“Maybe one of the Blue Ox guys was responsible.” Adrian took off the apron around his waist and wadded it into a ball. “A lot of those guys have local connections. Maybe they heard about the need and decided to give back to the place that’s given to them.”
Ella shrugged. “You’re probably right.”
The tension in Sammy’s shoulders loosened. It seemed his secret was still safe. But…something didn’t sit right with him. An annoying itch at the thought that no one even considered him a possibility. That they took him for granted. He cleared his throat. “I’ve got to get going.”
“Let me get the door for you.” Adrian stepped around him to hold open the door.
The cold air was a slap in the face. A hint of the rose-and-chocolate scent of Ella’s store followed him to the sidewalk.
Sammy strapped the box into his delivery basket. Before he could take off, his cell chirped and he dug it out of his jacket pocket. “Vivien. Hi!” He pictured the dark-haired woman on the other end of the line.
“Hey, Sammy. I’m calling because something needs to be done about the youth center.”
“Did the furnace go out again? I thought the unit was top of the line.”
“The furnace is fine. What I’m talking about is consistency.”
“Hold on a sec. I’m transferring to earbuds.” He popped his earbuds in and picked up the call again, slipping his phone into his pocket. “Are you still there?”
“Still here. Are you on a job?”
“Yes, but I can talk and ride.”
“Good. Here’s what I’m thinking,” Vivie gushed. “What we need is a full-time director. Someone who is in charge of recruiting volunteers and raising money and stuff like that. They wouldn’t need to do all the work, just help keep it all organized.”
Sammy smiled at her enthusiasm. If anyone could get it done, it was Vivie. “This all sounds good, but we can’t afford to hire a director.”
“I’ve been thinking about that too. There must be grants and things out there that could help. Maybe we should have a bake sale.”
“I’m not sure about the bake sale.” Though, enlisting a certain baker for help wouldn’t be a hardship. “But I like the idea of looking into grants for the position.”
“Right? This could really work.”
“I’ll be excited to see you as director.” Maybe this could be a partial answer to his prayers about joining up with Tucker. He’d be leaving the youth center in capable hands.
“What? No. I don’t have time for that. I was thinking of you for the director.”
He almost drove his bike off the road. “Me? I don’t think so.”
“Why not? You’d be perfect. You’re good with the kids. You’re obviously organized. Your work ethic is an inspiration. A side benefit is we all know you can fix whatever breaks in that old building.”
He let her words wind through him. He was an inspiration? Maybe he’d been saved for a reason after all.
Except—
“I don’t have any qualifications. I didn’t even go to college.”
“Pfft.” He imagined her waving his words away. “College isn’t the only way to learn what we need to know in life. What you have to offer is bigger than a college degree.”
“We don’t even know if we will get the funding.” But in the back of his mind, he was already thinking about the money he still had in the bank. Maybe he could set up a trust to support the youth center. Would that be a conflict of interest?
“We’ll figure something out. It’s too important not to. Just promise me you will think about it.”
“I promise.”
In fact, he probably wouldn’t be able to stop thinking about it. He pictured the log cabin he’d once dreamt of building. If he stayed, he could revisit those plans.
Maybe he and Robin could figure out a way to expand her grandparents’ bakery so she could keep creating her cakes.
