His large hand enveloped hers in a gentle clasp, but he wasn’t smiling.
Not even a little.
Releasing her hand, Ryder cleared his throat. “Are you the manager?”
“Um… no,” she replied, confused.
“I was looking for the owner,” he said slowly, as if she wouldn’t understand.
“Then you’ve found her,” she stated, her smile feeling a little stiff, and her tone carried just a hint of annoyance.
“Do your folks own the place and you’re just running it?”
“Excuse me?” Okay, now she was more than a little annoyed.
“It’s just…” He looked her up and down–and not in a flattering way. “You don’t quite look old enough to own this place.”
It didn’t matter how many people said that to her in the past; this time it really bothered her. He said it with just enough condescension to truly rub her the wrong way.
“Trust me, Mr. Ashford, I’m the owner and I’m old enough. Is there something I can do for you?” And yeah, her polite tone and smile were gone.
Not that it mattered. He didn’t look the least bit sheepish or apologetic. “I need a dinner catered tonight and I was told this was the place to go. Austin Coleman recommended you.”
Normally she loved a recommendation from her family, but right now she didn’t feel like basking in it. “Of course. How many people will be attending?”
“Four.”
“Okay. Do you know what you want to order? Have you looked at the menu?” Reaching for one, she held it out for him and was dying to know if they were all going to be in tuxes and evening gowns. It was on the tip of her tongue to suggest he go to the Magnolia Country Club, but figured Austin had to know what he was doing by suggesting the café.
“This is a very important dinner and I was told you do custom menus,” he replied, ignoring the menu in her hand.
With a serene smile that she totally wasn’t feeling, she put the menu down. “With advanced notice we do, but considering it’s after three…”
“It’s still advanced notice,” he interrupted smoothly. “It will need to be delivered promptly at seven and delivered hot. We won’t be reheating.”
This guy…
Peyton forced herself to mentally count to ten before speaking. “Mr. Ashford, I appreciate your inquiry, but unfortunately we cannot accommodate your request. If you’d like to order something off the menu, then I’d be more than happy to take your order. As for delivering it, I’m afraid we can’t accommodate that either.”
And just like that, Ryder’s expression hardened and Peyton was sure that look caused many a person to fall in line. But so far, he’d been condescending and insulting and she wasn’t having any more of it. So she met his gaze and waited for whatever insult was coming next.
“Miss Bishop,” he began after a moment. “In this day and age, I would think delivery would be an obvious service to offer. Even a small-town café…” He paused to look around with disdain… “should keep up with the current trends. Especially when so many new eateries are coming into the area. Surely you don’t want the competition to put you out of business.”
Wait… new eateries? What new eateries? And was he threatening her? Seriously?
Her brother Mason worked for the town and always kept her up to date on any new businesses moving in. So if Mason hadn’t mentioned it, that meant Ryder was either bluffing to get his way or planning to open someplace himself.
Which made him a major jerk right now.
“I don’t see that happening,” she told him levelly. And because she was feeling a little extra bold right now, she added, “And I would think if this dinner were so important, you would have made arrangements more than four hours before it begins.”
One corner of his mouth lifted slightly. “Touché.”
“I wish you luck with your dinner, Mr. Ashford. Have a wonderful day!” Feeling rather proud of herself, she turned and made it all of three steps before he called out to her again.
So close…
Glancing over her shoulder, she replied, “Yes?”
He slowly walked over to her and it was hard not to hum with appreciation. Ryder Ashford in a tux was stunning enough, but Ryder Ashford in motion was almost like watching porn.
Or… so she thought.
“Surely you could help out a friend of your cousin’s,” he said, his voice low and gruff and damn if she didn’t want to promise him whatever he wanted. “You’ll be paid handsomely for it.” Then he glanced around again. “And from the looks of things, you can use a good infusion of cash.”
And that was it. Now she was officially done.
“Thanks, but I’m good,” she said and turned and walked away, her heart hammering hard in her chest the entire time. It wasn’t until she was in her office with the door closed that Peyton finally let herself breathe. Collapsing in her desk chair, she let out a long breath. “What a jerk!”
Eyeing her phone, she considered calling Austin and telling him just how awful his friend was, but she also considered calling her brother to see if what Ryder just said was true. Unfortunately, she wasn’t sure her heart was up for hearing if it was. She already overcame so many obstacles with the café and it finally felt like things were going her way. Why did Mr. Looks-Too-Sexy-in-a-Tuxedo have to come in and ruin that for her?
Ownership should have been a no-brainer. Café Magnolia was already wildly successful when she inherited it. All she had to do was keep doing what the staff was already doing and she’d be fine. But when you’re young and things are handed to you, the critics seemed to take great joy in waiting for you to fail. It didn’t matter that her great-grandfather was from the founding family of Magnolia Sound and it didn’t matter that her parents were very prominent in the community.
If anything, that one seemed to work against her.
But she persevered and practically killed herself trying to prove to everyone that she was smart enough and more than competent enough not only to continue the café’s success, but to succeed with other places as well. Two years ago, she stepped in and helped her brother make a success of the pub he’d inherited from their great-grandfather. After a traumatic fire, she helped redesign the space and then reworked the menu and trained the staff of The Mystic Magnolia. Now it was one of the most successful eateries in town. Peyton took great pride in knowing she helped make that happen.
Damn Ryder Ashford for getting in her head like this.
It had been a long time since she’d second-guessed herself and it was an awful feeling.
“Call Austin or call Mason? Call Austin or call Mason?” she murmured as she slowly spun herself around in her chair. A soft knock on the door had her pausing and straightening. “Come in!”
Dana popped her head inside with a nervous smile. “Um… Mr. Ashford placed a rather large order and asked if anyone would be able to deliver it.” She hesitated a moment before stepping fully into the office. “Landon offered to do it, but I thought I should check with you and see if it was okay for him to do that.”
Peyton took a moment to think on it. “What did he order?”