“I’ve heard he’s angry about it,” Sam continued. “Which only makes sense. But it makes me wonder why he’d choose to work for you then. Don’t you think it’s a little suspicious?”
Ezra thought back to the conversation he had with Clara about Nathaniel. It seemed a couple of people weren’t too sure about Nathaniel’s intentions. Ezra hadn’t thought to be suspicious of him when he first hired him, but hearing everyone else’s concerns made him wonder. Was it suspicious? Did Nathaniel have ulterior motives?
“I don’t know,” Ezra shrugged. “I guess he just seems like someone who cares about the property and has a passion for cooking. If he couldn’t buy it, well, maybe he thought the next best thing was to work for someone who owned it. Through Clara and me, he could learn how to manage a bed and breakfast, as well as brush up on some of his cooking skills. That way someday he’ll be ready to run his own once he has the money for it.
“Sure, maybe it’s odd that he’d choose to work for us if he is so frustrated and bitter about it. When I talked to him, he didn’t seem that way though. It seemed like he was bummed about it, but also able to accept it and move on. I thought he saw it as a good opportunity.”
“That’s good,” Sam said, his tone upbeat, though he didn’t look convinced. “I’m sure you’re right. You talk to him more than I do, and if he is able to accept it gracefully, then that’s great. Admirable really.
“I just think you should watch your back is all, you know? You don’t have to fire him or anything. But you should keep in mind that he did want your business, he wants that property. So, I don’t know, maybe keep an eye out. Plus…”
Ezra sipped his coffee in preparation of anything Sam might say next. As much as he didn’t like it, Sam’s words were already getting under his skin. They made sense. Too much sense. And with the odd things happening in the house lately, he couldn’t help but question Nathaniel’s intentions. He couldn’t help but chide himself for not questioning them more before he offered him the job.
“You do know things between Billy, Lyla, and Richard weren’t always great, don’t you?” Sam asked.
“Billy?”
“Yeah, Nathaniel’s father.”
“I haven’t heard much about him,” Ezra admitted. “All I know is what I’ve heard from Nathaniel and from the way he made it sound, they were all close. Friends, like family even. It sounds like the three of them worked well together. I thought that was why he loved the bed and breakfast so much.”
Ezra had only ever heard good things from Nathaniel about the previous owners. There was no way there was any bad blood between them. Sam had to be wrong about that.
“They all got along well for the most part,” Sam replied. “But near the end, things were getting a little tense. I don’t know exactly what happened, but Lyla and Richard were always on edge, always stressed. I do know Billy played some part in that.”
It looked like Sam knew a lot more than what he was saying. He was only giving Ezra a taste. Though Ezra suspected he might be able to learn more once he and Sam got closer. If he pressed a little.
“What kind of part?” Ezra asked.
“Like I said, I don’t know details, but they talked about him. Frequently near the end. There were disagreements, a couple of fights, some sort of bigger falling out.
“Billy helped them out a lot. He was integral to their business, so they weren’t about to fire him or anything. I think they all truly did care about each other. When you’re around someone that much though, tension is bound to arise. Especially when there’s an unequal power dynamic.”
It made sense. Ezra had seen it many times in the kitchen. He’d dealt with his own fair share of fractured relationships once he was promoted to head chef. That kind of thing created pressure. But if there had been issues, wouldn’t Nathaniel have mentioned them?
“That’s too bad,” Ezra replied. He didn’t know what else to say. He didn’t know what to make of all of this. “It sounds like they were close for some time though, so if things did become fractured in the end, that must’ve been tough on all of them.
“Hopefully, they were able to put aside their differences before… well, before they weren’t here with us any longer. And I hope Nathaniel was able to find some peace in that.”
“Me too,” Sam said, though he looked skeptical. “Just keep everything in mind, okay? And be careful.”
Ezra wanted to shrug off everything Sam said. He liked Nathaniel, and it was unsettling to even consider that he might’ve brought someone dangerous into their lives. But could he truly say he knew the situation better than Sam did? Of course not. Sam had lived here probably for his whole life. It sounded like he had known Lyla, Richard, Billy, and Nathaniel for quite some time. Ezra had just met him.
He wouldn’t write Nathaniel off quite yet. Not based off this alone. He still didn’t know the full story of everything that had happened, and he wasn’t about to get heated at him over some rumor. But he couldn’t just ignore it either.
Nathaniel himself had admitted that he wanted to buy the property, and it made sense he’d be bitter about it. If there
