him know.”
He took a sip of the hot coffee. “The dishes you and your sister-in-law made when I first came here were exceptional. Where did you learn to cook like that?”
“My aunt is a professional chef and taught me and my brother. Lee’s an excellent cook, but once he graduates culinary school he’s going to be exceptional.”
“What about your mother? Is she a good cook?”
She stared at her plate. “My mother died when I was seven. Talking about my parents is a long story that I really don’t want to get into right now.”
Reaching across the table, Noah held her left hand. “I’m sorry, Viviana. You don’t ever have to tell me if you don’t want to.”
Her head popped up. “One of these days, maybe I’ll feel comfortable enough with you to tell you the whole sordid story about my family.”
His hand tightened on her fingers. “I’m willing to bet my family’s secrets are just as sordid or even more so than yours.”
Her eyes grew wider. “They couldn’t be.”
Noah leaned over the table. “Do yours include affairs, secret babies and gangsters?”
Viviana’s jaw dropped. “Well...no.”
He released her fingers and sat back in his chair. “The only thing I’m going to say is if you have enough money, you can bury your secrets for a while, but then somehow they come to the surface and you’ll have to own it.” Noah stared over her head. “How many guests are you averaging a week?”
She shrugged her shoulders. “Probably around four. I know it’s not much, but I’m counting on more once hunting season begins.”
“And how long is that?”
“Two weeks in November. I don’t expect to be at full capacity until the spring and summer during tourist season. This is my first time operating a B and B, so next year I’m thinking of closing down from late November to early April.”
“Did you operate the boardinghouse year-round?” Noah hoped talking to Viviana about her business instead of herself would allow her to relax enough to feel completely at ease with him.
“Yes. I had regular boarders who paid by the month, and I served them two meals a day—breakfast and dinner. The problem was I had to be available around the clock every day of the year, and that was exhausting even with regular staff.”
Noah nodded. “I believe a bed-and-breakfast is less taxing. Once your elusive writer moves out, you should consider renting that guesthouse to a tenant who would be responsible for their own meals and laundry.”
“Now you sound like Angela. She wanted me to advertise the guesthouses as rentals, which would bring in steady income.”
“You have ten bedroom suites in this house, five in each wing you’ve designated for business and the other five for personal use. And if you’re going to wait for the spring to fill the business suites, then you can’t expect much of a profit margin.”
“I’ve factored that into my budget projection. That’s why none of my employees are full-timers.”
“What about your cook?”
“He comes in at six and leaves at nine. I take over the kitchen duties and serve guests until ten, and then I clean up the kitchen.”
“That’s a lot of work.”
“I know, but it has to be done, and I’m not too proud to roll up my sleeves and work. Once Lee comes back, it will get easier because he’ll take over the kitchen.”
“When is he expected back?”
“Not until he and Angela graduate college.”
Noah blinked slowly. “And that is?”
“Almost four years from now.”
Noah went completely still. He’d thought Viviana was going to say one or two but not four years. “When you had the boardinghouse, did you run it by yourself?”
“Not initially. My aunt cooked while my uncle took care of the repairs and the grounds. I helped out with laundry and cleaning the rooms. But after Aunt Babs and my uncle relocated to Arizona, I was responsible for running the boardinghouse because Lee was in the army. He only came back when I told him that the county had placed a lien on the property for back taxes.”
“He was back, and now he’s gone.”
Viviana narrowed her eyes, again reminding him of a cat ready to strike. “Please don’t talk about my brother, Noah. Precisely because I have a knack of attracting the wrong men, my brother had to give up a military career to come back and save our home.”
“Why are you blaming yourself for a decision he made? He could’ve taken a leave and then reenlisted before the year was up. I happen to know that much about the military.”
“That’s what he’d originally planned, but Angela wouldn’t have married him because she was a military widow and she did not want to go through that again. She hadn’t delivered her twins when her first husband was killed.”
Noah slumped in the chair and ran a hand over his face. “Oh, I’m so sorry I said what I said to you about your brother.”
“Don’t beat up on yourself. You didn’t know. I think we should reserve judgment of each other because there is so much I don’t know about you and you don’t know about me, Noah.”
“You’re right,” he said in agreement.
“Anytime you want to know something about me and my family, all you have to do is ask,” he said, smiling.
“Aren’t you afraid I’ll spill my guts to a tabloid reporter?”
“No. A tabloid tried that before and my grandfather shut them down.”
Her mouth formed a perfect O. “My bad.”
Throwing back his head, Noah laughed. “And you don’t have to worry about me repeating your family gossip,” he said once he stopped laughing.
“It doesn’t matter because everyone in The Falls knows about the Wolfes and their offspring. There was a time when the Wolfes were like the Bernie Madoffs of Johnson County. They screwed over everyone who came into contact with them.” She touched her napkin to the corners of her mouth. “That’s something I’ll tell you about at another time.”
Noah glanced at his watch. “I’m going to leave now to go over to the town hall to file my application.” He rose to stand. “I know you only serve breakfast, but will I see you for dinner?”
“Are you cooking?” Viviana teased.
“I can bring back takeout.”
She stood up. “Forget takeout. I’ll cook.”
Noah stacked the dishes and flatware, carried them
