An Unexpected Family

* * *

Monday morning, Rose entered the diner a little before six in the morning. The early sun shone on a quiet Main Street, making the overnight dew glisten. It was so quiet this morning, she hated to ruin it. But she had a business to run and dropped whole roasted coffee beans into the large grinder and pressed the button. She ignored the teeth-jarring sound and savored the rich smell of fresh ground coffee. Would Cam be late? He knew the diner opened at seven, but they hadn’t talked about when he should arrive.

A rap at the door startled her. Cam peered through the front door glass waiting for her to let him in. The sun hit him from behind, making the ends of his blond hair shine like gold. He wore khaki shorts and a T-shirt and a colorful bandanna over his head like a cap.

Her mouth dropped open, so she closed it quick. “You’re early.”

“Good morning to you, too. Haven’t you ever heard the early bird gets the worm? Believe it or not, I’ve always been a morning person.” He winked at her.

Rose felt her cheeks heat and looked down, spotting a brand new six-pack of tall glass tumblers in his hand. “What are those for?”

“Iced tea. I like my iced tea in real glass.” Cam headed for the kitchen like he owned the place. “Any specials today?”

Rose hadn’t thought that far. Chuck had always been the one to decide which specials to make. “You choose.”

He opened the industrial fridge and grinned. It was the same good-time smile he’d given her before. “I’ll see what you’ve got.”

Rose ignored the swirling butterflies that raucous grin produced and followed him. “There’s a load of whitefish in the freezer Chuck was supposed to do something with.”

Cam grabbed a small metal cart with shelves and loaded it up with things needed for the prep station. She’d had her doubts but this morning, Cam eased them. He definitely knew his way around a restaurant.

Rose relaxed. “Coffee’s done, would you like a cup?”

Cam didn’t even look up from the depths of the fridge. “Yeah. Light cream and sugar.”

Rose fixed them each a mug. Easy, since they drank their coffee the same way. She offered a steaming cup to Cam as he filled the prep station with the items from the cart. “Here.”

“Thanks.” He accepted it, took a sip and then looked at her. “It’s good.”

“Hey, I want to thank you for all this.”

Cam nodded. “You’re welcome.”

“You said you’ve done this before?”

He grabbed a metal mixing bowl and the muscles of his arms flexed. “From low-end to high-end, I’ve worked in a lot of restaurants. I used to wait tables at the Maple Springs Inn during my high school years. So, how do you fit into the Deans? You married Linda’s eldest son, right?”

Rose sighed. “Yes. I was married to Kurt.”

Cam looked concerned. “I read about Kurt’s death in a tour bus accident a few years ago. Then Linda—man, I’m sorry for your losses.”

Rose had lost a mother-in-law she barely knew and an ex-husband she’d rather forget. She’d lost her husband years before his death, before his career really took off, but Cam didn’t need to know all that. “Thank you.”

Cam’s intent gaze studied her. “I can fill in for Chuck until he comes back.”

“But don’t you have another job, your own business perhaps?”

Cam’s bright eyes dimmed. “Not for a little while.”

Rose scrunched her nose. What did that mean? “I’ll pay you the same rate as Chuck. He was paid pretty well, but I don’t want him back. I’ve already emailed the newspaper to run an ad for a new cook.”

He nodded as if the money didn’t matter. “That’s fine.”

Rose went to grab the new hire paperwork from a small file cabinet under the cash register stand. She hadn’t even checked him out, references and the like. What if— No, he’d proven himself capable. “If you wouldn’t mind filling out your information and the W-4, I’ll place you on the payroll effective this past Saturday.”

“Okay.” Cam took the forms and pen she offered. It didn’t take long before he handed them back.

Rose glanced over everything. Cam’s handwriting was atrocious. “So, what is it that you normally do?”

“Does it matter?”

Rose felt her stomach clench. “It might.”

Leaning against the counter, Cam folded his arms, which were already nicely browned from the sun. Those pesky muscles of his flexed again, too. “I’m a professional fisherman.”

Had she heard correctly? “As in like a charter boat or guide?”

His lips formed a grim line for only a moment, then that flirty grin returned. “As in the Bass Pro circuit. I’m heading for a qualifying tournament this upcoming weekend, so I can cook for the next few days until you find someone permanent.”

“Oh.” She wasn’t sure what that meant, but it sounded an awful lot like something her ex-husband used to say when he was between music gigs.

“It’s none of my business, but is it only you and your son working here?”

Rose nodded. “After Linda died and the diner closed for a bit, the waitress she had went to another job. I just hired a replacement. She and a busboy both start later this morning. I enrolled Greg in a summer program that goes from eleven to four. Today is his first day.”

“My church has a summer teen program. If it’s the same, Greg’s in good hands. They do a lot.”

Cam went to church? He’d prayed over their food Saturday, but it was a rote prayer. Rose narrowed her gaze. “What church do you attend?”

“The big white one at the end of Main, the other side of Center Park. Can’t miss it.”

Rose knew exactly where he meant. The structure was Christmas-card beautiful as well as a traditional denomination she didn’t belong to. Looking into Cam’s blue eyes, she wondered where he was coming from. Nobody did something this big out of the goodness of their hearts without wanting something in return.

He went to church.

Anyone could attend a church. What really mattered was where a person placed God in their lives. “Why are you doing this?”

Cam shrugged. “Let’s just say I’m trying to be a better person.”

Rose didn’t like the sound of that, either. What had he done to make him need redemption? With his looks and lazy smiles, she could only imagine. She might find Cam attractive, but she wasn’t stupid, nor would she allow herself to become interested. Rose wanted to keep the vow she’d made not to date until after Greg was grown and gone off to college. She’d be older and hopefully wiser by then.

Her husband had walked out on her and their four-year-old son. The next man she’d offered her heart to had crushed it. He’d turned out to be a fraud with no genuine interest in Greg. Her son had been only eight at the time. Old enough to have his heart trampled, too.

Soon after, they got word that Kurt had died.

Nope, Rose had been burned well enough to know not to misplace her trust ever again. Staring Cam down, she weighed her options and didn’t have any. She needed a cook and he’d offered to fill the gap, for a few days anyway. “We’ve got a deal then.”

“Yes, we do, Rose.” Cam gave her that lazy smile. “Now, I’ve got a special of the day to plan.”

“Yes, you do.” Rose watched him return to the kitchen before settling on the stool near her cash register with her tablet.

She didn’t like the way he’d spoken her name like a caress. No wait, she did like it, and that was the problem. She refused to be putty in anyone’s hands. If he expected her to fawn over him, he was wasting all that charm.

Professional fisherman. Ha!

The lines around Cam’s eyes hinted that he had to be close to her age of just over thirty, but he seemed like a big kid at heart. What kind of career could someone really have fishing? The image of Huckleberry Finn came to mind and Rose nearly giggled.

Cam was a character, all right, but men like him and her ex-husband were all too common. They didn’t want to grow up and certainly wouldn’t live up to their responsibilities. Her ex had barely paid his child support and that had been the extent of his fatherly duty. The last time Kurt had seen his own son had been after Greg had turned six. Kurt had shown up with a sorry excuse for missing their child’s birthday.

She heard the rattle of the metal cart being pushed to the prep station once again and took in the items on top. The frozen whitefish, potatoes, cabbage, raisins, almonds, lemons and sweet pickle relish.

Curious, she got up and went toward him. “What do you have in mind for today’s special?”

Cam’s blue eyes gleamed. “I have that whitefish you mentioned. I’m thinking fish and chips with a side of kicked up coleslaw.”

“Kicked up?”

He winked. “You’ll see.”

Rose ignored the flutter in her belly. “I’ve some paperwork to do before we open. Let me know if you need anything.”

“Will do.”

Rose returned to her spot by the cash register. She had a bar stool and her tablet for inputting sales into a rudimentary spreadsheet. She’d never owned a business before but keeping track of income and expenses seemed like a good start.

She caught the sound of Cam’s humming as he worked getting the two fryers heated up. It sounded familiar, but she couldn’t place the tune. Cam had a deep tone to his voice that was definitely distracting. She’d get nothing done if she didn’t stop noticing every little thing about him.

“There’s a radio on the shelf, if you need music. I usually play the country station.” It’s the music she’d been around most of her adult life. The radio wouldn’t pull at her like Cam.

“Maybe later.” He continued to hum.

She couldn’t stand it. The familiarity of the song remained out of reach over the sounds of metal spoon scraping metal mixing bowl. “What’s that you’re humming?”

He shrugged. “I don’t know the name, but I heard it on the Christian radio station, about the Cross.”

“As in Calvary?”

He looked confused. “As in Crucifixion.”

Rose nodded. Her church lingo might be different than his, but he seemed to be a genuine believer. Concentrating on entering the previous day’s receipts, she didn’t notice Cam’s approach until she sensed him standing beside her.

“Try this.” He held out a forkful of creamy, golden-colored coleslaw toward her.

She went for the fork, but he pulled away slightly with a teasing look in his eye. “I’ve got it, just take a bite.”

Rose wished he’d back up a little. Standing this close, she could smell him, and Cam smelled nice. Over the tangy coleslaw, Rose detected a crisp, clean lemony scent that tempted her to inhale far deeper than she should. She looked at the forkful and then up into his eyes.

Big mistake. He had that flirty, good-time smile going again.

She tasted the slaw. Very creamy and sweet with a hint of something she couldn’t name—“Is that curry?”

He nodded. “Very good and yes, it is. I prefer dates, but raisins work well in a pinch.”

Rose smiled at him—a little stunned, a little thrown off guard and a whole lot grateful. Cam might be the best cook this diner had ever seen. “That’s really good.”

“I know. Want me to get the door?”

Rose checked her watch. Five minutes to seven. She slid off her stool, grabbed her checkered apron and headed for the front. “I got it. You do your thing.” Then she stopped and turned. “Cam?”

“Yeah?” Wearing that silly bandanna, he looked like a rescuing swashbuckler off the pages of one of her childhood books. No black patch, but his longish blond hair with ends that tended to curl and those piercing blue eyes nailed the descriptive. He might wield a spoon instead of a gleaming sword, but he’d saved her from a big headache. He’d saved the diner, too.

She needed to get those fairy-tale images out of her head and fast before they swept her away. “Thank you.”

He gave her a pleased smile. “You’re welcome, Rose.”

She grit her teeth at the sound of her name on his lips and headed for the front door. The man knew how to make her head spin. Heart pounding, Rose kicked herself as a fool.

Why did she do this? Why did she always cast a man who showed a speck of interest in helping her into the knight-in-shining armor role? She had learned the hard way that every one of her past knights had proven themselves tarnished and lacking in honor.

She’d inherited a diner and although she’d been in the foodservice business for years, ownership scared her. Cam’s charm scared her, too. Men like Cam couldn’t be trusted and Rose needed to keep that at the forefront of her mind. His employment was temporary. Everything about Cam screamed temporary and irresponsible.

A man better left alone.

Chapter Three

By 2:05, the diner was empty save for her, Cam and Jess, the pretty new waitress who had started this morning, along with the new busboy named Chris.

Rose locked the front door and flipped over her sign. “Phew, busy day.”

“I’ve seen worse.” Jess grinned. She’d held her own today.

Rose smiled back. The girl was nice, cheeky but respectful, even toward Cam. Especially toward Cam. “You did well today. Thanks for your help.”

Jess lifted her wad of tip money. “Not bad for a Monday. I can’t wait to see what the weekend brings.”

“Not bad at all.” Rose had never seen so many receipts skewered onto the check spindle by the cash register.

The two of them had quickly turned over tables, keeping the busboy busy. Chris clanged around in the kitchen, loading dishes in racks that rolled through an industrial dishwasher. The kid had done a good job today, too. Rose had him only through the summer until he returned to high school in the fall.

Rose itched to get at those financials, but that would have to keep until after cleanup.

“I’ll see you tomorrow.” Jess waved and then yelled out to Cam, who was busy breaking down his prep station.

“See ya, kid.”

Rose chuckled as she headed for the kitchen. Cam didn’t flirt with Jess. He’d joked around, but that was it. No good-time smiles and a good thing, too. Jess wasn’t yet out of her teens.

Rose had been only eighteen when she’d met a twenty-five-year-old Kurt Dean. He’d swept her away with his artistic dreams and careless good looks. Kurt hadn’t been old by any means, but certainly old enough to know better than to fill a young girl’s head with promises he never intended to keep.

“Need help in here?” Cam’s voice sounded close behind her.

She’d been standing in the entryway lost in thought and didn’t hear his approach. Rose could feel his warmth behind her and quickly stepped away. “Chris has it under control, but thank you.”

“Any word on a cook?”

Rose shook her head. She’d placed the advertisement only this morning. “No. Nothing yet.”

A slow smile spread across his handsome face. “I’ll help you interview if you get any hits this week.”

“Thanks. That’d be great.” Rose carried her bucket of soapy bleach water with her to wipe down the tables and chairs.

Cam was a good diner cook. He’d waited on folks seated at the counter while she and Jess had been busy. Where would she find his equal let alone a replacement by the week’s end?

It was nearly two thirty when they’d finished cleaning up and Chris clocked out. Rose turned toward Cam. They had an hour and a half before Greg came home. “I’ll grab those financials.”

“Sure. I’ll be in the dining area.” Cam nodded.

Rose scurried up the stairs to the roasting apartment above the diner. It might not be the ideal living situation, with only one small bedroom that she’d given to Greg, but it had come with the building she’d inherited along with the business. She was determined to make do until she knew what kind of income to expect after a year or so.

When she returned to the coolness of the air-conditioned diner, even with the lights off, there was plenty of sunlight streaming in through the plate glass window facing Main. Before Rose joined Cam at the table in the sunniest spot, she asked, “Want something to drink?”

“No.” Cam pulled off the bandanna and finger combed his mop of thick blond hair. “Look, Rose, I’m no accountant. I can only tell you what I see.”

“I understand.” He’d already gone above and beyond and was even now, off the clock helping her. “Whatever you teach me will be a big help and much appreciated.”

“Yeah? How much?” He grinned at her, teasing. It wasn’t the good-time look he’d first given her, but softer. More like the kind of smile a kid might follow up with What will you give me?

Rose laughed.

“I see you’re not taking me seriously.” Cam pulled the manila envelope close and emptied the contents, then he winked at her.

She ignored the erratic dance of her pulse and watched as he spread the stack of paperwork out and thumbed through the pages. Her heart sank when he didn’t say anything for quite some time. “Well?”

Cam leaned back and sighed. “The Grille has made a profit each of these three years, but the most recent one saw a slight increase.”

“And the bad news?”

Cam shrugged. “There isn’t any that I can see.”

Rose pulled the paperwork closer and zeroed in on the first page and a line called Ordinary Business Income. “It sure doesn’t look like that big a profit.”

“That’s not the whole picture.” Cam flipped further into the packet and pointed. “This schedule is pretty much a balance sheet. There’s no paper losses or depreciation deductions here. This shows real dollars. Cash at the beginning of the year, cash at the end, and how that cash is used. These payments by the business are more than likely rent paid to Linda.”

“But it was all hers. Why pay rent to herself?”

Cam chuckled. “In a nutshell, The Grille paid Linda rent to help decrease its taxable income.”

“Oh.” Amazed, Rose stared at him. “How come you know so much about this stuff if you’re a fisherman?”

He looked surprised, as if he wasn’t used to such a compliment. “Even though I have my taxes done, I still review both my personal and business returns to make sure they’re correct. I keep track of my income and expenses throughout the year and always have.”

“Smart.” Rose nodded. Considering the scope of not only owning the diner, but the building, too, she needed to hire an accountant and soon. “So, based on what you see, am I sitting on a gold mine?”

“Not quite, but I think you inherited a good business and, with the right people, you can increase profits.”

He was one of those right people. He not only made super-tasty food, but he was good with the customers. He welcomed the volume instead of cursing it like Chuck had. Having grown up here, Cam knew everybody and greeted them by name. The dining patrons loved seeing Cam at the grill, too.

“You’d really help me interview cooks?”

He gave her a slow smile. “And transition them, if I can.”

“But you’re only here for a few more days.”

“I won’t leave you hanging, Rose.”

She searched his gaze, wanting to believe him, not knowing how he could possibly deliver when he was leaving at the end of the week.

He pointed at the bottom of the first page, bringing her attention back to the books. “Based on profits, you can certainly afford to hire an accountant. This is the firm Linda used and as far as I know, they’re good.”

Rose hadn’t paid herself a salary other than her tips because she’d been afraid of the immediate bills, including the cook’s payroll, eating up profits and the modest business checking account she’d also inherited. She’d deposited all cash receipts until she figured out a budget.

“So, what do you think the Deans are after? I can’t see them running this diner.”

“No. I can’t, either,” Cam agreed. “Maybe the building? Rents are high on Main Street.”

“Show me more.” Rose scooted her chair closer to make it easier to see the pages. Staring at those pages, she hoped they’d uncover the motive for the Deans’ threat.

Maybe then she’d know how to stop them.

* * *

Sitting this close to Rose, Cam detected a delicate fragrance. Underneath the cloying aroma of French fries and bacon grease that clung to both of them, he inhaled her soft scent. Leaning closer, he breathed deep.

She was dangerously sweet.

He appreciated the way her short hair swirled to a point at the back of her slender neck. His fingers itched to trace that hairline and see if her skin felt as soft as it looked.

Rose leaned back. “Okay, so you were saying?”

What was he saying? “Ummm, yeah.”

“Earth to Cam.” She laughed, having no clue that he’d been checking her out.

He rubbed the bridge of his nose.

Rose immediately looked repentant. “I’m sorry, it’s been a long day and you’re tired. We can do this another time.”

He didn’t dare meet her eyes. He wasn’t that tired. “It’s fine. Let’s see. The balance sheet—”

Rose scooped up the paperwork and stuffed it in the envelope. “Nope, this is too much for today.”

He glanced at the clock reading 3:15. They’d been going over figures for nearly an hour. “How about we get some fresh air? We can walk to the beach and meet your son before the program lets out and see how he likes it. On a hot day like this, they’re probably there.”

“And if they’re not?” Rose looked like she relished the idea but wasn’t so sure of walking there with him.

“Leave a note for Greg that we’ll be back.”

She stared at him a moment longer and then agreed. “Okay, let me grab my keys.”

The public beach wasn’t far, only a couple short blocks across the street from the diner. Cam walked beside a quiet Rose. Outside the diner, she seemed tense and barely looked at him.

“Where’d you live before here?” Cam asked.

“Kalamazoo. It’s where my parents live.” Rose didn’t embellish. She was all business, as if this wasn’t a social outing.

Cam wanted to know more about her. He’d meant what he’d said about not leaving her hanging. He didn’t know how he’d manage that, but it would come to him. “How do you like it here?”

“So far so good.”

“It’s still new.” Cam chuckled. “But take a look at that lake and name a better view if you can.”

Maple Bay shone turquoise near the shoreline until it blurred into a band of deep blue that touched a sunny, cloudless sky. A couple small yachts were anchored offshore.

“Beautiful, although I prefer the simple sailboats ambling in the bay instead of those big yachts.”

“Crazy, isn’t it? A small town like this draws people from all over in summer. Some of these yachts come from Florida, up the coast then through the lock system in New York and the Great Lakes.”

“Crazy.”

They slipped back into silence.

Cam searched the park and zeroed in on the far corner of the sand beach beyond the bathhouse. “The youth group is over there, playing volleyball.”

“There’s Greg.” Rose pointed. “Can we sit here for a little bit? I don’t want to interrupt the game and seem like I’m checking up on him. Even though I am.”

“Sure.” He waited for Rose to perch near the edge of the park bench before he sat down with plenty of room between them.

Rose turned to him, looking wary. “Why are you helping me?”

He looked out over the water and figured he’d be up-front with her. “Would you believe that I made a deal with God? I promised to be a better person if He’d give me back my livelihood.”

“Give it back?”

“I lost my sponsors last year after I tanked at a big tournament.” Not quite all of the truth, but enough. Cam continued, “My placements had been low for a while, and so this year I’m pretty much starting over and paying my own way. This weekend’s tournament is one of three held over the next three months. I have to fish each one and end in the top five to qualify for next year’s circuit. If I do well, I have a good chance of securing new sponsors who’ll help fund next year and so on.”

Her eyes wide, she asked, “And if you don’t do well?”

“Not an option.” Cam would redeem his career however long it took, even if it was the last thing he ever did.