A Father's Second Chance. Mindy Obenhaus

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СКАЧАТЬ is.” Blakely folded her hands atop the counter. “Especially for the kids.”

      “But it doesn’t look like it’s going to happen this year.” Gage shook his head. “Which is a shame. A lot of kids are going to be disappointed. Mine included.”

      “No. They’re not.”

      Both Celeste and Gage stared at Blakely.

      “Austin has always loved the festival.” She absently rubbed her belly, as though considering the child growing inside her, too. “I couldn’t bear the thought of losing such a wonderful tradition. So...I said I’d take over.”

      Gage narrowed his gaze. “At the risk of sounding like Captain Obvious, you do realize you’re about to have a baby, don’t you?”

      Blakely laughed. “Not for another month. The festival will be over long before my due date.”

      “Still, you can’t take this all on by yourself, Blakely. How can I help? Besides sustaining you with cookies and cinnamon rolls.”

      Their friend grinned. “Well, I wasn’t exactly planning on doing the whole thing by myself. Just the organizing. I’ve got to come up with some people willing to solicit donations of food and prizes, create and set up games, recruit volunteers to work the festival...”

      “I can do the recruiting and solicitation.” Celeste’s expression turned serious.

      “You need a bounce house?” Gage downed the rest of his now lukewarm coffee.

      “I almost forgot about that. Yes.”

      “I know a guy in Montrose. I’ll give him a call. What else can I do?”

      Blakely took a deep breath and smiled, her blue eyes glistening with unshed tears. Probably just hormones, though it still made him uncomfortable. “You guys are amazing. Honestly, I was only coming in here for a cinnamon roll. But you’ve encouraged me so much.” She wiped at a tear. “With the three of us working together, I know we can make this the best fall festival yet.”

      Together? Gage had no problem with Blakely. But Celeste?

      Working on the space above the restaurant, he could do. After all, with Celeste running the restaurant, how involved could she really be in the day-to-day grunt work? But working alongside her on the festival when they butted heads like a couple of bighorn sheep?

      What had he gotten himself into?

      * * *

      Gage was the last person Celeste wanted to see this morning. While she was more than grateful for his help last night, she was also embarrassed. What must he think of her, passing out on his porch in her pajamas—princess pajamas, no less—behaving like a crazed drama queen and then falling asleep on his daughter’s bed? He probably believed she was downright loony.

      And now they’d be working together on a festival? God, You definitely have a sense of humor.

      “I still have to wrap my brain around all that needs to be done, then I’ll lay out a plan of action.” Blakely’s blue eyes moved from Gage to Celeste. “Think we could meet in a day or two?”

      “Should be fine.” Gage seemed less than enthused about the prospect.

      “Sure.” Celeste scanned the restaurant, all too aware that she needed to see to her customers. “Now, about that cinnamon roll?”

      “That would make my day, Celeste.”

      She turned in the order before returning her attention to Gage. “How about you? Another roll? Some protein, maybe? Eggs?”

      “No, I’m good. I need to get a move on.” He grabbed the pan of rolls and shoved out of his chair. “How much do I owe you?”

      “Not a thing. I’m indebted to you for putting up with me last night.”

      “I guess we’re even then.” He turned, then stopped. “My contact info is in the file. Just let me know what you decide.”

      “I will. Thanks again, Gage.” Relief washed over her when he walked out the door. If his estimate fit her budget, she was ready to give him the green light and get her “suite” dreams on the path to becoming a reality.

      When she looked back at Blakely, her friend was wearing a nice little smirk. “So, just what did Gage have to ‘put up with’ last night?”

      Celeste’s cheeks grew warm. “Nothing like you’re thinking.” She removed Gage’s dishes, grabbed a rag from the sink beneath the counter and began wiping.

      “Oh?” The arch of Blakely’s brow had Celeste blushing all the more. “And what am I thinking?”

      She halted her cleaning. “Why did nobody tell me that bears roam around town at night?”

      Blakely’s expression shifted to one of concern. “Why? What happened?”

      “I had a close encounter with one in my garage.”

      “Oh, no. What did you do?”

      “I left, of course.” She tossed the rag back into the sink and leaned against the counter. “And discovered that Gage lives across the street from me.”

      Blakely laughed. “What? Did he hear you screaming?”

      “I didn’t scream.”

      “Order up.”

      She grabbed Blakely’s order, eyeing the two alongside it. “I banged on his door.” Without waiting for a response, she snagged the other orders and was on her way. Not so eager to hear what Blakely had to say next, she refilled coffee cups, delivered tickets and took someone’s money at the register while her friend ate.

      “I forgot to ask how your meeting went yesterday.” Blakely licked a blob of frosting from her fork.

      Thank goodness they were off the topic of bears. “Not bad. At least he has an appreciation for historical architecture.”

      “Do you think you’re going to hire him?” There went that grin again.

      “Possibly. I can’t say for certain until I see his quote.” No point in feeding Blakely’s sudden impulse to match her up with Gage. Celeste had no interest in being paired with anyone. Least of all, Gage Purcell.

      For a Tuesday morning, Granny’s Kitchen had enjoyed a steady stream of customers, punctuated by the lunchtime arrival of a busload of senior citizens on a fall foliage tour. Finally, at two fifteen, Celeste had an opportunity to sit down in her office with a chicken salad sandwich and Gage’s quote.

      Munching on a potato chip, she opened the folder. A detailed spreadsheet showed costs for everything from demolition to labor to materials, as well as estimates for plumbing and electrical. She reviewed the three pages, making note of the lengthy list of variables. Things that could potentially occur that would affect the cost and length of the project.

      By the time she got to the end, she feared the СКАЧАТЬ