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“Me either. You two were both so stubborn.”
“Hey, he was the stubborn one,” I said and took another bite of soup.
“Speak of the devil,” Shelly said and pointed toward the door. There was Randy rushing across the street.
“Wonder what he’s doing down here?” I mumbled.
Ten
Randy
My feet walked in the direction where I knew I’d find Eli, but then when I was in front of the gift shop, I had a second thought and crossed the street hoping he didn’t see me. I wanted to share the news with him so bad it hurt. But Eli had helped me so much. I decided to see if I could get the place set up before I took him there. I wanted to surprise him, and I also wanted him to be a full partner in the business. Not just someone who did all the work and got nothing in return.
I stepped into the office of a local lawyer—well, really, he was the only lawyer in town—and asked at the reception desk if I could speak to him.
“Well, Randy Miller, I haven’t seen you since the Christmas party, how’s everything going?” Roger Peyton asked from thedoorway to his office. He’d been a friend of my dad for years, so it just felt natural to go to him for advice.
“Hey, Roger. Things are going well, which is what I wanted to talk to you about. Are you busy?” I took his proffered hand and shook it. He was my dad’s age, but he somehow seemed younger, or maybe it was just that he had a lot of energy. His silver hair was always neatly cut, and he seemed to wear a suit at all times. I’d literally never seen him in casual clothes, but he was always friendly and never made me feel like I shouldn’t talk to him. I hoped this was no different.
“No, I have a few minutes free. What can I do for you?” he asked as he led me into his office and closed the door after waving off the receptionist.
“Well, I think you know Eli and I started a cookie business. So far, we’re doing deliveries to different local businesses, and accepting mail order deliveries online.”
“Yes, and congratulations by the way. I’ve had several clients mention how much they admired your business sense and especially how good your cookies are.”
“Thanks. I just spoke to Emily Jones, and she’s offering to let us use business space in her building basically rent free until we get on our feet. I could move everything out of my kitchen and into that space. Plus, there’s more room for storage, and it already has ovens and workspaces set up.”
“I wondered who she was going to offer that space to. She’s had it for a while and usually tries to help out a new small business.”
“It really shocked me when she offered it to me pretty much rent free, but I don’t want to miss out on such a good opportunity.”
“Then what’s the problem? It sounds like your mind is already made up.”
“Oh, it is. I’m going to take her up on her offer. The issue is I want to make sure Eli is a full partner in the business. We’ve talked about it and we both agree to it, but there’s nothing in writing. I want to make sure he legally has a stake. I mean he does half the work, and he’s contributed more than I could even begin to list.”
He held his hand up stopping me. “Okay, you’ve convinced me. It sounds like you two need a contract that shows you both as equal partners. Is that what you had in mind?”
“Yes, whatever it takes to make him an equal partner.” Just saying it out loud I could feel how right this was.
“I can do that. How soon do you need it?” He scribbled a few words on a yellow legal notepad he had on his desk and looked up to meet my eyes before his brows raised.
“Oh, sorry. As soon as you can. How much do you think it’ll cost?” I realized I had no clue how much anything legal cost, and even if Roger was a friend he deserved to be paid.
“Let’s call this one a freebie, then if you ever need anything else be sure you come to me for advice.”
“I really appreciate your offer. Are you sure I can’t pay you?”
“Not this time, but don’t worry. If your business is as successful as I think it’s going to be, there will be more than enough times for you to pay me.” He grinned and wrote a few more things down. He knew Eli too but asked for a little more personal information before he was done. “Okay, I think that’s all I need. If there’s anything else, I’ll call you. When did you want this by?”
“Valentine’s Day,” I blurted out before I had time to think about it. It wasn’t flowers or candy, but it was something that meant a lot to me, and I knew for a fact Eli felt the same way. After a few more minutes of him asking about what cookies we had planned for said holiday, I walked back outside into the crisp air.
I drew in a deep breath and couldn’t hold back a smile. Glancing toward Carol’s Gifts, this time I caught a glimpse of Eli through the window. Hard at work like always. My feet were in motion before I realized it and as I walked into the store and Eli turned around with a look of shocked surprise, I rushed up to him and took his face in my hands before kissing him.
“Well hello to you too,” he panted out when I released his lips.
“I love you. I knew you were here, and I just wanted to stop by and say hello.” His hand reached up and covered mine that still held his face.
“You can stop by anytime,” he breathed out with a grin.
