Rick was the type of man Molly now realized she found attractive. She didn’t know she had a type until now, and she never would have known if she hadn’t taken a vacation to Lemon Grove. To think she was going to settle for the likes of Brad without ever knowing genuine attraction.
At the side of the coffee shop, Rick tied Hudson to a picnic table where a small metal bowl, already filled with water, rested on the grass.
“Patsy leaves the bowl out for Hudson to drink from whenever he comes by.”
“That’s kind of her.”
Uninterested in having a drink, Hudson flopped down beside the bowl and closed his eyes as Rick walked Molly to the front of the café and held the door.
“Good morning. I’ll be with you in a minute,” Patsy said. With her back turned, she prepared an order behind the counter and turned around. Her mouth dropped open at the sight of Rick holding Molly’s hand. “I wasn’t expecting to see the two of you. Well, I did… but not now… together… I mean, I didn’t think I’d see you until later… separately… I, uh, I’m going to get this to my customers and I’ll be right with you.” Patsy grabbed a tray and rushed to the corner of the room to deliver two breakfast bagels to two men seated at the far wall.
Molly smiled as Rick tightened his grip on her hand. She hadn’t expected walking into the coffee shop would fluster poor Patsy, but it seemed it had. Hopefully, it wasn’t because Patsy had wanted to be the one on the end of Rick’s arm. Molly hadn’t meant to make anyone jealous and was here for a morning coffee, which happened to be part of a date with Rick. Molly had enjoyed getting to know Patsy these past few days and had no desire to upset her.
“Did you want to get something to eat?” Rick asked.
“I had breakfast, although those bagels look good.” Eggs and bacon stacked between a sliced bagel looked delicious and was something to consider adding to their menu back at the coffee shop. She would need to mention it to Carla.
“You should try one then.”
“I don’t know. Maybe tomorrow.”
“Go ahead. I’m buying.”
Molly shook her head. “We’re only here for coffee.”
“And if you want a bagel, I won’t keep you from it.”
“I only said they looked good.”
“What if I split one with you? I haven’t eaten breakfast myself.”
Molly encountered a wave of guilt. She hadn’t even considered if Rick was hungry and had only thought of herself. Rick shouldn’t be forced to skip breakfast because of her.
“Splitting it is fine, unless you want the whole thing.”
Rick smiled and gave her hand a squeeze. “I want you to try the bagel. We’ll split it.”
“Sounds good,” she said.
Patsy hurried around the counter and wiped her hands on the cloth. “So, what can I get you two?” Her cheeks were red as she avoided eye contact.
“A breakfast bagel,” Rick said. “Two coffees. Molly, what kind of coffee would you like?”
“Oh, a mocha would be lovely this morning.”
“Of course,” Patsy said. She turned to Rick, seeming to have regained her composure, looked at him and smiled. “The usual for you?”
“That would be great. We’ll be outside with Hudson.”
“Hudson is here?” Patsy’s shoulders bounced as she laughed. “Then I will bring him out his treat. I’ll have your things out to you right away.”
Rick paid for the breakfast as Patsy winked at Molly, who wondered if it wasn’t a common occurrence for Rick to pay for someone’s coffee at the coffee shop, or to be holding someone’s hand. What she knew was word traveled fast in small towns, and townsfolk liked to visit coffee shops. By the end of the day, everyone in Lemon Grove would know Patsy saw her at the coffee shop with Rick, and Molly would find out soon enough if it was good or bad being the talk of the town.
Chapter Sixteen
Rick was under her spell. Not once did he turn away from the stunning woman sitting across from him at the picnic table. He might have snuck a peek at Hudson to check up on the pup as he slept at their feet, but Molly had his full attention. He couldn’t take his eyes off of her and her lips. He loved the way they curled into a smile and how they moved when she spoke. She was enchanting, and he wanted to keep her sitting in front of him for as long as possible, or at least spend as many hours with her as she would allow him.
After his trip to the city, Rick figured his father owed him the time it took for him to travel to the meeting. If he were late getting to work today, he would argue it was better than asking for money. He’d accept time with Molly over any cash bonus.
His heart soared with the beautiful company in front of him. Her laugh made his heart sing. She couldn’t be more perfect… except for that minor issue of her living in the city. This distance was a problem, but one they could figure out. For now, he was content to be here at the café and stare into her beautiful, sparkling eyes.
“What do you think?” she asked, snapping him out of his trance.
“I think… that… uh…”
“You weren’t listening, were you?” The look of disappointment on her face was unmistakable.
He shook his head. “I’m sorry. I was—”
Molly sighed and shuffled in her seat. “It doesn’t matter.”
“No. It does. Please, repeat what you were saying.”
“From the beginning?”
Rick took a breath and smiled. “From when you said your friend Carla wanted to talk about the next steps for your coffee shop.”
“So, from the beginning.”
“Y-yes?”
Of course, he had to get caught up in her pretty smile rather than stop his mind from wandering. She had this way about her that, for the first time, rendered him helpless. In business, he always entered the room in control of the conversation. He had a plan in place that would move the discussion toward sealing a deal to benefit the company. With Valerie, well, she was the one in control and he had to stay on his toes.
With Molly, he had no agenda. The conversation unfolded as they talked and rather than listen to her words as if he was hoping to steer the conversation toward an end goal, he allowed himself to imagine other opportunities, such as what it would be like to hold her hand again, to smell her hair, kiss her lips… It was those thoughts that were getting him into trouble, and they would do so again if he didn’t pay attention to what she was saying.
“I don’t want to open another one downtown, but Carla is certain it is the best place to make a profit. She wants to have a second store at the other end of the city so half of our clients don’t have to travel as far.”
“But by doing so, you’re cutting half of your profits at your current store.”
“That’s my argument. I think we should open one in a unique area that would build a new client base.”
“That’s a good approach. In a new area, you reach people who don’t know you yet. If they like you enough, they will keep coming back and you will gain more clients with word of mouth. Either approach you settle on will be good. No matter what, you can’t have growth without risk.”
Molly nodded and turned to the side of the café. “How long has Patsy had this place for sale?”
He stared at the weathered for sale sign on the side of the building. “For a good year or more, but I don’t think she’s in a rush to sell.” He made a connect in his head that started his heart racing. “Why? Are you considering buying it?”
“Could you imagine?” Molly laughed and shook her head. “Carla would never agree to it. This is so far away from the city, she’d think I was crazy if I suggested it.”
“It has an established customer base with everyone in town coming through. You get those that always hit it up on their way through to the city, plus tourists.”
“How many people stop in Lemon Grove?”
“Many people stop here just for Patsy’s café. She has some very loyal customers.”
Molly sat in silence and ran
her finger along the surface of the table. Now Rick had a new expression to appreciate. A dimple emerged on her chin when Molly was deep in thought, and her right eyebrow rose a fraction as her jaw shifted to one side. He would have mistaken it for a smirk if it weren’t for the blank stare that threatened to bore through the tabletop.
“Are you considering it?”
Her gaze shifted to his. “I can’t. As much as it would be nice to live in a small town like this, away from the craziness of the city, I wouldn’t be able to get the support of Carla to get the money I’d need to buy it. This place would be great though.”
“What makes this place so great?” He leaned forward and propped his chin on his fist with his elbow planted on the table.
Molly giggled. “Oh gosh. It’s a cute place and, like you said, it has loyal customers. I like Lemon Grove.”
“And?”
“And what?”
“Well, I kind of hoped if you bought the place I’d be your favorite customer. I might even move my office from my cabin to a café table.”
“You wouldn’t.” She looked down at the ground as her cheeks reddened. Rick watched her lift her fingers to her lips before she pressed both against the side of her face, no doubt attempting to hide her expression.
“We’d be by every day. Wouldn’t we, Hudson?” Hudson lifted his head before lowering it back to the ground and letting out a long sigh. “There’d be no place he’d rather be.”
“Well,” she said. “That would be very sweet of you, but I don’t see that happening. Maybe the two of you could come out to the city to visit me at the shop there?”
Rick leaned away from the table and faked a smile. Given how infrequently he visited the city, he wouldn’t make it to her coffee shop often, and Hudson no longer enjoyed long rides in the truck. The short trip here and there was manageable for the old dog, but anything longer than an hour and he was ready for bed or his truck needed a cleaning. Keeping trips short and close to home was best.
“I guess we will see what happens.” Rick wasn’t about to rule anything out. It was possible to figure out a way to double up on a trip to the city. His father would like to see him come to the company office now and then, so his father might approve of a young lady with the power to persuade Rick to come to the city. It was getting harder to get his father to like anything he did or anyone he met from Lemon Grove. Molly wasn’t from here, and that would make his father happy.
But would Rick be happy? He hated the drive to the city and found it difficult to picture being back there permanently. Then again, being with Molly made him happy, and this was the happiest he had been in some time. Molly made him smile and laugh. She made him want to think about the future, beyond quiet moments at the cabin. He had a renewed outlook on life whenever she was around, and that wasn’t something that could be dismissed easily.
Rick’s phone rang in his pocket and he checked the display before placing it on the table beside him.
“Aren’t you going to answer that?” Molly asked, gesturing to the phone.
The last thing he wanted was to answer a call from Robert Fletcher. “He can leave a message.”
“It’s okay,” she said. “I don’t mind.” Molly leaned over and stroked the top of Hudson’s head.
The phone continued to vibrate and chime on the tabletop before coming to an abrupt stop.
“See?” Rick pushed the phone to the side. “Not important.”
Once again, the phone chimed and buzzed. Robert was calling again.
“Maybe it is important.”
Rick sighed as he held the phone, hovering his finger over the phone icon. He took a breath and answered the call.
“Robert.”
“Rick, my boy. How are you?” Robert’s voice seemed more energetic than usual.
Rick looked across at Molly and rolled his eyes, trying to communicate his displeasure over the caller on the other end. “I’m good, Robert. Just out having breakfast.”
“Are you at the café? I could swing by and—”
“No, thank you. I’m with a friend. What can I do for you?”
Robert cleared his throat and laughed. “Well, Rick, I heard from Valerie’s father, Charles Turner, that you were ready to look at my offer.”
“You heard wrong.” His firm voice caught Molly’s attention, who sat straight in her seat.
“Oh, he assured me you were serious. He mentioned something about you and Valerie getting back together.”
Rick’s eyes widened, and he struck his knees on the underside of the table as he rose. “I don’t know where he got that from.”
“It’s not true, then?”
He turned away from the look of concern on Molly’s face, while trying to hide his own. Too many people in Rick’s life were connected to Robert. Charles Turner, his parents, Valerie… Anything he said on this call would get back to them and he wasn’t ready to deal with the consequences that would follow if Robert spun the conversation to put Rick in a tight spot.
“Alright, I might have said something to them about you bringing by another offer.”
“And?”
Rick ran his hand through his hair and took another breath. All he needed was time to figure out what to do next. It is one thing to turn down Robert Fletcher, but a whole different issue for Charles Turner to think he was getting back together with Valerie. That meant his parents thought the same, and even Valerie. All because he had to go back to the city for that stupid meeting.
“You asked me to think about it, so I am. I won’t let you rush me, Robert.”
“Oh, of course not. Take your time. I’m happy we’re talking. Let me know if you have questions. I’d be willing to meet with you any time.”
He felt sick as he placed the phone back on the table and slid back into his seat.
“What was that all about?” Molly asked. “Not that it is any of my business. You just didn’t seem that happy about whatever you were talking about.”
“That was Robert Fletcher,” he said. Rick pushed his phone to the edge of the table, wishing it would fall to the ground and shatter. “He wants to buy my cabin.”
“Buy your cabin? That’s a good thing.”
“Only if you are interested in selling.”
“And you’re not?”
Rick shook his head and grabbed his coffee, taking a long sip. “Nope. Robert owns Lemon Eagle Resort and wants to buy the cabin so he can tear it down and expand his property. He recently changed his offer to buy up most of my acreage while leaving me with the cabin and some yard space.”
“And you don’t want that, either?”
“Not at all. His guests tear up the forest with their off-road vehicles and make a bunch of noise. I’d get no sleep. And if he built more cabins back there, it wouldn’t feel like the oasis it currently is.”
“I’d love to live in a place where someone approached me to buy my house. Not that I own a house, but there are homes that sit on the market forever. If someone walked up to me with the right price, I’d sell.”
“Even if it was your forever home?”
“A home is what you make of it. A house is a building, not a home. If you sell it for a profit, you could get something you’d like even more.”
“You’re sounding like Robert.” Rick looked at Hudson, asleep at their feet. What would uprooting him from his home do to the old dog? This area is all Hudson has known. He wouldn’t be able to wander in a new neighborhood. He’d become lost for sure. To confine him to a fenced yard would be no way for Hudson to spend his last months or years. “Sometimes a profit isn’t worth the sacrifice.”
Molly crossed her arms. “How much is a place in Lemon Grove worth?”
“Depends on the place.”
“Okay. What has he offered you for your place?”
Rick took another sip of coffee. It was embarrassing for Rick to admit he was turning down Robert’s offer of three million for a cabin he bought for four-hundred thousand. Any smart investor would jump at
the offer, but he couldn’t. He’d be giving up too much.
“I’m sorry,” she whispered. “I shouldn’t have asked.”
“It’s alright. I don’t enjoy talking about money all that much, and it seems like that’s all Robert Fletcher wants to talk about. My cabin is worth more to me than the money.” Molly rotated her coffee mug on the table before lifting it to her lips. “The last offer he gave me was for three million.”
Her mouthful of coffee landed back into her mug. “I’m sorry. What?”
“I know. It’s a lot of money.”
“Yeah. Are you serious? Three million?”
Rick picked up his phone and turned it screen down onto the table. “Yes, but I’m not interested in selling.”
Molly laughed and lowered her mug. “Rick, I understand finding that special place you want to call home, but we’re talking about three million dollars here. How many places in Lemon Grove sell for that amount?”
“None. I’m a fool for not selling. Hudson has lived his entire life here, and I can’t imagine moving him away from the only place he’s known. Even if I kept the house and sold the land, Hudson couldn’t roam through the resort property. I know that Robert Fletcher would complain to me and demand I keep him off the land the minute I sold it, even though it hasn’t mattered to Robert how many times his guests have been on my property over the years.”
“You could find a place with an enormous yard for less than three million dollars. Even half of that.” Molly clasped her coffee mug in both hands and sighed. “I don’t want to tell you want to do. It is your place, and it means a lot to you. I just think opportunities like this don’t come along all that often. Do what is best for you and Hudson, and if you feel that means staying in Lemon Grove, then that’s what you should do.”
Mountain Getaway Page 14
