Page 19 of Here & There

I grin as I see something brewing under his brooding frown. It’s the slightest—slightest—hint of curiosity.

I go for the kill.

“CEOs of other companies pay me thousands of dollars to give them the kind of insight I could give you. When I told you that club sandwich was the best sandwich I’d ever had, I was telling you the truth. But a successful, thriving place like this isn’t just about the food being good.” I hold up my hands as his eyes narrow. “I’m not telling you how to do your job. I’m just telling you that you can have it all. You can serve your customers what they want, the way you want to, and the way they want it. If you give me a job here, I’ll help you revamp the whole place in time for…uh…”

I rack my brain. There was something Deanie was talking about on the ferry up here. A festival she thinks we should bring some VIP clients to.

“Scallop Fest!” I exclaim.

His jaw flexes. Is he intrigued but still slightly dubious? Or does he think I’ve lost it again?

“Oysterfest.”

“Right. When is it again?”

“End of June.”

Shit, that’s only two months away.

But that’s about how much time Deanie will be able to hold the fort without my business imploding. Hopefully. It’s also the perfect amount of time to search for a woman who doesn’t want to be found.

“Okay. Oysterfest. I’ll have your place updated by Oysterfest, and I’ll triple your profits that weekend.”

He still looks dubious, so I say, “Listen, Mac, I know potential when I see it. You can look up my credentials. My name is Bryony Shelby Jones. My company’s called Visionary Consulting. This is what I do. I don’t need anything from you except this job, because if I take you on as a client, they won’t be able to argue about me staying.”

Mac hesitates for a long time. Long enough that the phone starts ringing again. Fred or my parents.

Or Richard.

I touch his arm again. “I know you have more ideas, Mac. I want to hear them.” I squeeze my hand on his forearm like he’s my lifeline. “If you can’t tell, I’m…kind of desperate, but I swear this will work out for you the most in the end.”

He looks down at my hand, and I take it away, dropping it to my side.

Finally, he lets out a long breath. “You know, I thought you were a crazy person when you came out of the ocean in that suit.”

“Is there a but?”

His jaw tightens. The seconds seem to tick by agonizingly slowly.

Then he strides away from me, pushing through the kitchen door.

My heart sinks. Fine, it’s fine. I’ve had proposals rejected plenty of times. I’ll find some other way.

Still, my eyes fill with tears again. I turn to swipe them away fast. I can’t let them see me crying, for God’s sake. I smile, lifting my chin up.

But when I turn back around, I see Mac hasn’t let the kitchen door close behind him.

He’s holding it open.

“You coming?”

My heart lifts, just a notch. I don’t want to get my hopes up. I can’t.

As we cross the bar, he says, “The ‘but’ is ‘but I must be the crazy person, because I’m going to give you a job.’”

I shriek, wanting very badly to throw my arms around him but instead jumping up and down, lest any more physical contact makes him change his mind.

His jaw’s still tight. “I’ll be paying you.”

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