LITMIR.BIZ

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wandered into Bailey by chance. It was a small town in the northern part of the state. The mountains surrounding Bailey kept it away from the world, and only those who sought out Bailey would come across it.

      Which meant the man had been telling the truth about the agreement her dad and Wilbur Hunt had made. Why else would he have come here? Her father had never mentioned anything about his idea to either her or her mother. But then again he hadn’t expected to die so suddenly, either.

      As the day traveled to its end, Sally began to wonder if she’d made a mistake. Her agreement to have a meal with a man when she didn’t know his name was unusual. It was more than unusual. It was unheard of.

      As the clock drew near six o’clock, Sally began debating more and more about what to do. Should she stay in the store, not meeting the stranger at the restaurant? He’d know where to find her, but he might be so irritated, he wouldn’t come back to the store.

      If she went to the restaurant, how would she ask for her dinner partner when she didn’t even know his name? The vision of his handsome face floated before her. Sally realized that she did in fact want to go and meet him. It would be a relief to talk to someone not from Bailey. Someone who had seen the world. Or at least more than she had.

      Finally she slipped over to her house, the big, lonely house she’d shared with her parents. She removed her denim jeans and sweater and put on a slim black skirt and a knit top that showed some sense of style. She even added a little makeup, though she seldom wore any at the store.

      At exactly six o’clock, she walked into the Diamond Back restaurant, looking around, hoping to see the man already sitting at a table. No such luck. She looked at the hostess, Diane Diamond, wife of the owner and someone she knew very well from the store.

      “Evening, Diane,” Sally said, smiling slightly.

      “Your guest is waiting at our best table, Sally. Thanks for bringing us new business,” Diane answered, smiling fondly at Sally.

      Relieved that she hadn’t had to ask any uncomfortable questions Sally released a sigh. “You’re welcome, Diane.” And moved in the direction the other woman indicated. She rounded the corner and saw a table occupied by the stranger she’d met that morning.

      When she approached he stood and moved around the table to hold her chair for her.

      “Thank you,” she murmured and slid into the seat.

      He returned to the seat across from her. As he sat down, he smiled. “You look lovely, Sally.”

      “How do you know my name?” she asked, taken a little by surprise.

      “It’s one of the charms of a small town, isn’t it? People are willing to talk. Just the hint of your parents’ deaths and they told me about you and Penny, your cousin.”

      “Please don’t make fun of small towns. I happen to be fond of them.”

      “My apologies. I think I neglected to introduce myself this morning. Because of the surprise you handed me, I forgot the niceties. I’m Hunter Bedford and, as I said, I represent the Hunt Corporation of Denver.”

      “Good evening, Mr Bedford. I’m sorry, but I think you’ve made a wasted trip,” Sally answered, relieved that she at least knew his name now.

      Hunter smiled at her again, his perfect teeth gleaming. “I wouldn’t say that.”

      “Mr Bedford, I have only just heard of this arrangement between my father and your grandfather and like I said this morning I’m not interested in training you without a non-compete agreement.” Sally was determined that she wasn’t going to be railroaded.

      “I realize that, not knowing my grandfather, that would be your position. I talked to him on the phone after our meeting this morning and told him of the situation. He was sorry to hear of your father’s death and passes on his condolences. He also told me that the agreement they had was a verbal one, between gentlemen, but he has no problem giving you a non-compete agreement if that would make you happier. He is very keen for me to stay here in Bailey and get to know more about your store. And I think you could maybe use some help for the rest of the month—free of charge.”

      Sally was silent for a moment, thinking about Mr Bedford’s words. She knew he was right about the help, but didn’t want to appear desperate for him to stay. She said, “We could manage.”

      They were interrupted by the waitress who stepped up to their table.

      “Good evening, folks. Have you had a chance to look at the menu?”

      “No, we haven’t. Could we have a couple of minutes?”

      “Sure thing.” The waitress was listening to Sally but was smiling at the stranger.

      Sally picked up the menu, though she knew it by memory, to make a decision about what she would eat. Her dinner partner did the same.

      After a moment, the waitress reappeared at their table and took their order, both deciding on the meat loaf. “I’ll have that right out for you,” the waitress said brightly, again smiling at Sally’s dinner partner.

      “The service here is certainly efficient,” he said after the waitress had walked away.

      “I believe you think it’s because you’re a visitor, Mr Bedford, but I suspect it has more to do with your good looks.”

      “I’ll take that as a compliment, Sally, and please, call me Hunter.”

      “Very well, Hunter. So, what do we have to talk about?”

      Hunter smiled. Sally had to admit it was an attractive smile. One that would draw attention anywhere.

      “You haven’t heard me out. Assuming we have a non-compete clause, would you consider me working in the store?”

      Sally took a drink of iced water and returned Hunter’s smile. “Tell me, how did you hear of our store? I’m intrigued.”

      “From our suppliers. The volume of your orders speaks of big sales, larger than a small town store usually handles.”

      “We have a large range of coverage because there aren’t that many towns nearby.”

      “I noticed that on the map. I even visited some of the stores in the area, what there were of them. But your store is by far the largest and carries the largest range of goods. Why do you suppose that is?”

      “I think it has something to do with how long we’ve been trading for. My grandfather’s father opened the store in 1922 and we’ve grown over the years. Isn’t that what stores do when they are successful?”

      “Of course it is. And that’s why it’s attractive to our company. We have five stores in Denver, three in Colorado Springs, and one store each in Pagosa Springs, Fort Collins and Boulder. We want to expand.”

      “Why don’t you consider other states?”

      “We’ve thought of that, but we prefer to keep our properties close together.”

      “I see.”

      “Would you be willing to consider hiring me for the rest of the month if we have that non-compete clause in place?”

      “I don’t know. I’d have to think about it.” Sally looked at him intently, his blue eyes seemed genuine and honest and she found herself liking Hunter Bedford more and more.

      “You wouldn’t be paying me a salary and I promise not to ask too many questions.”

      “What kind of questions would you ask? I’m new at this myself so I’m not exactly sure what you’d expect to learn.”

      A wry grin settled across his face. “That’s a good point and I don’t exactly know myself. I’d have to talk to my grandfather about that.”

      Their waitress returned with their meal and she immediately asked Hunter if there was anything else he wanted.

      “No,

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