunately, the building was in disrepair and business had fallen off to the point where we either had to modernize or sell the property.”
“I was all for selling,” Scarlet said. “Without telling us, Harper started looking for investors. That’s where Ethan came in.”
Ethan picked up the story. “I came into some money a few years ago after winning a lottery. I was looking for investment opportunities when I ran across Harper’s ad looking for investors for the lodge.”
“Except Ethan didn’t mention that he owned Hainstock Investments. He told Harper his name was Ethan James and he was an employee of the company,” Scarlet said.
Ethan lifted his hands in surrender. “Hey, I was only trying to protect myself. I had some bad experiences in the past. I can never quite be sure how someone is going to treat me once they find out about the money.” He smiled at his wife. “So anyway, I came out to Solace Lake and was immediately smitten. And I liked the lodge, too.”
Harper returned his smile. “So long story short, Ethan came on board and the renovation process started.”
“And Maggie and I forgave Ethan for lying,” Scarlet winked at her brother-in-law. “Eventually.”
He winked back at her. “I think I’ve redeemed myself. I introduced you to my brother, didn’t I?”
Scarlet turned to Cam with an expression that lit her face. “All is forgiven, Ethan.” Cam lifted her hand and kissed her palm.
“Getting back to the renovation,” Harper said with a smile. “We hired Reese to do the renovations on the lodge and Cam to build the cottages. Reese, why don’t you tell Luke what you’ve done? I know you want to get home to Abby shortly.”
Reese cleared his throat and looked at Luke with sorrowful eyes. “Yes, I do. First, I want to tell you how much it means to your mother that you’ve come home. It means a lot to me, too.”
Luke nodded, unable to speak. Everyone else at the table went quiet.
Reese cleared his throat once again and began to speak, all business this time. “The work on the lodge has been extensive. New roof, new plumbing, new electrical, new commercial kitchen. We lifted the whole structure and fixed the caving foundation by putting in a whole new basement. A geo-thermal heat system was installed, and we’re giving all the bedrooms upstairs ensuite bathrooms. I’m sure you’ve noticed the new deck and the new wing of hotel rooms?”
“Yeah. Looks like you’ve been busy. What’s left to do?”
“We’re finishing the renovations to the upstairs bedrooms and bathrooms right now. The conference center that we’re building for weddings, conventions and things like that is completely unfinished on the inside, including the owners’ apartment upstairs on the second floor. We’re mostly finished the new guest wing, only the last few rooms to complete. In the spring, there’ll be quite a bit of landscaping to do, including repaving the parking lot. Ethan is supervising the completion of the renovation and my brother Glenn is heading up my crew. I want to spend as much time as I can with Abby.” He got to his feet. “I’m going to take off now, if that’s all right with you, Harper.”
“Of course. We’ll talk to Glenn if we have any questions.”
“You know how to reach me if you need me.” He laid his hand on Luke’s shoulder as he walked by. “I’ll see you later, son.”
“You will. Thanks, Reese.”
Ethan walked Reese to the door. Harper resumed her summary. “Last month, we hosted our first wedding. It went pretty well considering we were mostly under construction.”
Scarlet jumped in. “I got a call from a bride in distress. The venue for her wedding was flooded and she couldn’t find anywhere else to have it. We all pulled together to make it happen. Cameron finished two of the cottages so we could put some of the guests there, and Reese’s crew finished the kitchen and most of the rooms in the new wing. Maggie created a fabulous dinner, and Harper and Ethan made sure all the rooms were equipped and our guests were comfortable.”
Ethan returned and sat beside Harper once more. “It was crazy, but I’m proud we were able to pull it off.”
Scarlet nodded. “It definitely was crazy, but the bride was happy. I’m sure our next event is going to be even better. We have a couple of small weddings booked in early spring that we’ll host here in the dining room, and one outdoor wedding in late May.”
Cam kissed Scarlet’s hand once more. “Aren’t you forgetting something? Like our wedding?”
She laughed. “Of course I’m not forgetting. I was talking about paying customers.”
“Our wedding will be small, mostly family and a few good friends. We’re having it here in December,” Cam told him.
“Congratulations.” Luke stole a glance at Maggie, who smiled at her future brother-in-law. “Your wedding will be a good test run for the lodge. We’ll have a chance to see if everything is working properly. Do you have a reservation system in place?”
“No, nothing,” Harper said. “Back in the day, I took reservations over the phone and wrote them by hand onto a calendar. I’m hoping you can help me set up all those modern details.”
“Of course. That’s why I’m here.”
She nodded in relief. “I’m so glad.”
“How long before the renovations on the lodge are completely done?”
“Reese figured the rooms upstairs should be completed mid-January. Then we have to get the rooms ready with furnishings, so maybe the beginning of February. The event center won’t be ready until late summer.”
“What about the cottages, Cam? Will they all be ready by February?”
“We could get another two, or possibly three cottages ready by then. Why? What do you have in mind?”
“Well, it occurs to me that even though all of you have been working very hard to reopen the lodge, your target audience may not know you exist. I think if we host a well-advertised grand opening event, we could get the word out and generate some excitement. We’d want to do it mid to late winter, so we can get bookings for the spring and summer.”
“That’s a great idea,” Scarlet said, leaning forward in her chair. “It’s exactly what we need. Like I said, I’ve got a couple of weddings booked for the spring, but we’re not going to survive unless we have a full house year-round.”
“If we have a grand opening in February, it will give us a chance to try out different winter activities and see what’s most popular,” Ethan said.
“I think it’s a fabulous idea,” Harper said. “The reopening of Solace Lake Lodge is not only a big deal for us, but for our community as well. We should be celebrating.”
Luke turned to Maggie, who’d said little since he arrived. “What do you think, Maggie?”
“A grand opening sounds like a nice idea.”
He waited a beat for her to continue. She didn’t. “I have a feeling there’s a but attached to that statement. Come on, Mags. Tell me what you really think.”
Her eyes flashed in annoyance at the use of one of his old nicknames for her. “I think it’s all well and good to have a splashy grand opening but if we’re not well prepared, we’ll end up looking like foolish amateurs.”
“What do you mean?” Harper asked.
“We’ve got to have staff in place, well-trained staff. We managed to cater the wedding in October with a couple of temporary staff because we kept the food simple and served buffet style. And we only offered two meals, the wedding buffet in the evening and a breakfast buffet the next morning. If we open the restaurant, at a minimum we’re going to need a sous chef for each shift plus line cooks, wait staff and bar staff.” She clasped her hands in her lap and looked down at them. “I’m sorry. I don’t mean to sound like a Debbie Downer, but I think we have to be realistic.”
“Maggie’s right,” Luke said. Maggie lifted her head and stared at him, and Luke got the impression she was surprised he’d agree with her. “The kitchen has to be prepared but so does the front desk and housekeeping. Recreational facilities need to be in place. We’ll need to start hiring right away if we’re going to make a grand opening successful. And of course, we have to make sure we have rooms ready for guests. It’s going to be a lot of hard work, so I want you to think it over carefully before you commit.”
“I don’t have to think it over,” Harper said. “This is what I’ve wanted from the beginning. I’m ready to get started.”
Ethan linked his fingers through hers. “I’m in, too.”
Scarlet nodded. “We’ve come this far and worked so hard. I say let’s take it all the way.”
“Agreed,” Cam said.
Luke turned to Maggie. Her hands were palm down on top of the table, her body tensely coiled as if she were getting ready to jump up and run. “Maggie, what about you? Are you ready to take the lodge to the next step?”
She glanced up at him, and something that looked like fear flashed briefly in her eyes, surprising him once again. The Maggie he’d known wasn’t afraid of anything. He wondered what had happened in the years they’d been apart to cause her to lose her fierce determination.
After expelling a breath, she lifted her chin in an almost defiant gesture and he caught a glimpse of the old Maggie. “I’m in.”
He smiled at her. “Ladies and gentlemen, it’s official. In three and a half months, we’re going to hold the biggest and best Grand Opening Minnewasta has ever seen.”
“God help us,” Maggie murmured.