“How’d it go with Martha’s group?”
“Great,” he said, buzzing with energy. “They seemed to have a good time. Landon called while they were here, and I overheard Martha tell him that the country club had become boring anyway and they were looking for a new place.”
Kait’s eyebrows shot up. “That’s quite the 180 from her blackballing us. I wonder what changed.”
Gray shrugged. “I don’t know, and I don’t care. Her endorsement will go a long way toward counteracting the impact of the Canteen’s story.”
“That’s true,” Kait said because she didn’t want to bring down Gray when he was in such a buoyant mood. She’d keep her suspicions to herself for now, and hoped she didn’t have to say, I told you so, later on.
Antonio caught up with her as she was leaving to take a shower between shifts. He purposely steered them toward the pastry case where Ana was arranging her latest batch of pastries.
“Hey Ana,” he said. “Kait and I are going for a drink on the break if you’re free.”
Ana glanced up briefly, “No, thanks.”
“Oh, you have to keep working? Kait, give Ana a couple hours off already.”
“I want to keep working,” Ana corrected before Kait could say anything.
Kait noticed with pity that her blue-violet gaze swept over Antonio with no particular interest. “Come on,” she said, grabbing his hand and trying to help him save face. “I owe you a beer.”
Outside, Antonio dropped her hand and sighed. “She’s a tough one.”
“The toughest,” Kait agreed. “So I can’t actually go for a beer. I’m back on the clock in two hours.”
“Sweet Jesus, how long does it take you to drink a beer?”
“No,” Kait laughed. “I mean, I need to get some stuff done during those two hours.”
“Gotcha.” Antonio walked with her in the direction of the parking lot and then split off with a wave. “See you later, Kait.”
Kait waved back, still smiling a little. She hadn’t had a guy friend in so long. She’d had a few when she worked at La Fontaine but since Basil Hampton—
Well, since Basil Hampton a lot had changed.
The next morning, the Canteen published the story about LeClarks. As Gray had predicted, Landon had turned the focus of the story. The food poisonings were still the centerpiece, but with the addition of the mushrooms appearing in Kait’s car, the narrative became a mystery rather than an indictment. And of course, the fact that Landon had been spotted with her on the pier that day came across very suspicious.
“This is sympathetic to LeClarks,” Gray said in relief as he scanned the article. “I don’t see the words ‘careless’ or ‘negligent’ anywhere.”
“It helps that they dug into our background,” Kait said. “As they pointed out, you’ve been in a kitchen your entire adult life and this has never happened.”
“Going to the Canteen was the right thing to do.” Gray folded the paper back and exhaled. His face looked younger as he looked up at Kait. She realized that tension had been straining it for so long, she’d forgotten that the tight lines around his eyes weren’t supposed to be there. “Landon knew it would be.”
She smiled at him, unwilling to ruin his good mood so soon. “He is a billionaire businessman,” she reminded Gray. “I guess he should know what he’s doing.”
“And he’s on our side.” Gray looked around the apartment. “Can we move back to the Atlantia now?”
“No,” Kait said. She wasn’t willing to go that far. Landon had still lied to her, he still had a history of ruining restaurants, and someone had still been in the kitchen that night. She wasn’t quite as ready to absolve him as Gray clearly was.
Martha called Landon after she read the article about LeClarks. “You look very guilty,” she said flatly.
“That was the point,” he sighed, sitting up in bed. Thank God he’d moved into the condo or she’d been doing this in person right now.
“To make yourself look like a criminal?”
“To take the heat off LeClarks.”
“Surely there’s a better way to protect LeClarks than throwing yourself under the bus.”
“I’m all ears, mother.” Landon stretched and got out of bed. He was glad to hear the article had come out as he’d intended. He wondered if Kait and Gray had seen it yet.
Martha sighed, sufferingly. “If your father were alive…”
“You’d have never taken the ladies to LeClarks,” Landon said. “It’s time to stop living your life like Randolph is still watching.”
Martha’s offended silence was as audible as any retort, but far preferable, in Landon’s opinion.
“Speaking of,” he said as though she wasn’t in the middle of silently rebuking him. “Why did you take them to LeClarks? Normally you bring them here if the country club isn’t available.”
“To counteract the story, obviously. You didn’t make me aware of your sacrificial lamb plan.”
Landon’s eyebrows shot up, and he actually pulled the phone away from his ear to stare at it. “That’s a sudden change of heart.”
“Let me guess, you’re surprised I have one.”
“I wouldn’t have put it like that.”
“Too cliche?” Martha asked.
“Yes,” Landon said bluntly.
“Well, I did hear what you said that night after you played barkeep in front of my friends. About LeClarks mattering to you. About the girl.”
Landon waited, wondering what was coming next. When nothing did, he prompted, “And?”
“And what?” Martha asked irritably. “I just told you that I heard you.”
“So you’re okay if I left New York and moved back to work at LeClarks full time?”
Landon could practically hear Martha sealing her lips together, the effort it must have taken her to say,
