Page 13 of The Friendship Pact

Cole set his spoon down. “Thanks, Kate. That’s a really nice offer. We’ll pay you until I find someone else.”

“You don’t need to pay me.”

“We can’t ask you to work for free,” Nick said.

“You didn’t ask. I volunteered.”

“But don’t you have a business to start?” Garrett asked.

“It’s fine. I have time to do both. I don’t have much to do until the new year.” Kate turned to Cole. “I’ll start tomorrow. Just show me the kitchen and I’ll take care of it.”

“Great. I’ll be at the front desk, but I have help, so I’ll be able to show you around.”

Kate smiled. “I can’t wait.”

“Maybe you should fill Kate in on what’s happening next weekend and how many cookies she’s expected to bake,” Nick said, eyeing Cole.

“I love baking cookies and even if it’s a hundred dozen, I’m in. I’m happiest in the kitchen.” She tucked her hands into the front pocket of her sweatshirt.

“Nick’s right,” Cole said. “It’s not just Santa Days. We have several Christmas parties being held this month and several desserts to bake.”

“I’m up for the challenge. I worked for my friend’s catering company in Chicago, and I can make anything your clients need.”

“If you’re sure. We’d love to have the help,” Cole said.

“Absolutely. Count me in.”

One of Kate’s downfalls was to take on too much and to volunteer time she didn’t have. Would her sacrifice cost her? Maybe. But what could she do? The family had suffered a huge shock, and they all had full-time jobs. The least she could do was help.

CHAPTER FIVE

Kate tugged on her snow boots, wrapped a scarf around her neck, and pulled on her mittens. When she opened the door, her driveway was plowed and her steps shoveled. Confused, she checked to see if anyone was around. They must have come early when she was still asleep. Her mom always said she slept like the dead.

She’d decided to walk to the lodge, so instead of brushing the snow from her car, she set off on foot, her canvas tote containing her spare shoes and her recipe book slung over her shoulder.

The Deer Creek Lodge was on the other side of town—technically two blocks down Main Street. Multiple business owners were clearing the fresh snow from the sidewalk in front of their establishments. Kate waved to Nate as he shoveled the sidewalk in front of Gus’s Hardware. Rural Chic hadn’t opened yet.

Multicolored Christmas lights and pine garland hung from the lodge’s entrance. Kate opened the heavy wooden doors and stomped the snow from her boots on the rug inside the breezeway.

“Good morning, Kate.”

“Hi, Cole.” Kate unwrapped her scarf and unzipped her coat as she walked toward the check-in desk.

The Reid brothers were all handsome. Cole’s brown hair was a few shades lighter than Nick’s, and he had the same brown eyes, but Cole had a small dimple that graced his right cheek.

“Come on back and I’ll show you where you can put your things,” he said.

Kate followed Cole to an office off the kitchen. Being a gentleman, he helped her with her coat and hung it on the deer-antler hook by the door. “You can put your purse in the bottom drawer of the desk.”

“Great. Thanks. I brought shoes to change into.”

“Meet me in the kitchen when you’re settled. This will be your space while you’re here, so make yourself at home.”

She sat in the soft leather chair facing the desk, slid off her boots, and placed them on the plastic mat near the coat hook. She stretched and regarded the surrounding space. The office window offered a view of the iced-over lake and the surrounding pine trees, their boughs heavy with freshly fallen snow. Inhaling a deep breath, she allowed her shoulders to relax. She recited her daily mantra: Today will be a great day.

Kate gathered her cookbook and apron and walked into the kitchen. Her focus was drawn to the commercial-grade stainless steel mixer, causing her to collide with someone. She bounced off a solid wall of muscle, and her cookbook and all her notes slid across the waxed tile floor. At least she stayed on her feet.

“Way to go, bro. Trying to take Kate out won’t help our situation,” Cole said.