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Xander was surprised – very pleasantly so – that they’d been available and had already started work. What he had assumed would be a lengthy process now looked as though it would take a month at the most.
Tori had dropped him off at the gym and she was meeting with one of her mom’s friends who was an interior designer. She’d asked if he wanted to sit in on the meeting, but he was happy to let her do her own thing.
When he came out of the locker room, he was surprised to see Ria on one of the treadmills. It made him smile that in the short time they’d been here, he’d come to think of her as Ria rather than Alexandria, just as everyone else did these days.
She smiled when she spotted him and slowed the machine before getting off and coming over to him.
“Hello. I’m surprised to see you in here. From what Tori tells me, you’ve both been very busy.”
“We have, and we still are. She’s meeting with the designer lady this morning.”
Ria smiled. “Oh, that’s right. Evie’s wonderful. And in case you’re worried, I don’t think you need to be.”
Xander cocked an eyebrow, not understanding.
“When I told Russ that Evie had volunteered her services to help with interior design, let’s just say he was … Skeptical. He seemed to think that she might want to put up flowery curtains and lampshades with tassels.”
Xander had to laugh. “I’m not worried. Even if she wanted to do something like that, we both know that Tori wouldn’t go for it.”
Ria laughed with him. “We do. But Evie has experience in the commercial sector. Her husband owned a chain of gyms in the Chicago area, and she designed those spaces for him. And Taryn, who owns the restaurant over at Four Mile Creek, is her best friend. She designed Taryn’s old restaurant in Chicago, too.”
“That’s good to know,” said Xander. “I wasn’t worried; I trust Tori. But I like that she has someone with experience to guide her.”
Ria studied him for a moment.
He held her gaze; he knew that she intimidated a lot of people, but she’d never had that effect on him. After a few moments, he smiled and asked, “What is it? You’re making me feel like a bug under a microscope.”
She laughed and touched his arm. “Only you, Xander! You’re the only one who would ever talk to me like that.”
He shrugged. “I guess I just never understood why everyone else was afraid of you. Although, I also know that you go easy on me. I’ve always been your favorite, haven’t I?” he asked with a wink. “Go on, you can admit it.”
“It’s no big admission. I think it’s always been obvious. And part of the reason for that is precisely because you’ve never been afraid of me. And as for what I was thinking – I was wondering why you’re letting Tori take on the design aspect alone.”
She wasn’t criticizing, and he knew it. “It was something that she wanted to do. Obviously, it’s something that’s more important to her than it is to me. Of course, I care how the place will look, but only insofar as it contributes to the atmosphere. We’re of the same mind about how we want it to look – we spent hours looking online and got a pretty clear picture of what we want.”
Ria nodded. “I’m glad that the two of you are finding a balance with this project. Do you think that’s something you’ll be able to maintain once you open the doors?”
“I do. I’m sure you’ve seen for yourself how enthusiastic she is. She’s not just doing this for me.”
“Oh, no, no. I didn’t think for one moment that was the case. You know her better than I do. However, in my mind, there are still some concerns about my airy-fairy little pixie having to deal with the public on a daily basis – and not just the general public, but the male of the species in an environment full of alcohol and sports fueled testosterone.”
“Wow! I didn’t realize you saw it that way.”
She let out a short laugh. “I don’t. Not really. Only in my moments of worry. And as I said, you know Tori better than I do. You also know more about the environment that you’ll both be working in. One thing I do know is how protective you are; there’s no way you’d put her in a situation that she couldn’t handle. That’s why I asked if you think the two of you will be able to maintain a balance once you open the doors.”
“I do. For one thing, this is Summer Lake; we wouldn’t be opening a sports bar if we weren’t in a small town like this. Yes, there are tourists, but the kind of people who come to the lake aren’t generally troublemakers.”
“True,” said Ria.
“We’ve talked about it, and we’ve decided that we want to work together. We’re fortunate in that we can afford to invest in the business. We can hire a staff. It’s not as though we’re going to be stretched thin and working opposite shifts. I wouldn’t do this if that were the case. I’m not saying that Tori couldn’t do it by herself, I’m saying that I wouldn’t want her to.”
“Okay.” Ria still looked as though she had questions. “When she was small, she wanted to run a wine bar.”
“It was her idea not to keep it as a wine bar.”
Ria smiled. “I know. That wasn’t where I was going. What I was going to say is that she wanted to do it, but she only wanted to do it with her sister. I understood that. You know how different they are.”
“I do. And I hope you understand that I can back her up in the same way that Willow would have.”
