In Over Her Head: An Anchor Island Novel by Terri Osburn (reading eggs books .TXT) 📗

…don’t make the same mistakes that I did.

Was she doing that? Lauren didn’t bounce around from man to man, but she’d left one job after another. She didn’t twist herself into a person she wasn’t to get attention, but she had suppressed every facet of her personality so as not to be noticed. Different methods, but the same result. Like her mother, she was alone.

“When did she give this to you?” Lauren asked once she was able to breathe again.

“It arrived a few days after our last phone call. She wanted to make sure I would do as she’d asked.”

“She says to thank you.”

Will smiled for the first time since they’d entered the room. “She’s most welcome, but I should be thanking her. She gave me an amazingly talented chef to run my restaurant.”

“Did you buy Pilar’s for me?”

“No. Randy and I had already put in an offer, but before your mother found me, we had no plans to revamp it. I’m glad that changed.” Reaching into the bag beside her chair, she pulled out a small satin pouch and slid it toward Lauren. “This came with the letter. She told me during that last phone call that she was sending something that had belonged to her mother. I assume this is it.”

Not sure how much more she could take, Lauren eased the pouch open and a cameo dropped onto her palm. The background was a rich mustard yellow, and the delicate and feminine silhouette looked to be cut out of ivory. There was no way to tell the age, but the bauble was well cared for and made to be worn as either a broach or on a chain.

“I’ve never seen this before.”

“I’ve seen something similar,” Will replied. “Most likely nineteenth century. It’s very valuable.”

Lauren twirled the trinket in her hand, wondering why Mom had never mentioned it. And then a realization dawned. All those years of barely getting by, working multiple jobs just so they could eat, Mom had held on to something that could have easily been pawned for a quick meal. She must have truly cherished the delicate heirloom to keep it through so much struggle.

“I’m sorry that I didn’t tell you before now,” Will said, “but she made me promise to wait. I was surprised out there when I first came in because your brother looks exactly like Uncle Brandon. Not that I doubted your mother, but if I had, seeing him would have convinced me.”

“Wait,” Lauren said. “Does this mean that we’re cousins?”

Will nodded. “It does. Welcome to the family, Lauren.”

20

Nick tossed the chicken into the garbage with a muffled curse. He’d trashed three in the last hour and was seriously considering not entering the damn Best of the Fest contest. He’d won it twice. What would it matter if he let someone else have it this year? With two days to go, he still had no idea what he was going to cook, and backing out would make his life that much easier.

“The packet for the food festival is here,” said Patty Dempsey as she stepped out of the back office. “We’ve got the layout for the tents so we can see how the diners will move through.”

The order of the tents was very important. Too close to the front and the diners were likely to forget your food by the time they tasted all of the others. Too far in the back and there was a chance their palates would be blown out before they reached you. A dish could be the best food ever, but that didn’t matter if the diner couldn’t taste it.

One spicy dish could put every vendor after out of the running.

“Did we get our regular spot?” Nick asked.

Patty slid reading glasses onto her nose. “We did, and it’s even better this year since it’s right next to Pilar’s.”

Not what Nick wanted to hear. “Do you think they’d move us?”

The older woman stared over her glasses. “Why would we want to be moved? Pilar’s is the most popular eatery on this island right now. Everyone in attendance will want to check them out, especially since getting a table is nearly impossible. That will bring even more people our way.”

And put Lauren directly in his path. After Mia left that morning, Nick had pulled up Lauren’s number in his phone. He’d written and deleted four different messages before once again staring at a blank screen. And then he did what he should have done a week ago. He deleted her number.

“Sounds more like we’ll get overshadowed,” he said, searching for any excuse she might accept.

His boss arched a brow. “Are you suggesting our food isn’t good enough to compete with Pilar’s?”

The two menus weren’t even in the same ballpark, and Nick had no insecurities about his food. He also had no intention of telling Patty the real reason he wanted the tent moved.

“This isn’t about the food. The draw for Pilar’s is that they’re new and have a lot of buzz. Their like a novelty act at a circus. Once the fascination dies down, the crowds disappear, but by the time that happens, they’ve overlooked the acts that are actually worth their while.”

“What exactly are you saying?” Patty asked, brows drawn.

Nick had no idea. “Forget it,” he said, swiping the towel off his shoulder and wiping his hands. “I’ve decided to skip Best of the Fest this year and let someone else have a shot.”

“Since when? We’re days away and the entry fee has been paid.”

“I’m sure you can get the money back. If not, take it out of my pay.”

He didn’t want to compete knowing that Lauren wouldn’t have the same opportunity. The truth was, she deserved the prize. Pilar’s was popular for a reason, and that reason was her food.

“I don’t do this very often,” Patty said, “but I’m overruling you. Dempsey’s is going to compete this weekend, even if that means one of the other