“Wardrobe choices. Television preferences. Internet sites. Homework. General appearance. Diet. And language, as in, the kind she uses on me when she’s mad. And she’s mad regularly.”
“You check out that counselor I told you about?” Jack asked.
“She has an appointment for next week, but tell you the truth, I feel sorry for the guy. I kind of hate to put him through it. She’s really got a mouth on her.”
“I know Jerry Powell. He’s tougher than he looks. I put my young friend Rick in counseling with him. Rick was twenty at the time, just back from Iraq one leg short, and my God, was he in a mean way. I didn’t have much hope he was going to come out of it, but eventually he did. He gives a lot of credit to Jerry.” Jack wiped the bar. “He gets a lot of angry, screwed-up kids. I guess he knows what to do.” Jack leaned close. “This mostly about her mom passing?”
Lief gave a nod. “That and being fourteen in a new school, which brings all its own issues.”
“I don’t have a lot of experience with that. Rick was like a son to me and when he was that age he was the sweetest kid. Iraq had him pretty messed up for a while, but he’s in a good place now, fake leg and all. Married, taking care of his grandmother, finishing college. Wants to be an architect, how about that? “
“Fine choice,” Lief said. “I built movie sets in L.A. for years. Building suited me—I could think while I did something productive.”
“No kidding? Bet that was interesting. I bet you met a lot of—”
Jack was cut off by the sudden appearance of Kelly Matlock coming into the bar. In fact, the entire bar, which was filled with men, became slowly quiet. When a beautiful blonde entered a bar full of forest-worn hunters, that was bound to happen.
“Wow,” Lief said.
Kelly took off her jacket, hung it on the peg by the door and found her way to the only seat left at the bar. Next to Lief. Before he even realized what he was doing, he had risen while she sat.
“Well, now,” Jack said. “I didn’t expect to see you back so soon.”
“I didn’t expect it myself. How are you?”
“Excellent. Meet a new neighbor, Kelly. This is Lief Holbrook. Lief, meet Kelly Matlock, a chef from the Bay Area. She has a sister here.”
Kelly put out her hand to Lief. “Pleasure.”
“What can I get you, Kelly?”
“What are the chances you have a good, chilled vodka you could marry up with about four olives?”
“Ketel One work for you? “
“Perfect.”
It was only then that Kelly looked around. “I’ve been here a couple of times and haven’t ever seen it packed like this before,” she said to Lief.
“Hunting season,” he informed her. “I think you shook ‘em up for a minute. They weren’t expecting a beautiful woman to show up. So, visiting your sister?”
“Uh-huh. Did I understand Jack right—that you recently moved here?”
“That’s right. About a month ago.”
Jack returned and put a drink in front of Kelly. “Give that a try, Kelly. Tell me if it fills the bill.”
She lifted the glass, took a tiny sip, let her eyes close briefly. Then she smiled. “You’re brilliant,” she told Jack.
He chuckled and reached below the counter, putting a bowl of nuts next to a bowl of fish crackers. “I love it when you flirt with me, Kelly.” Then he was off down the bar to look after the mob.
“So,” Lief began. “A chef?”
She took another sip. “Well, there’s the problem. I’m still a chef, but I walked out on my restaurant with the head chef shouting at my back that I’d never work in San Francisco again. I thought I’d probably better stop here for a little courage before I break it to my sister that I’m unemployed and homeless.”
Lief’s eyebrows shot up. “I take it she’s not expecting your visit to be … ah … extended?”
“She’s not even expecting a visit. It was pretty rash, what I did. Have you ever been in a big restaurant kitchen?”
He shook his head. “Can’t say that I have.”
“It’s brutal. You have to be fearless. I’ve always been a good cook, but it took me years to measure up to the backbone it required to scream back or dodge flying objects hurled by the chef in charge. And apparently it wasn’t natural for me at all. I’m more of a cook than a street fighter.”
He leaned an elbow on the bar and gave her his undivided attention. “And you know this because …?”
“Because I thought I was holding my own until I landed in the emergency room due to stress.”
“You decided to resign?” he asked, stating the obvious.
She was very quiet; she sipped the Ketel One, then fished out an olive and munched on it.
“Nothing as tidy as that. I had a dear friend and mentor. I admit, we might’ve been getting too close, but he said he was separated from his wife, that a divorce was pending. Then the wife came to see me at work. Did I mention this mentor was a partner in the restaurant? Owns many restaurants? She told me her husband sent her to tell me to go away quietly. There was a scene in the kitchen—it took about five minutes for everyone to know what I’d been accused of.” She paused for another sip. “Still,” she added, “the worst of it was that when I called him to ask why the hell he’d send his wife to tell me to go away, he never responded.” She turned her large blue eyes to Lief. “I kind of hoped the wife had been full of it. You know?”
Lief put his hand over hers and gave it a brief squeeze. “On top of everything, your heart was broken.”
“I guess so,” she admitted. “I should have known better. Now—how do I tell my sister that my boyfriend wasn’t my boyfriend? That the career I’ve been killing myself for I was literally killing myself for? And that I quit without notice and will be her uninvited houseguest indefinitely? “
He couldn’t help but chuckle. “You seem to have the story down. I’m sure she’ll be very sympathetic.”
“Probably. But also very surprised. Jillian is the flighty one. I’m the stable one.”
“You know what, kid? You walked out on a bad situation. That sounds both intelligent and stable. Now you just need a little time to get on your feet.”
“You know what they say about getting out of the kitchen if you can’t stand the heat …” she said, shaking her head dismally. “I’ve become the cliché. What are you doing here anyway? In Virgin River?”
“Me?” he asked. “Just looking for a quieter place. And I like to fish and hunt. Made to order.”
Suddenly Jack was in front of them. “How are you two doing? “
“You know what? I think we’re doing great!” Kelly said. “This was just what I needed—a stiff drink and a little conversation. Amazing how much it helps.”
“You good, then?” Jack asked.
“I’ll have one more in a couple of minutes. And bring my friend Lief a beer on me. He’s a good listener.”
“Sure thing,” Jack said. “Dinner?”
“Not for me, but I’ll have some more nuts, thanks.” When Jack had turned away, she faced Lief again. “Quieter than?”
“Los