“I remember,” Faith said. It would have been hard to forget the woman who had inspired the Celtic Goddess franchise. Flowing golden blonde hair. Eyes that glowed like a tiger’s eyes, a beautiful, clear amber flecked with gold. Roughly the same height as Faith, Lexi Callaghan had more grace and poise in her little finger than Faith had in her entire body. This was what a woman worthy of a Callaghan was like, she thought.
“Do you have a moment?” Lexi asked shyly, which was odd considering who she was and all. Faith definitely pictured someone that important displaying a lot more attitude – or exuding a boatload of confidence at the very least. Lexi looked almost as uncomfortable as Faith felt.
Faith glanced at the clock on the far wall, wishing she could honestly say no, but the darned thing said she still had ten minutes left in her mandatory break.
“Not much,” she hedged, hoping that Lexi would understand. Unfortunately for her, Lexi did.
“I won’t keep you long, I promise.” The break room had gone strangely silent as the curiosity of several others was piqued the moment Lexi spoke her name aloud. It was not often that the head chef made her way into this particular area, where those without plush, private offices came to take a load off for a few. Aware of the glances they were getting, she added, “Do you mind if we go up to my office?”
Dread pooled in the bottom of Faith’s stomach. What choice did she have? Feeling cornered, she nodded. She picked up her sketchpad and tossed the apple core into the nearest waste bin, then followed Lexi out of the break room, avoiding the curious glances of the others.
What could Lexi Callaghan possibly want to talk to her about? Was this about the other night? Was she going to warn her off of Kieran?
Lexi’s expression gave nothing away; she looked every bit as poised and beautiful as she had at the Fair. If Faith hadn’t known better, she never would have pictured the young, denim-clad woman to be the world class chef behind the Goddess’s success. There were no airs about her at all, and she seemed almost embarrassed by the people who called out to her as they passed. That made two of them.
Lexi’s office, too, was a surprise. It was relatively small and simply furnished. The most imposing thing about it was the adjoining door into Aidan Harrison’s office. Aidan Harrison was the owner of the entire Celtic Goddess franchise, a highly lucrative division of his father’s worldwide restaurant empire.
Faith had glanced him once or twice, had even shaken his hand at the Fair, but she doubted he’d remember that. The man oozed success and power, both of which intimidated Faith and made her want to run as fast as she could in the other direction.
“Can I get you something to drink?” Lexi offered, twisting the cap from a bottle of water. Faith noted it was the same brand sold in the local supermarket; she would have thought Lexi would have opted for something a bit more expensive or imported.
Faith shook her head; even if she had been inclined to accept out of courtesy she didn’t think it would sit well with her stomach doing flip-flops.
Lexi sat on the small but comfortable couch and indicated that Faith should take a seat as well. She did, though she remained perched on the very edge.
“First, I want to apologize for what happened at the Fair last Saturday.”
“No need,” Faith said quickly.
“We’ll have to agree to disagree on that,” Lexi said, sounding sincerely regretful. “It’s just that... ”
“You care for Kieran,” Faith interjected. “I can respect that.”
Lexi smiled. “You do understand,” she said with obvious relief, “but we should have been more sensitive. It’s no excuse, but you kind of caught us off-guard, you see. Well, except Lacie, that is.”
Caught them off guard? Had she broken some unspoken rule by showing up at their family event? Kieran had assured her it was alright, and she’d made a point not to eat or drink anything or take advantage of their hospitality. She’d been very careful not to say or do anything that might embarrass Kieran.
“I’m sorry. I’m not sure I understand.”
“I’ve known Kieran a very long time, Faith. He is my oldest, dearest friend. I was surprised – and maybe even a little hurt – that he hadn’t told me about you.”
“Why would he?” Faith asked honestly.
“Like I said,” Lexi said, shifting uncomfortably, “we’re very close.”
“Kieran’s a good man,” Faith said slowly. She couldn’t shake the nagging feeling that she was missing something important, but couldn’t for the life of her put her finger on it. “He’s gone out of his way to be kind and help us get settled in Pine Ridge – stubbornly so, I’m afraid,” she added. “Matt and I are grateful for that, but we’re not trying to take advantage of him, if that’s what you think.”
Lexi’s eyes opened wide. Before she could say anything, Faith stood. “I’m glad he’s got so many people looking out for him,” she said quietly. “I have to get back to work. It was nice seeing you again, Mrs. Callaghan.”
Faith let herself out of Lexi’s office, glancing briefly at the personal assistant eyeing her as she made her way out toward the bank of elevators. She forced herself not to run.
Chapter Ten