LITMIR.BIZ

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eyes widened. “For real? But I haven’t even shown you my new concept drawings for the café interiors. My friend, Sarah Jensen, did them for me.” Maddie dug into the leather briefcase that Mrs. Beabots had loaned her and pulled out the professionally bound report that she and Sarah had prepared. “I was thinking that because I sell so much cappuccino and espresso, we could do an Italian theme, you know, with yellow-and-white awnings out front, Italian chairs and stools, and of course, brass-and-copper espresso machines as the focal point—”

      “We can get to that in a bit,” Alex interrupted, glancing at his watch. “I ordered a car to take us to the restaurant. Let’s get a jump on things and head out. You bring your drawings and let’s see.” He picked up several manila folders.

      Maddie rose and Alex followed her out of the office. He stopped for a moment at Sean’s desk.

      “I’m on my cell if Quinton needs me. If that Dubai call comes through, patch them over to my cell. We’ll be at Bandera. Hold any other calls.”

      “Yes, sir,” Sean said. He shot a wink at Maddie and gave her two thumbs-up.

      They rode the elevator in silence as Alex texted someone. Once out on the street, he pointed to a black Lincoln Town Car parked in a no parking zone.

      “This is it,” Alex said, rushing to get the door for Maddie.

      She climbed in and Alex got into the backseat with her.

      “It’s only a few blocks to Bandera, but they kept saying it was going to rain today and I didn’t want us to get caught in a downpour.”

      “Thank you for thinking of that,” Maddie replied, realizing she hadn’t checked the weather forecast in days. Only the worst snow blizzards kept her customers away. On most rainy days, the café was packed. It was Maddie’s theory that people liked to “huddle” on dreary days, looking for energy from others to give them a boost...along with the sugar and caffeine she offered. She hoped Chloe was doing all right with only a few hours’ help from Sarah’s aunt Emily, who had volunteered to work part of the day so that Maddie could come to this meeting.

      Emily explained that George, her husband, was quite excited about the prospect of Alex and his company putting together a franchise for Maddie. Emily also wanted to do her part in giving Maddie a shot at her dream.

      They pulled up to the restaurant and Maddie got out. Alex gave the driver some instructions and then followed her into the restaurant. The hostess led them to a booth. Soft lighting emanated from linen-covered chrome cylinders on the walls and tables. Overhead was a dark wood ceiling from which were suspended flat, oval-shaped paper lanterns that reminded Maddie of flying saucers. There was an open kitchen where the patrons could watch the cooks preparing the meals.

      The smell of garlic, onion, beef, chicken and shrimp were laced with the smoky, woodsy aroma of the open-pit grill where trout and other seafood were mesquite grilled.

      Alex and Maddie sat opposite each other in the booth. After the waiter took their drink and appetizer orders, Alex said, “I didn’t mean to rush you out of the office, but I worked till after ten last night, didn’t have any supper except for a stale half a bagel someone left in the break room, and I am starving.”

      “I can understand why,” she replied.

      “Besides, I had those two calls coming in and they could wind up taking all our lunch hour. And I really didn’t want that to happen. So,” he said, searching her face with his blue eyes. “Gosh, you look great.”

      Maddie smiled, tilted her head and then peered at him from the corner of her eye. “You’re flattering me a lot, Alex. Is this because I’m about to be rich?”

      Alex laughed, then covered his mouth with his napkin. “I hate to burst your bubble, but this is just the beginning of a long trip.”

      “Rich is a relative term, is it not?” she asked.

      “True. But do you know what the best part is?”

      “What?”

      “We’ll be making the journey together. I’ll be there every step of the way. At least for most of them.”

      “I need a professional to guide me,” she said.

      “I, er...was hoping for a bit more than that.” Alex stared at his silverware, then lifted his head and shot her a purposeful look.

      Responding to the intensity in his eyes, she asked, “What do you want, Alex?”

      “A date.”

      “This could be a date,” she observed, noting the chic businesswomen and -men in the booths near them.

      “This? Nah. This is steak and business. I was thinking more like escargots, truffles and champagne in a really nice joint.”

      Maddie was surprised, though she shouldn’t have been. Alex wasn’t just flirting with her, and wasn’t just interested in her as a client. He wanted a romance. But did she? The idea instantly filled her with trepidation.

      Alex glanced at her hand, which was trembling. “Okay. Forget the escargots. Let’s stick to business for the time being.”

      Maddie exhaled. She couldn’t imagine what was wrong with her. Here was a perfectly formed dreamboat—every girl’s ideal—and she was refusing his offer. She must have lost her mind. Maddie had to move her hands to her lap and clamp them together to keep from shaking.

      What is the matter with me?

      Just then, the waiter brought the chips and spinach dip Alex had asked for. Maddie smiled at the waiter. Alex kept his eyes on Maddie, observing her every move.

      “Let me see these drawings you have,” he said. He took huge gulps of iced tea and wolfed down the first few chips as if he truly hadn’t eaten much in days.

      Maddie reached into the briefcase and withdrew the bound folder. “Do you often work such long hours? No dinner and all that?”

      “Absolutely. Especially when I’m obsessed with hitting my project out of the park. In this case, that would be you,” he said, glancing at her seductively.

      Maddie only blinked.

      He dropped his eyes and wiped his hands on his napkin. He took the folder from Maddie. “It’s my bet you’re no stranger to long hours.”

      “A lot of nights it’s midnight or later by the time I get home. Business has been picking up.”

      “Looks like it. Or maybe you just haven’t done the necessary hiring,” he said critically, but then softened his face with a sincere smile.

      “It’s hard to find good people,” Maddie retorted. She watched him slowly go through the drawings. He stayed silent and didn’t look at her. Maddie realized that Alex was truly unnerved by her rejection. Despite the fact that he’d sent her flowers, she hadn’t been prepared for a personal discussion about “them” today. She certainly hadn’t thought about a relationship, either. Maddie didn’t have time for love...or so she’d told herself for the eleven years since Nate Barzonni abandoned her for no reason at all. She invested her energy and emotion into her business.

      She wanted to achieve her dream. All of it. For years she’d told her herself that all she needed in life was to reach her goal of franchising her business. Romance was for other women. Maybe she’d find love one day, but Maddie couldn’t allow it to get in the way of her success.

      “It’s a matter of trust, Maddie,” Alex said, his stern voice piercing the Kevlar vest of excuses Maddie wore around her heart.

      “Trust?”

      “The real reason you haven’t hired someone to do the night work is because then they would know your recipes. You don’t want anyone to steal them because in the recipes lies one of the secrets to your business.”

      Maddie stopped midmotion as she took a sip of her tea. “That is the reason I haven’t hired anyone

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