Paul laughed, and the sound bounced off the walls. Nikki couldn’t believe how good he looked still. She hadn’t seen him for so long, yet it felt like it was only the day before. “I don’t know about that. I’ll help out.”
“Seems like more to me,” Nikki said and collapsed into the chair opposite him.
He steepled his fingers under his chin and stared at her. “You look good. How have you been?”
“I can’t complain.” She smiled. “Been at theProvidence Journalsince I started working. I don’t know anything else, and you know how much I love it.”
“Don’t I?” He chuckled. “You broke up with me to chase that dream. I’m glad to see it wasn’t a phase, or I would have been upset.”
Nikki laughed. “Yeah. And what about you? You’re a chef, but then, I shouldn’t be surprised. You always loved cooking, but one Michelin star?” she said, tapping his arm playfully. “Look at you.”
“I guess we’re both very good at what we do.” He smiled.
“Trish didn’t seem to have done badly for herself either,” Nikki said as she looked around the office at the pictures of Trish and some of the townspeople at various events, community awards she’d received that were snug in the curio by the small bookshelf, and a couple of single ones of her, smiling.
Nikki picked up a picture frame from off the desk. “I’ve missed her even though I didn’t want to admit it to myself. I was just so angry all those years. I couldn’t understand why they wouldn’t just let me have the baby.” She turned to look at him. “Did she tell you any of that? About what happened back then?”
Paul shook his head. “She told me some.”
“She told you about her daughter? How she wouldn’t give her to me? And after all this time, her lawyer called me,” she said and inched closer to Paul. “I don’t understand why I was asked to be here other than to visit her. Did she tell you anything about the will?”
“A little,” he replied. “But I’ll wait until after you’ve spoken to Mr. Lynch.”
Nikki sighed. She remembered enough about Paul to know she wouldn’t get much more out of him. She would have to wait a little more, as agonizing as it was.
Nikki inhaled sharply before she plastered a smile onto her face. “So,” she asked, spreading her arms, “what do I need to know? How do I run a business?”
Paul laughed and handed her a file with the latest numbers and current guest registry.
“What do I do with these?” Nikki asked. She’d always been a journalist, so she had no idea what to do with a business. “Are you sure you don’t want to do this without me?”
“I don’t even run my own business alone.” Paul laughed.
“How come?” Nikki asked curiously.
He waved her off. “It’s nothing. I had a heart attack a couple of years ago, so I try to take it easy now. But enough about me. I’ll give you the rundown of the business, who does what, and how to conduct affairs. I’ll oversee the restaurant.”
“I’m sorry to hear that,” she said.
“It is what it is, I guess,” he said nonchalantly, but she figured he didn’t want to go into the details right then.
Nikki listened attentively while he described everything he had said earlier. She couldn’t say she understood all of it, but she was eager to do as much as she could for her sister.
“This will take some getting used to,” Nikki said when Paul closed the file and rocked back in the chair.
“You’ll get the hang of it.” He stood. “Now, how about some lunch? I doubt you’ve had anything to eat all morning, and there’s a one Michelin star dining experience next door.”
Nikki’s stomach rumbled just then in agreement, and she blushed. “You’re right. I could eat.”
“Let’s go then,” Paul said and led her back into the lobby. “Kaylyn, we’ll be out for a couple of hours.”
“That’s alright,” the woman replied.
Nikki couldn’t say she had ever gone to a restaurant with a Michelin star. She was bedazzled when she entered Lot 28, the restaurant Paul owned. The place reeked of class and stateliness, and she doubted she could have even afforded the appetizer if she had gone alone.
Even the menu cards had black and gold lace trimmings to resemble the swirling patterns on the walls. Everything displayed the same theme, even the cutlery on the tables, which stood out against the off-white table linen.
“Paul, I’m…wow,” Nikki said as she clutched her chest. “I’m at a loss for words.”
