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She reached for her favorite mug and a paper to-go cup for him and willed the coffee to hurry up. She had more cakes to decorate before noon, a holiday window display to create for the Night of Lights that weekend, and the rain had let up momentarily, but once it started again, she’d be busy with walk-ins. And she did not want anyone coming in and seeing him or overhearing their conversation. She needed to get him out of there.
May as well cut straight to the chase. “So, why are you really here? I still have a few more months before I have to give you my final decision.”
“We are reaching the end of the terms of our offer. Typically, these kinds of acquisitions don’t take this long.”
“I still haven’t made a decision, so if you need to retract the offer…” That would be easiest of all. Have the opportunity taken away so that it was no longer her choice.
That would be better, right?
Mr. Dorsey shook his head as he climbed up on a stool and opened his briefcase on the countertop. “We are actually willing to make it more appealing for you and your neighbors. Maybe help the decision come along a little faster.”
She turned away, needing a moment, and with an unsteady hand, she poured the coffee and handed him a cup. “Cream? Sugar?” she mumbled.
“Black is fine.”
No doubt like his cold heart.
“Look, Miss Connolly, we’re not trying to bully you into making a decision. I get it. I understand your attachment to this place.” He looked around the shop as though he found the small-town local business charming and quaint.
She doubted he could possibly understand it. She sipped the hot coffee and burned her lip.
“The first business I acquired was my parents’ little mom and pop bookstore in San Diego.”
Yep, heartless.
“I grew up in that store, I worked there during the summer—it was special to my parents and to me,” he said, wrapping his hands around the cup and leaning forward, “but selling it made sense. Local independent bookstores aren’t making profits these days and my parents would have put all of their savings into keeping the doors open, and for what?”
For what? Was he serious? Was it really just about a healthy bottom line? “How about for the community? The people who still love those indie bookstores?” She loved Book Pages, Blue Moon Bay’s bookstore down the street. It would be like losing a friend if that place ever closed.
Though, when was the last time she’d visited and actually supported the store?
Mr. Dorsey shook his head. “In the end, they hadn’t busted their butts for years just to retire poor. It was for the best. But my point is, I get it. I know what it’s like to let go of something that you’ve worked hard to build, and this bakery is nothing like that bookstore—it’s actually thriving, which is why we want to increase our buyout offer.” He reached into his soft, leather briefcase and slid the new offer toward her.
She didn’t want to look, but she was curious… Her gaze landed on the dollar amount they were offering and she blinked.
A million dollars?
“You’d never have to work again if you didn’t want to, and if you invested right, of course,” he said.
A million dollars was double their original offer and it could set her up for life…whatever direction she decided to take.
Her head was nodding almost as though on autopilot, and she quickly reversed its direction. So quickly, she got a neck cramp. “I’m twenty-nine. I’m not interested in retiring.” Though not having to worry about a slow season would alleviate any stress she experienced throughout the year, but this decision couldn’t be strictly based on money.
Mr. Dorsey shrugged. “Then go work somewhere, with the peace of mind that money is no longer an issue.”
“Money is not a huge motivator for me.” She’d never really had to worry about it. Her parents had loaned her the money to open the bakery years before and she’d since paid them back, and she lived a modest life. She had no debt or any huge expenses.
But she sighed, her thoughts immediately going to Whitney, who was struggling financially. She’d admitted in recent months that her mother’s medical bills were a concern. If Jessica took this offer, she could help her friend out with her debt. Take some of the burden away. Then maybe Whitney would be comfortable moving forward with wedding plans and having a family with Trent.
Then again, selling the bakery for the money might allow her to help Whitney, but she’d be letting Sarah down. She’d agreed to be the main supplier of baked goods for the inn, and Sarah’s decision to keep it had been partially based on Jessica’s promise. Not entirely…and she’d understand, but…
There seemed to be no winning in this decision. “How long do I have to think about it?”
“Until the original offer expires,” he said. “However, we’d like to move forward with our plans as early as the new year, so an early decision would be appreciated.”
Meaning more money, no doubt.
“And Frankie’s Fabrics—you’re offering her the same?” Her aunt was getting close to retirement age. Frankie may not have jumped at the first offer, but this one would be tough to turn down, especially if she too saw the potential benefit of helping Whitney and Trent.
