Entwined With My Billionaire Enemy

Entwined With My Billionaire Enemy An Off Limits, Enemies to Lovers Romance Ashlyn Hayes Copyright © 2023 by Ashlyn Hayes All rights reserved. No portion of this book may be reproduced in any form without written permission from the publisher or author, except as permitted by U.S. copyright law. Contents 1. Kendall 2. Noah 3. Kendall 4. Noah 5. Kendall 6. Noah 7. Kendall 8. Noah 9. Kendall 10. Noah 11. Kendall 12. Kendall 13. Noah 14. Kendall 15. Noah 16. Kendall 17. Noah 18. Kendall 19. Kendall 20. Noah 21. Kendall 22. Noah 23. Kendall 24. Noah 25. Kendall 26. Noah 27. Kendall 28. Noah 29. Kendall 30. Noah 31. Kendall 32. Noah 33. Kendall 34. Noah 35. Kendall 36. Noah 37. Kendall 38. Kendall 39. Noah 40. Kendall 41. Pismo Beach Weekend Reader Epilogue Also By Ashlyn Hayes Chapter one KendallKendall Martin looked down at the chicken rosemary sandwich in front of her. The grilled chicken breasts, marinating in a fresh rosemary and garlic brine of her own creation, was grilled to perfection, with melted Swiss and honey maple bacon encased on top. The baby spinach leaves were fresh and crisp, the beefsteak tomatoes firm and colorful. The thin spread of Caesar dressing would give the toasted baguette some moisture, and a squeeze of lemon would give the sandwich its tang. She set the sandwich onto a plate and pulled the basket of fries out of the fat. She shook them to drain them, then poured them out onto a hot tray and salted them, tossing them and covering the plate before setting them on the counter and hitting the bell.Four years, she thought, and I'm demoted from owner to cook? When Ralphie ran off with that hitchhiker and left The Upper Crust, a good substitute failed to show up. But such things did tend to come up in the restaurant business, even in a little town like Pismo Beach, California, where the Pacific met the 101. And there is a thin pool of talent to draw from, unlike many of the bigger towns, not to mention the big cities. Even in Oxnard or Santa Barbara, there would be more talent to choose from.Things happen, Kendall told herself, eager to retain a bright outlook. Better me than somebody who gets it wrong and ruins our rep. Not going to stay at Pismo Beech's favorite sandwich place long if word gets out that we've let things slip. The right person will come along. If I got through the pandemic, I can get through a temporary vacancy in the kitchen.Grace came and picked up the plate, hustling it quickly to the table. She never stopped working, impressing Kendall at every turn. When it was quiet, Grace would clean. When it was busy, she never let the stress get to her. But Grace never stood around doing nothing. Kendall knew that if she had someone like her at the grill, the place would be rolling along on all pistons.Jeffie waddled between the tables, wiping them down and collecting the plates and glasses. He had a wicked sense of humor, which surprised most people. He always impressed Kendall, not letting his disabilities stop him from doing a good job or being popular with the locals.When asked, "What's up, Jeffie?" he always had a different answer."The sun!""The sky!""My dander!"Sometimes he'd be even more spicy than that, but he'd always make sure to be quiet and that no kids could hear.On that spring day, business was brisk. But it was the promise of what would be an onslaught in the upcoming summer. With normalcy returned to life in the United States, people were ready to get out and eat, get out and play, and be out. Pismo Beach was a summer town, and this summer was going to be huge.Have to find someone before May, Kendall told herself. That gives me six more weeks.It seemed like plenty of time, but it would pass quickly. The foggy spring would give way to hot, bright afternoons, and if The Upper Crust wasn't ready for the season, it wasn't likely to have another.One bad thing could ruin a business, especially a tiny restaurant. Word spread fast in a small town like Pismo Beach; people had little enough to talk about. Kendall looked back on all the work she'd done to open the shop, the long hours, the extra expense to keep the place clean and earn an A rating. She'd created her own sandwiches, and her friends and neighbors had so embraced them that they'd give them names, which Kendall had then turned around and officially put on the menus. The move had made her customers feel like they were part of the business, and, of course, they were.That was something Kendall wasn't going to forget. She'd always had a dream of owning such a tiny place. But she wouldn't have it anywhere but her hometown, where she knew the people and the people who knew her.It was her home; the people were like her family, the only family she had left. So to know that they loved the sandwiches and even delighted in naming them brought Kendall the kind of fulfillment that little else could.The new chicken sandwich, soon to be rechristened the Pismo Beast, would take its place among other Upper Crust specialties, such as the Cod Squad Crispwich, the Roast on Toast, and the I Love Loosey loose-meat pulled-pork sandwich, which was almost called Piggie's Broken Glasses before cooler heads prevailed.The Pacific Ocean churned outside, not far from the shop. The salty sea breeze wafted in to mix with the smells of mustard and fried fish.Grace was also handling the cash register, which Kendall would have done were she not subbing for Ralphie. It was stressful, but it was worth it. At the very least, being so busy kept her from having to think of other things.And suddenly, there wasn't time to think about anything."Aaaaaaahhhhh!"Kendall looked over to see that an existing party had