Janet Evanovich - Love in a Nutshell

IN LOVING MEMORY OF BUBBA GIMP, THE COOLEST SPECIAL NEEDS COONHOUND TO WALK THIS EARTH. AND ALSO OF CEILI, HIS WONDERFUL WESTIE MAMA DOG. THERE WILL NEVER BE ANOTHER PAIR QUITE LIKE YOU!

DORIEN

CONTENTS

ONE

Kate Appleton needed a job. Again.

Actually, need didnt come close to describing the hunger and sharp bite of desperation speeding her steps across Depot Brewing Companys parking lot on that crisp October afternoon. Just as the town marina to the right of the microbrewery was growing empty of boats, Keenes Harbor, Michigan, was growing empty of tourists and their cash. And, at this moment, Kate needed cash. She had moved to Keenes Harbor a couple of weeks ago, eager to change her parents dilapidated lake house into a thriving bed-and-breakfast. They had moved to Naples, Florida, and the harsh reality was that it hadnt been used in years, except as a nut storage facility by a family of industrious squirrels. Ironic, since a homemade plaque proclaiming the house The Nutshell had adorned the front entrance since before she could remember.

In any event, the house needed a lot of work, and her parents were less than enthusiastic about pumping tens of thousands of dollars into a home that was already underwater on its mortgage. To make matters worse, theyd gotten a letter from some lawyer last week that the bank had gone into bankruptcy and the mortgage had been sold to some private investor. Hed offered to release Kates parents from the debt in exchange for the property. It was actually a fairly generous offer, considering the market, but Kate was trying to build a life for herself in Keenes Harbor. And dammit, her family home wasnt for sale. Depot Brewing wasnt just Kates last shot at employment. It was the last shot at her dreams.

* * *

CRIMSON MAPLE leaves crunched beneath her leather boots as she marched toward the handsome yellow brick and sandstone building and checked off her plan of action. She would be firm, yet polite. Honest, yet not to the point of over-sharing. And she would go straight to the top, to the guy who could make her, or Forget that. She wouldnt consider the possibility of someone breaking her. And she wouldnt consider walking away without a job.

Kate drew in a breath, pulled back her shoulders, and wrapped her hand around the hammered-bronze door handle of her new workplace.

* * *

MATT CULHANE sat holed up in his small and admittedly cluttered office behind Depot Brewing Companys taproom. He wanted one last look at his inventory spreadsheet before the after-work crowd showed up. Not that he begrudged his customers their fun, but he should have chosen to stay put in his dungeon of an office in the back of the microbrewery rather than move into the portion of the building housing the newly constructed but noisy restaurant. He was deciding whether to work out a trade with one of his brewer buddies for some Chinese hops when he heard Jerry, his hospitality manager, greet someone in the taproom.

Is Matt Culhane in? a woman asked Jerry. I need to talk to him. His office is in the back, right?

Yes, Jerry replied. But Wait, you cant

Thanks so much for your help, the woman replied. I can find my way.

Kate knocked once on the open door and swept inreaand sweto the office, closing the door behind her and leaving Jerry standing on the other side openmouthed and clearly flustered.

Culhanes first thought was that she was a woman on a mission. His second thought was that he was intrigued. She was just over five feet tall, and had short-cropped blond hair, big hazel eyes, and a wide mouth that he suspected would light up a room when she smiled.

Matt rose, rounded his desk, and extended his hand.

Hi, Im Matt Culhane.

Kate took his hand and gave it a firm businesslike shake. I know. Im Kate Appleton. I dont have a job. And its your fault. Twenty minutes ago, I was fired because of you.

Because of me?

Yep. From Baggers Tavern, down on Keene Avenue. It was all because of your skunky beer.

Before he could respond, she planted herself in the one guest chair that didnt have files stacked on it.

Cute but crazy, Matt thought, following her lead and returning to sit in his chair behind his desk. And oddly enough, it did nothing to diminish his attraction to her. Harley fired you?

He did, Kate said.

Did he say why?

Apparently, Im no longer to be trusted behind the bar, because bad beer passed from tap to lips. I dont think thats fair. And when I look at the whole mess, I figure its your responsibility. It was your beer, she replied in a patient tone. I moved to Keenes Harbor three weeks ago and lobbied like crazy to get even that part-time bartending job. Then I lost it over bad beer. Now I have nothing. Every store downtown is owned locally, and every owner runs their place alone in the slow season.

Matt smiled. Thats to be expected. A town built to hold several thousand summer visitors can be pretty empty come the cool weather. Whyd you move here in the off-season?

Well, lets just say my options were extremely limited. I needed an inexpensive place to stay, and the mortgage payments on my parents lake house are a heckuva lot less than any decent rental.

Actually, she was a few months behind on the payments. Between her crapola job at Baggers and the endless repairs on the house, her savings were pretty much gone. Shed talked to the bank and theyd agreed to let her catch up over the next six months, but that was before theyd gone belly-up. Kate drove the thought from her mind, replacing it with the happy memories that had inspired her to move to Keenes Harbor in the first place. Id spent summers here as a kid and loved it. I thought I could come up with some sort of job.

Apparently, she had some history around town, and she also looked to be in the general ballpark of his age. Still, it was no surprise their paths hadnt crossed earlier. Hed stuck with hi jutuck wis townie pack. In his high school days, the summer girls werent worth the snobbishness some of them had thrown at the locals while sunning on Lake Michigans long stretch of beach.

So youre a summer person, he said. He wasnt into line-drawing anymore, but he couldnt resist teasing just a little, trying to provoke the same little flush of emotion to her cheeks hed seen when she first walked into his office.

Thanks, but I think of myself more as a Citizen of All Seasons.

Works for me. Wheres your parents place?

Its on the lake about two miles north of town. Its old, big, and drafty. And its a huge money pit, which brings us back to the aforementioned skunky beer, she said, obviously trying to drive the conversation to a set destination.

Matt was curious enough to give her the room to run. Ill agree that Harley serves my beer, but Im not going any further than that. The keg could have been bad for a lot of reasons, including dirty tap lines, bad tapping, or the fact that it was past its expiration date. But the bottom line is that I didnt tell him to fire you.

Just the same, honor compels that you give me a job.

Another surprise bombshell. A job?

Yes. And Im available to start immediately.

Lucky me, he thought. The woman was clearly crazy, and yet strangely appealing in her overly earnest, convoluted reasoning.

Supposing, for the sake of discussion, that we were hiring right now, he said. Other than a couple of weeks at Baggers, whats your work experience?

She folded her hands in her lap, a gesture more appropriate for a navy blue interview suit than jeans and a puffy, off-white down jacket still zipped up to her chin. He wondered what she was going to wear when it really got cold around here.

I have a B.A. in Drama from a small college in Ohio.

This time he couldnt fight back a smile. I didnt ask about your education. I asked what you can do. Before you came to Keenes Harbor, did you have a job?