“He said what?”
Kate tried to muster a smile. A week had passed since the horrible incident at the McClaines’ and Kate could finally talk about it without feeling nauseated. She still blushed when she told the story but now it was more out of anger than humiliation.
“Just wait until I get my hands on that self-righteous, egomaniacal…”
Kate shook her head and laughed at the look on her friend’s face. “No way, Tony. You’re not going to get your hands on anyone.”
Tony opened his mouth to protest but she cut him off. “I mean it. Rick and his friends are going to be guests here, and they have to have a nice time if I want this B&B to be a success. Which means,” she said with a threatening look, “No threats or fist fights, no matter how lovely it might sound. The success of Rosalie Inn depends on their business whether I like it or not. Okay?”
Tony didn’t look pleased but when she prodded again, he reluctantly agreed. Tony was one of her oldest and dearest friends. He owned a lumber warehouse and had been a big help during the renovation of her large, Victorian home into a functioning B&B. This morning he was helping her do some final repairs to the kitchen so it would be ready for the opening the following week.
Kate couldn’t believe that it was finally happening. There had been times when she had felt sure that her B&B idea would never work. There had been so much work to do, so many challenges, and she’d been forced to face them all alone. All of her life her mother had dreamed of running a B&B, but she had always been so busy with her career in social work and supporting herself and Kate that the time had never seemed right. Kate had latched on to the idea at a young age and soon shared in her mother’s dream. As she got older, they had talked of opening a B&B together when Kate graduated from college. Her mother began putting aside the money for renovations while she earned her degree. On weekends and breaks, Kate would come home, and she and her mother would sit around their fireplace and make plans for their future.
But then, while Kate was at college her mother had gotten sick. It was a terrible time for both of them, but her mother never stopped talking about their plans for the future. In fact, their dreams for the future had helped her mother to fight when she was at her weakest. They still sat around the fire and daydreamed long after they knew that there would be no future B&B – at least not for her mother. Kate put school on hold and moved back home and helped take care of her. She passed away six months later and Kate was left with a broken heart, a huge house and shattered dreams.
Her once warm and comforting home just felt large and empty without her mother there. Kate had never felt more alone and lost; she felt as though she’d lost any hope for her future when she had lost her mother. If it hadn’t been for her friends, Kate didn’t know what would have become of her.
They got her out of the house and helped her move back to the city. Finding the job with Glenda Gold had been a godsend. She took Kate under her wing and taught her everything she knew about cooking and baking and the catering business. Tony looked after the house for her while she started to put aside some money and get back on her feet. There was a time when she considered selling her home. After all, without her mother and her dreams for their future, what was the point? But her friends stepped in and convinced her to give it some time before making any major decisions.
And they had been right. It had taken time but Kate slowly came back to her dreams. After enough time had passed, Kate was finally able to come back to her family home and enjoy the memories of all the happy times that she and her mother had shared rather than be tormented by them. Gradually, she began to see a future for herself, one that was filled with hope and possibilities. And dreams that had once only reminded her of what she and her mother couldn’t have now began to seem like a wonderful tribute to her mother’s memory.
She had made the final decision to take the plunge that Christmas. Seeing her mother’s beloved house filled with warmth and laughter, as she had always wanted, Kate’s future became clear. She knew that she was ready and, as she sat by the fire that evening making plans for the future, she had never felt more certain that her mother was smiling down on her.
And now it was finally going to be a reality. Kate was giddy with nerves and excitement as she clutched her mug of tea and looked around her newly renovated kitchen. Tony was putting the final touches on an almost perfect kitchen. It was just what she and her mother had envisioned. And now that all the renovations were done and supplies ordered and marketing underway, all she needed was guests.
Next week she would have some friends and neighbors stay over for a grand opening and trial run and then, if Sam managed to convince her brother, she would have her first real guests in a little less than a month’s time. And not just any guests. She would have one of the world’s biggest celebrities as a paying customer. She couldn’t ask for better publicity for her new business.
She took a deep breath to quiet her nerves, which were easily rattled by thoughts of the famous director. She could only hope that by the time Rick Salinger arrived he would have completely forgotten the clumsy waitress from the McClaines’ party. It was absolutely imperative that he enjoy his stay. With his name and reputation, the exposure would be instant. She knew every tabloid and magazine in the country would talk about his new film, and if any one of them mentioned where he stayed when on location …
She didn’t dare let herself think about what her business would be like if he actually commented on it. Good or bad, if Rick Salinger made a comment about her B&B, it would be in every guidebook and tourist web site in an instant. His stay could make or break her fledgling business.
“I can’t believe you won’t let me talk to this director guy,” Tony complained as he moved past her to grab his wrench.
Kate sighed. She hated what had happened at the McClaines’ party and, most of all, she hated the way that Rick had treated her. It wasn’t so much what he had said but the way he had looked at her. Kate had never felt so low in her life. She shook her head; she couldn’t keep dwelling on it. As much as she would love to explain herself, and give him a piece of her mind in the process, she knew she would have to hold her tongue. She simply couldn’t afford to offend him. She reminded Tony of the same thing and giggled when he muttered something unrepeatable under his breath. She couldn’t have said it better herself.
****
“Are you sure you know where you’re going?” Barry asked for the tenth time.
Rick sighed. “Yes, I know where we’re going.”
“Are you sure? Because all of these streets look the same.” Barry fumbled with the map on his lap. He looked irritated by all the trees and grass. “What on earth are we going to do up here? There’s nothing here. Absolutely nothing.”
Rick tapped his fingers on the steering wheel; they had had this same conversation many times since they had left the city. “No one asked you to come, Barry. I’m perfectly capable of scouting out the location on my own. Besides, the cinematographer and location manager are meeting me up here in a couple of days. And as for what we’re going to do… we’re going to make a movie.” He glanced over at his friend. “That should keep us pretty busy, don’t you think?”
Barry didn’t respond to the sarcasm. “I know I didn’t have to come, but do you really think I could leave you all alone with a town full of yokels?” Barry rolled his eyes as though he were a simpleton. “They’ll never give you a moment of peace. You’ll need me around to keep order. And heaven knows you need someone to help you guard that precious privacy of yours.” He glanced at Rick out of the side of his eyes and knew he had hit a nerve. “Don’t worry, buddy,” he said as he patted Rick’s shoulder. “You have nothing to worry about with me around. If the local press has any questions, you can just send them over to me. Let me handle it.”
Barry kept talking but Rick stopped listening. He already knew what he was saying. He had heard it all before. He and Barry went way back; he was one of the first people Rick had met in the industry and had proven to be an extremely useful shield against prying eyes. Press and publicity was one area of his business that Rick didn’t like and had never figured out how to deal with. The invasion of privacy was more than he could handle. He had let his guard down once and paid the price; he swore he’d never make that mistake again.
Rick glanced down at the directions in his hand. He hoped he wouldn’t have a problem finding a place to stay once he got to Rockville. He wasn’t supposed to arrive for a few weeks when the rest of the crew and the cast were set to arrive, but he had gotten impatient just sitting around his penthouse waiting for production to begin. Rather than waste time, Rick made an impulsive decision to get to the town early to start figuring out the logistics of shooting on location.
He had never seen the town personally. His sister had recommended it after she’d read the script; she had stayed there with a friend when she was in high school and seemed to think it would be the perfect setting for his latest project. Rick had been finishing up another project at the time but had sent a location scout to take pictures. He had loved what he’d seen. It was the perfect Mapleton, the fictional town where his historical film was to take place. Rick tapped his fingers on the steering wheel. Despite his sister’s opinion and the pictures he’d seen, he would feel a lot better once he saw this town in person.
“Hey, there’s a sign,” Barry said.
Rick had seen it too. He picked up the brochure for the B&B he was supposed to be staying at. He hoped that they would have room for him even though he was early. It was already starting to get dark, and Rick was exhausted from driving all afternoon. The last thing he wanted to do was drive around for hours trying to find a place to stay. He looked in his rearview mirror at the empty stretch that lay behind him. He couldn’t imagine it would be easy to find a decent hotel around here.
Barry grabbed the brochure out of his hand and shook his head in disbelief. “I still can’t believe that we are going to stay at a B&B.” The way he said B&B made it sound like curse word.
Rick tried to ignore Barry’s annoying smirk. “I told you, the woman who owns the place is a friend of my sister’s. I’m staying there as a favor to her.” He glanced over to see Barry stifling a laugh. “Besides, the nearest hotel is ages away; the cast and crew are going to have to be shuttled into town. If I stay at the B&B I won’t have to worry about commuting into town every day.”
Despite his words, Rick still couldn’t believe he had let his sister talk him into this. She had gone on and on about what a good friend this girl and her mother had been, and he had never been able to say no to his little sister. He had known the minute he answered the phone all those months ago that she had an idea in her head and he wouldn’t know a moment’s peace until he heard her out. Samantha could be awfully stubborn.
“I know the perfect place for Mapleton,” she had said.
“What, no ‘hello’?” he had teased. “No, ‘how are you, big brother’?”
But Sam wouldn’t be sidetracked. “I’m serious, I know the perfect spot.”
“Okay, let’s hear it.”
“Rockville. It’s in upstate New York.”
“Really?” he’d hedged. “I don’t know; my location scouts have been looking into small towns in the south. They seem to think they’ve found a good spot…”
“Nope. Rockville is your place. It is just like Mapleton. From the descriptions in the script, I could have sworn they were talking about Rockville. I guarantee you’ll love it.”
He knew it was pointless to argue with her. “Okay, I’ll have my people look into it. So how are you, anyway? How’s Paris treating you?”
It was no use. She wouldn’t be sidetracked. “When your people check it out and tell you that it is the perfect location, you need to do me a favor.”
Uh-oh, here it comes.
“You have to stay at my friend’s B&B.”
“What? No way, Sam, I hate B&B’s. Too cutesy, too much lace and doilies.”
He could have gone on but Samantha cut him off in irritation. “Is this the thanks I get for finding the perfect town for your film?”
“I haven’t even seen it yet!”
“Well, when you do, you just remember who it was that told you.”
Rick groaned. “Fine, fine. If this town is as perfect as you say – and that is a serious ‘if’ – I promise I’ll stay at your friend’s place.”
He could practically hear his sister beaming on the other end of the line. “Thanks, Rick, you won’t regret it. This will mean the world to her, and to me.”
Rick rolled his eyes. She tended to be melodramatic as well as stubborn. “Yeah, yeah. So how do you know about this place anyway?”
There was a moment of silence before she answered. “Rockville is where I went to stay that summer…”
She didn’t need to say anything more. Rick remembered that painful time all too clearly. “So this is your friend from camp, huh? If I’m good will she make me s’mores and sing by the fire?”
Samantha had laughed and the tense moment was forgotten.
Much to Rick’s dismay, the location scouts he’d grudgingly sent to Rockville had come back singing the praises of this little hick town and, from the pictures they had brought back for him, he couldn’t help but agree. They had found their Mapleton. But of course his very stubborn sister wouldn’t let him off the hook and now he was forced to spend at least part of the shoot at his sister’s friend’s place. It wouldn’t be so bad if Samantha hadn’t let it slip that the woman who ran the B&B was a fan… and single. He had the unsettling feeling that a major reason she was so keen for him to stay at the Rosalie Inn because she was trying to play matchmaker for her bachelor brother. It wouldn’t be the first time she’d tried her hand at matchmaking and he feared it wouldn’t be the last. Why else would she be so insistent that he spend his stay at the woman’s house rather than at a hotel like the rest of the staff and crew?
What he had said to Barry was true though. It did make sense for him to stay in town – the nearest hotel was two towns over and he knew driving back and forth every day at all hours would drive him crazy. He just hoped his sister wasn’t trying to set him up. And with the owner of a B&B. Rick nearly groaned aloud as he envisioned a frumpy, librarian type following him around for the next few months. Rick had a strict deadline to keep and couldn’t afford to deal with a love struck, lonely spinster no matter how much his sister liked her. The last thing on his mind these days was romance.
Before he could stop himself, his mind was filled with a heart shaped face looking up at him with wide eyes. Rick laughed at himself and cleared the tempting image from his head. Riiight, wide-eyed and innocent. More like ambitious and talented. And she was talented, Rick had to give her that. She had managed to fool him into actually thinking that she was a guileless waitress rather than a manipulative little minx. Rick shook his head in disgust but he wasn’t sure who he was more disgusted with – the young woman for trying to trick him or with himself for nearly falling for it… again.