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Should I tell him that I can’t apply for any loans because things went horribly wrong at SummerTime?Her debt/income ratio was appalling right now. Even if she somehow managed to get a loan, the interest rates would be sky-high.
But then she’d have to tell him about Greg Brandywine. And she could imagine Brock’s reaction to hearing that she was on the verge of bankruptcy.Ack.
“I think it’s a great idea for the future,” she managed. “But whoa there, cowboy, let’s not get carried away! We should wait to make any big changes like that until the diner has a consistent positive cash flow. It’s only been one dinner service so far.”
He didn’t say anything, but skin to skin, she sensed he wasn’t happy with her pushback.
She added, “I mean, I’m confident that The Yummy Cowboy Diner is headed in the right direction, but let’s wait to see what happens between now and September.”
“I guess that makes sense.” He sounded crestfallen. To her relief, he didn’t push the idea.
Suddenly he’s the one proposing a sweeping change and I’m the one who’s stepping on the brakes. Ironic, huh?
“If we’re going to reinvest the diner’s profits,” she said, “we should post job listings for a new general manager, line cooks, servers, and a second dishwasher. I’m confident that the extra income from our new dinner service will offset the extra payroll expenses.”
He didn’t respond right away. She hoped he was thinking it over. It was better than his previous instant refusals.
“Plus,” she added in her most persuasive tone, “if we hire additional staff, then the diner can support breakfast and lunch service on Fridays and Saturdays, as well as dinner. And you could schedule at least one day off a week.”
Brock stopped his delicious torture of her breasts. “I don’t want to—”
“You can’t work non-stop every day of the year. That’s a recipe for burnout,” she interrupted. “How long has it been since you took a day off?”
He heaved a sigh. “Mama’s funeral. I closed the diner for five days after she passed so that I could make all of the arrangements.”
Summer dipped her head and kissed his temple. “Tell you what, Brock. Once we’ve hired those extra cooks and servers, let’s promote Marlene to general manager, if she’s interested. She’s competent and hard-working, and I could train her in the stuff she doesn’t know how to do, like inventory management and front-of-house.”
“I’ll think about it.” She saw his mouth twist in a wry smile. “Not sure what I’d do with myself on my days off.”
“Sleep in? Watch baseball? Get some sunshine and fresh air?” she suggested. “In fact, I’d love to show you my favorite place on my parents’ ranch. We could pack a picnic lunch and go for a ride…” A thought occurred to her. She’d grown up on the ranch, with a stable of working horses to herd the cattle and bison, but Brock had been raised in town. “Have you ever been horseback riding?”
“Yeah, but it’s been a while. Uh, like, years.”
“Well, it’s time to refresh your skills, big guy.”
“And right now, you can rideme,” he said, rolling onto his back and tugging her on top of him.
WorkingwithBrock instead of butting heads with him all the time was nice.
As she swung her leg over him, wincing as her overused inner thigh muscles complained at the stretch, she realized she was eager to see what they could accomplish between now and September.
∞∞∞
Monday, June 20
Jenna: So, I hear that you and Brock are a thing now.
Summer: What? Who told you that?
Jenna: It’s all over town. Apparently, your car was parked in front of Brock’s house every night this weekend.
Jenna: Spill.
Summer: Sheesh. I’d forgotten how nosy people are here. In San Francisco, no one pays attention to that kind of stuff.
Jenna: Yeah, well you’re not in SanFran anymore, chica.
Jenna:So? Are you guys dating or what? Is it serious?
