“That’s good. In the meantime, you can continue going to Lot 28 to hone your skills, maybe pick up a few more hours if you’re up to it,” Nikki suggested.
“That’s what Paul said back at the restaurant.”
Amy’s response caught Nikki by surprise. “You saw Paul?”
“Yeah, he was there today going over the menu with the head chef, and then he had lunch with Aaron,” Amy explained.
“Sarah’s fiancé?” she asked.
Amy nodded.
“Okay…and you told him about your acceptance letter?”
“Yeah, I told him. Is that a problem?” Amy asked, her brows furrowed in concern.
“No. No. That’s okay. I’m really glad he’s in your corner,” Nikki replied with a smile that didn’t quite reach her eyes.
She didn’t know why she felt so put out by her niece sharing the news with Paul before her, but it felt different from the way she’d felt all the other times when it felt like Amy related more to him than she did to her. Her thoughts flashed to his apology a few days ago and him expressing that he cherished her as a friend. Again, she couldn’t quite figure out why she had been disappointed by his declaration. She didn’t even want to examine it, fearing she wouldn’t like the answer.
“Amy, sweetheart, how are you?” Kaylyn, who’d just walked down the stairs, greeted the young woman.
“I got into culinary school,” Amy informed her, waving the envelope.
“Oh, that’s wonderful,” Kaylyn expressed, bringing Amy into a tight hug as she congratulated her.
“Let me get in on this action,” Nikki said, opening her arms wide enough to cover the two women in her own embrace. They all bubbled with laughter and joy at the great news.
The day before the fundraising
“Could you check on the cupcakes, please?” Amy called out to her aunt as she flitted around the kitchen. They were baking in preparation for the fundraiser.
Nikki walked over to the oven and gingerly lowered the door to check on the cupcakes like Amy asked. “They look okay. They’ll definitely be ready the second the timer goes off,” she informed her niece as she straightened up. The whole kitchen had been transformed into a bakery. There wasn’t a surface that didn’t have trays of cookies, brownies, cupcakes, and pies. The sweet smell of the freshly baked confections filled the whole house with their savory scent.
“Great,” Amy replied, relaxing as she creamed the sugar and butter to make the icing she would use to decorate the cupcakes.
Nikki smiled as she watched her niece. She would make an excellent pastry chef. “I'm going by the restaurant to see how they’re doing.”
“Okay,” Amy replied.
Nikki walked out of the kitchen and headed for the front door. She breathed out a sigh of satisfaction when the cool night air washed over her warm skin. It had been exceptionally hot working in the kitchen with Amy but very much worth it.Amy was in her element, doing what she loved, and Nikki was proud of her. It was just a pity she had to go through all the trauma she had to arrive at this moment. Brushing the troublesome thought away, she made her way down the porch steps and walked along the walkway lit by the diffused light from the solar lamps lining both sides. She went past the inn and then turned at the wooden arrow pointing at the restaurant. She pushed the glass door open to enter the restaurant. It had been closed early so that the workers who'd volunteered to stay back and help prepare the food for the event the next day had enough time to do so.
"Good evening, ladies," Nikki greeted the two waitstaff in the main dining area, removing the tablecloths from the tables and wiping them down.
"Good evening, Miss Nikki," they greeted back with smiles of their own. "Chef Ryan and the others are in the kitchen," one of them informed her.
"Thank you, and keep up the good work," she threw back at them as she headed for the kitchen. The women beamed with pride.
Like back at the house, there was a flurry of activities—the chef and his team mixing, chopping, stirring, and tasting the food they were preparing.
Upon seeing her, Chef Ryan, who'd been talking to one of the cooks, came walking over to her and smiled.
"Everything looks and smells great," Nikki said in greeting. "Thank you so much for doing this, Ryan. I appreciate it, and I know Trish will appreciate it too," she spoke in a hopeful tone.
"Are you kidding me? We're all happy to do this. We've all been wondering what we can do to help. We love Trish. She's family to all of us. Plus, this fundraiser is a great way to honor her, and we're all on board with it," Ryan said with a reassuring smile.
Nikki smiled gratefully. Trish really had a dream team to work with. The way they all loved and respected her spoke to the good heart she knew Trish had all along. After going over the menu for the event, Nikki took her leave and headed for the main house.
Just as she opened the front door and was about to step inside, the headlights of a car easing into the driveway caught her attention. She recognized that it was Paul’s car, and her heartbeat multiplied.He stepped out of the vehicle wearing a V-neck T-shirt and cargo shorts and looking unnaturally handsome with his tousled dark brown hair and a few strands falling over his forehead. Her heart rate skyrocketed.
