Page 33 of The Overtime Persuasive

I hand Vivian the third menu. “What were you up to—are you guys collaborating on something?”

“She wants to carry a few smaller Sullivan and Stone pieces for the holidays, and I’m going to put some of her handmade cards in my shop for last-minute gifting.”

“Such a good idea,” Lucy says, sipping her water. “Now maybe we can figure out how to get Eva free help for her shop.”

Vivian angles her body in my direction. “Oh, that’s right. I heard the café was shut down.”

“It was. There’s a pressure point happening where I can tell if I don’t get help soon, I’ll burn out by January first.” I nonchalantly lift a shoulder, as if I hadn’t a care in the world before going back to the menu. “But hey, I’m empowered. I own my own business. Go me.”

“I want to help,” Vivian says quickly, reaching across the table to grab my hand. “I genuinely do. But I’m behind on three bespoke holiday designs, now that Juliette’s pieces have joined the queue.”

“You don’t need to explain,” I tell Vivian. “I’ll be okay.”

Lucy and Vivian exchange a look.

I point between them. “Don’t do that.”

“Do what?” Vivian asks.

“Have a silent conversation about me when I’m sitting right here.”

“We weren’t,” Lucy says.

I wave a hand at the two of them. “You both have extremely expressive faces.”

The server returns for Vivian’s drink order and walks us through the family platters. Lucy chooses enough food for at least six people, then adds hush puppies after claiming they don’t count as a side nor for calories.

Once the server leaves, Vivian folds her arms on the table. “How many boxes are you doing now?”

As of today, a lot more. I give them the number. Vivian’s eyes widen. Lucy sits back in her chair.

“It feels bigger when you react like that,” I say.

“That’s because it’s a lot more boxes than you made it sound,” Lucy says. “How long does making one take?”

“It depends. Everything arrives separately. The candles need to be wrapped, and the records have to be checked before I pack them. Then there are the books, tea, chocolate, and cards.”

“Labels?” Vivian asks.

“Printed ahead of time.”

“And you’re doing all of that alone?” Vivian asks.

“I have some help.” I wave a hand in Lucy’s direction. “Lucy said she’d help when she can, and in the interim, I have Liam helping right now.”

The arrival of our server at this exact moment is timed so perfectly I want to hug him. He drops off our drinks and the first plate of food. Bless the basket of hush puppies that lands in front of Lucy, filling the air with the smell of hot oil and honey butter and stopping her from continuing the discussion.

I toss one her way before she can say anything.

“Sooo good,” she says as she sniffs it and smiles. “I love these things. They are an experience.”

I pull it apart, releasing a curl of steam, then spread butter over the center, and Lucy watches me take the first bite.

It is, annoyingly, an experience. I’m reaching for a second when Vivian looks toward the counter.

“Hey,” she says, nodding in that direction. “I think I met that guy with Ty the other night. Isn’t that the new Dominion player?”

Lucy twists in her chair. Her entire face brightens. “Tripp!”