Courting Chloe (Hudson Valley Heroes Book 1) (17 page)

“Gee, could you try to contain your enthusiasm?”

Luke arched a dark blond brow at her. Turning away from the ring, he hitched one booted foot on the bottom fence rail and rested his wrists on the top rail, gazing at the main house with a frown.

“The point is, why make it so hard for people to find us? We do damned good work here. We ought to be blasted all over the internet.”

“Sara and I just had the exact same conversation.”

Luke glanced at her, curled a derisive lip. “Let me guess. She wouldn’t hear of it. She doesn’t want the exposure. I mean, I get it. Managing growth can be scary. But the status quo isn’t working either. Not when we’re barely managing to meet our expenses.” He shook his head. “I don’t understand what she’s so afraid of.”

Chloe took a moment for internal debate. On one hand, she knew very little about Luke. An army vet, he’d served two tours of duty in Afghanistan, hence his affinity for working with injured vets like Chuck. He never discussed in exactly what capacity he’d served, or exactly where. So for all his breezy charm, there was a bit of mystery to him. A steely core that lurked just beneath the surface.

Still, it looked as though Sara needed a friend, and Luke just might fit the bill. She made a decision.

“Actually, that’s not the right question,” she said.

He turned to look at her.

“The question isn’t
what
she’s afraid of, Luke. It’s
who
.”

Chapter Seventeen

“One black coffee, one hot chocolate.” The elderly proprietor behind the counter passed the drinks over. “Can I get you anything else?”

“Thanks, but that’ll do it.” Ian passed him a bill and waved off change. He and Preston made their way to the outdoor picnic tables and sipped their drinks, but Preston was too impatient to sit for long.

“Can I go down to the playground?”

“Sure. Just stay where I can see you.”

Preston leaped up and raced to the equipment, Prince running along at his heels. Ian watched him tackle a rock climbing wall, then a slide, then a low-beam balance bar. The proprietor came out carrying a metal dish of water. He set it on the ground near Ian. “Just in case your furry friend gets thirsty,” he said.

Ian thanked him and held out a hand. “Ian Dowling.”

“Jim Campbell. My wife Esther and I own the place.” Jim tilted his chin toward the playground. “Your boy part of the canine assistance camp?”

“My nephew. And yes, he is.”

Jim nodded approvingly. “They do good work there. Our granddaughter Louisa attended the camp a few years ago. Deaf since birth. They set her up with a hearing-assistance dog and it opened up her whole world.” He shook his head and chuckled. “She’s twelve now. Spunky little redhead. Bright as a copper penny. And, my word, does she love that dog.”

Ian smiled. He glanced over at the weather-worn For Sale sign propped against the building. “Any nibbles yet?”

“Nah.” Jim scowled and gave an impatient wave of his hand. “Just a bunch of low-ballers. Nobody who knows the restaurant business, that’s for sure. The potential for this place is tremendous.”

“Maybe.” Ian sipped his coffee. “But you don’t pay for potential. You pay for what’s actually there.”

Jim eyed him consideringly. “Sounds like a man who’s bought property before.”

“I’ve got a couple bars back in Brooklyn.”

“The bar business, huh? Well, that’s a whole different kettle of fish, I suppose.”

A friendly silence hung between them, then Ian heard himself say, “So tell me about it.”

“About what?”

“The potential.”

“You interested?”

“It’s not what I do, but I’m listening,” Ian replied.

Jim nodded. He eyed the diner, the parkland, playground, and athletic fields. “This used to be our family farm. All this acreage. But my dad wasn’t much of a farmer, and I was even worse. Long story short, we gifted the land to the county in return for a change in zoning ordinance, some hefty tax breaks, and the exclusive right to set up a restaurant here.”

“Looks like you ran a pretty good business. It was packed over the weekend.”

Jim smiled. “We’ve got a nice local following. But Esther and I, we always envisioned more for this place than just a simple country diner.”

“Oh?”

“Follow me. I want to show you something.” Jim strode to the western corner of the building. Ian cast a glance at Preston as he followed him. His nephew was sitting atop the slide, his hands cupped around a pirate-style telescope as he surveyed the playground. A toy forgotten or abandoned by another child, Ian supposed.

“Nice, isn’t it?” Jim said.

Ian turned. The property sloped downward toward a small, crystal blue lake surrounded by gently swaying reeds. A few ducks and geese floated atop the shimmering surface. The backdrop was no less stunning: rolling mountains ablaze with fiery fall foliage. Late-blooming wildflowers were scattered throughout the field. A postcard perfect scene.

“This is where Esther and I planned for the restaurant to go,” Jim said. “A real restaurant—tablecloths, candles, fine wines. Maybe a patio with a pergola here, threaded with tiny overhead lights, for outdoor seating. The way the ground runs, we figured we could put a tavern just below it for more informal dining. Pub fare, that sort of thing. Course we’d keep the diner near the playground, sell sodas and ice cream for the kids.”

“Sounds like a pretty ambitious project.”

“True, but we figured it was something we could take on one day. You know, after our kids were grown. We even had an architect draw up plans for us, got the whole shebang permitted and ready to build.”

“You changed your mind?”

Jim shook his head as they made their way back to the picnic tables. “More like life got in the way. Esther was diagnosed with breast cancer. I almost lost her. She made it through, but the chemo took a lot out of her. Guess the restaurant just wasn’t in the cards for us.”

“I’m sorry to hear that.”

“I’ve still got my bride by my side, so I’m not complaining.” He looked up at Ian. “You interested in taking a look at those plans?”

Ian hesitated. He couldn’t remember the last time he saw a piece of property that tempted him like this one. Hell, he didn’t remember
ever
seeing a property like this. He could see the restaurant just the way Jim described, how it would fit in the land. A destination kind of place that would draw locals and tourists alike. He wanted it. Wanted to grab it and claim it before somebody else did. But it didn’t make sense, and he knew better than to make business decisions based on misdirected impulses. He shook his head. “Sorry. Like I said, it’s not what I do.”

“Fair enough.” Jim gave him a friendly pat on the shoulder. “If you change your mind, you know where to find me.”

Ian made his way down to the playground. Preston stood with one arm wrapped around one of the metal poles that anchored the swings, idly twirling in circles.

“Hey, there. How’s it going?”

“Where do you think all the other kids went?”

Ian glanced around the playground. A few mothers with toddlers and infants in strollers had gathered by the sandbox, sipping coffee. But of course, two and three-year-olds were far too young to be of interest to Preston. At the other extreme were a group of high-school boys in soccer uniforms who were running passing drills on a nearby field.

“Kids my own age,” Preston put in petulantly, following Ian’s gaze.

“Maybe they’re still at school.”

“When does school get out?”

“I don’t know, buddy.”

“Do you think they’ll be here later?”

Obviously Preston was expecting a repeat of the crowds of children he’d played with last Saturday. Doubtful. It was Tuesday, late afternoon, the sky was overcast. “Hey, I have an idea,” Ian said. “Why don’t we see if we can find a movie somewhere? Prince hasn’t been to a movie with us yet.”

Preston draped his body, slug-like, over a swing and spun it in lazy half-circles. “No. I don’t want to miss them if they come.”

“Hey, careful. You almost kicked Prince.”

“Oh. Sorry.” He tucked in his legs. “Michael said he’d bring his Transformers with him when he came back.”

“Michael?”

“One of the boys who was here before.”

Ian frowned. “He said he’d be here today? This afternoon?”

“I don’t know. He just said he’d come.” He spun again.

Ah. Now it was starting to make sense. Naturally the boys would want to play together again. But Ian hadn’t thought to follow up with one of the other parents. Without an adult to step in and set up a place and time to meet again, it was unlikely to happen. “Watch your feet,” Ian repeated, as Preston continued to spin in desolate circles. “Look, maybe you’ll see him some other time. We’ll wait ten more minutes and then we’ll leave.”

“No.” Preston stubbornly shook his head. “I have to wait here.”

“Preston—”

“One of the boys said he was having a Star Wars birthday party and I’ve never been to a Star Wars party. He told me I could come but I don’t know where to find him.”

“Who, Michael?”

“No, the
other
boy.”

“Preston, that’s the third time you’ve almost kicked Prince. Either sit up or we’re leaving.”

“I don’t want to leave.”

“Fine. Then sit up.”

Preston stuck out his lower lip. “No! And I’m not leaving!”

Oh, for Christ’s sake. Another tantrum? The mommy group from across the playground looked his way, shaking their heads and sending superior ‘Dads just don’t know how to handle kids,’ glances. Ignoring them, he reached for Preston’s arm and gently removed him from the swing. He hunkered down, bringing himself eye-to-eye with his nephew. “Yes, we
are
leaving. I don’t know what’s gotten into you, Preston, but if you think talking to me like that will—”

“Mommy let me have friends!”

Ian froze. “What?”

“She did,” he choked out, his tiny fists balled at his sides. “I remember that. She let me play with other kids all the time.” Tears streamed down his cheeks and his small body trembled. “I had a best friend named Stuart and we used to eat pizza together and trade Pokemon cards. And we played Aquaman and superheroes. And you won’t let me play with anyone, ever!”

The oxygen left Ian’s lungs. “Is that what you think?”

“I don’t have any friends now but those kids liked me! They wanted to play with me! I just want to stay until I can find them! Please, Uncle Ian!”

Ian swallowed hard. After Barbara’s death, he had sworn that his heart would never break again. He would never again allow that kind of shattering pain into his life. But it was breaking now. “Is that what you think, Preston? That I don’t want you to have friends?”

Preston studied the ground. He smeared his sleeve under his runny nose and over his tear-stained cheeks. He looked impossibly small, fragile, hurt. “I don’t know.” Prince slid up beside him, nuzzling his nose against Preston’s thigh, offering what comfort he could.

“Why didn’t you talk to me about this before?”

“I thought you would be mad at me.”

“
Mad?
Why in the world would I be mad?” Ian took a steadying breath and tried a different tack. “Preston, look at me.” He waited for his nephew to raise huge blue eyes, brimming with tears, to meet his. “Your mom had years of practice at being a mom. She was a very, very good mom, wasn’t she?”

Preston nodded mutely.

“But I’m new at this. I’m trying my best to take care of you, to do everything right. Just the way she would have done it. But if I make a mistake, you have to promise to tell me. We need to talk to each other, okay?”

Preston gave another solemn nod. “Okay.”

“And one more thing.” Ian took a deep breath. He placed his hands lightly on his nephew’s shoulders. “I love you very, very much, Preston. You are the last person in the world I would ever want to hurt. You know that, right?”

“I love you, too, Uncle Ian.”

Ian wrapped him in a fierce hug. Stroked his small, tender scalp. “All right, then,” he choked out, his voice raw. “Glad we got that settled. Now we just need to figure out this friend thing, right?”

Preston thought for a moment and then volunteered, “Most of my friends go to school.”

“True. But we tried that, and you weren’t happy there. You said you didn’t want to go back.”

“But what if I promise not to have a seizure while I’m at school?”

Ian let out a horrified, jagged laugh. He wrapped one strong arm under Preston’s rear and swooped him up, holding him against his hip. “You’re killing me, buddy. You know that?”

“I don’t want to be made fun of, but I miss having friends.”

“I know you do.” Ian motioned for Prince to Come and headed toward his SUV. “Tell you what. Let’s go back to the camp and talk to Chloe. Maybe she can help us fix this, okay?”

Preston rested his head on Ian’s shoulder. Placed his small hand over Ian’s heart. “Okay.”