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“She certainly looked like a woman in love to me.”
I spun around on my heel. “What? She told you we love each other?”
Her snicker was instantaneous, “No, but you just did.”
I smacked myself in the forehead and managed to get sweet potato all over my head. I wiped it off with the towel she handed me and grunted. “You don’t play fair, Ivy Lund.”
“True, but in my defense, literally everyone already knew how you two felt about each other. It was torture waiting for you two to realize it. Geez.”
“Says the woman who was in love with her best friend for twenty years before she admitted it.”
She held up her hand, but her smile grew wider. “I never said I wasn’t just as guilty. I’m happy for you, Lance. Indie needs you much the same way you need her. Now, don’t screw it up. Be honest with her about everything.”
“She already knows. I told her everything that night I met Shep at the bar. I’m still gobsmacked not only that she stayed, but that she admitted her feelings for me that night.”
“It appears you thought too little of Miss Dickson.”
“No, the truth is, I thought too little of myself. At least that’s the message I got from Shep and Indie.”
She pointed at me. “That. Yes. You underestimate yourself all the time. I understand why, but you let it hold you back and stop you from taking chances. I think Indie is the perfect yin to your yang.”
I smiled but didn’t make eye contact with her. “We’ve always had a thing between us. We didn’t understand what that was when we were kids, but now we do. She’s going to help me with making the house alexia friendly now.”
“Alexia friendly?”
I nodded and grabbed the breadcrumbs from the shelf. “When Mom was alive, she took care of all the household chores and bills. We had a system for communication that only the two of us understood. Since she passed, I’ve been struggling to get the bills paid and I’ve had to pay Lance lawyer fees to help me get through the paperwork when I find it. My C-Pen helps, but you know it doesn’t work on everything.”
“That’s true. It has its limitations, as does your phone. Have you seen the new AI glasses for people with visual disabilities? The glasses would be able to read all the things your pen can’t, and at the same time, help you navigate unfamiliar places since the glasses can read signs.”
I paused in my stirring of the potatoes. “I’ve seen them, yeah. The price tag right now is out of my reach, though. My hope is they’ll come down in price eventually to the point I can afford a pair.”
“What if I said I’d buy you a pair.”
I dropped the spoon and turned, putting my hand on my hip. “Ivy, no. That’s sweet of you, really, but you can’t. They’re ridiculously expensive, especially taking into account the fact that I won’t use all the features.”
“I think you’d be surprised how many of the features apply to your situation, Lance. You face roadblocks every day that the glasses would eliminate including reading handwriting.”
My head popped up to meet her gaze. “They read handwriting accurately?” She nodded and lifted a brow. “That would make things flow smoother, that’s for sure. Regardless, until they come down in price, they aren’t realistic for the average person.”
“That’s true, but I have a proposition for you. Come to my office.”
I followed her to her office and sat across from her desk while she sat behind it. Her office was nearly overflowing now that she had two businesses to keep up with. “You’re going to need a bigger office if you keep buying businesses,” I teased her as she shoved some papers out of the way.
“You’re observant, Lance. That’s why we’re here.”
“To talk about a bigger office? I’m not sure how I can help you there, Ivy.”
Her giggle snort made me smile and she leaned over the desk and folded her hands. “I’m moving my office to the house. My five managers will have to work with me on that changeover, but once it’s done, then we’ll have our weekly meetings at the bakery, since it’s bigger. Eventually all the paperwork will be converted to digital.”
I did the math in my head and paused. “Ivy, you only have four managers. Becca, Mel, Mason, and Indie.”
“And me,” she said, pointing at her chest.
“Oh, right. I guess I just think of you as the big cheese.” She laughed and shook her head at me. “It’s true, though. I don’t see you as a manager. I see you as a force that surrounds this diner. You don’t manage as much as you lead and you certainly don’t sit in an office all day doing paperwork. If you’re here, you’re on the floor with the patrons.”
She motioned around the office. “Which is exactly why this place looks like a tornado hit it. I know Shep talked to you about what’s been going on in our lives.”
I swallowed nervously and didn’t make eye contact. This was uncomfortable territory. I was a guy who wasn’t comfortable having a discussion with his friend and boss about her marriage. “He mentioned things got a little heated again.”
