Page 92 of Games We Play
The MAX passed nearby. This street, which was around the corner from one of the stops, supported a few park benches that were popular with passengers awaiting the next train. Instead of the usual faces Leah saw around, however, she saw a different face that boasted its own familiarity.
Leah turned around before Sloan looked back in her direction. “I simply can’t accept something like this,” she said to the agent. “It would be wrong.”
“In the end, you can take it up with the person who wants to gift this property to you. I believe she said something about wanting to go over a business plan with you, anyway.”
Leah shook her head. “Preposterous…” Her? Running her own bakery, so soon? She was barely thirty! What did she know about running her own business? She was better off taking orders from someone like Enid – only maybe, one day, she’d have a much nicer boss.
“I’ve got to get going, but I’ll be in contact with you as soon as the papers are ready.” Rachel shook Leah’s hand on her way by. “This really is a fantastic opportunity, isn’t it? I bet the local business paper will be spotlighting you shortly!”
The agent didn’t lock the door on her way out, nor did she suggest that it was time for Leah to leave. The only reason she could get away with that was if the true owner of the building was nearby.
She was, wasn’t she?
“What do you think?” Sloan leaned against the open doorway, hands traveling up the sturdy sides and feet digging into the old and worn welcome mat that once brought customers into a clothing boutique. “My lead property and business opportunities scout told me this was the best location in the Goose Hollow neighborhood for a bakery. Will cost a pretty penny to convert the back into a decent kitchen, but I’m told we can make it work.”
Leah continued to stare at the plain sheet cake she decorated.I knew it was you, Sloan.The part that desperately wanted to see her now froze with trepidation. “We?” she said. “Who is this ‘we’ building a bakery here?”
Sloan did not leave the entryway. She may not be coming closer to Leah, but she also wasn’t allowing her ex-girlfriend to leave whenever she liked. “You would be a fool to not accept. You told me that you dreamed of having your own boutique bakery. What better place to make your fancy cookies and tea cakes than right in your own neighborhood?”
“I didn’t want it like this…”
“What? As a gift?” A cool breeze kicked up behind Sloan. She ran her hand across her head. It wasn’t until then that Leah realized her ex wasn’t wearing a wig.Is she growing out her hair?No, Leah didn’t care. She wasn’t allowed to care anymore. That’s what breaking up meant. “It’s not agift,per se. I’m going to make you work as hard to impress me with the pitch as you would with other investors, but I know you can do it. I’ve seen your skills, and I know what you’re capable of.”
Leah tasted a bit of the frosting now on her fingertip.It’s too sweet, because Enid cares more about mass producing to make more sales than creating a quality product that may not sell as much… but can command a much higher price.It was simple economics, as Leah had seen over the years. Sometimes a person could make as much – if not more – money with higher-priced stock with a lower volume of sales than the other way around. That’s what made a boutique bakery so attractive to her. She didn’t need to have a high volume of croissants, birthday cakes, and donuts to turn a profit. Hadn’t she been wanting to learn more about macarons? Those things went for a pretty price!
“I can’t accept it. It’s not right.”
Sloan sighed. “Because you dumped me?”
Yes.Leah wouldn’t dare admit that out loud, though. “I don’t think I’m ready for this kind of responsibility yet.”
“A wise man would say that’s a good marker of someone who is ready.”
Leah said nothing.
“Is it because youreallydon’t want to do it, or because you don’t think you can?”
That got her attention.
“Because I think you can do it. The only one preventing you from trying… is you.”
“How can you say something like that?” Was this Sloan’s way of getting back at Leah? Hit her where it hurt?
“Look, I don’t pretend to be an expert on your psyche…” Sloan entered the dark boutique and removed her sunglasses. “But if there’s one thing I know about you, it’s that you have a strong resolve and a maturity most people can only hope to achieve someday. Yet I also know that you’re way,waytoo hard on yourself. What responsibility are you talking about? You’re one of the most responsible people I know.”
Leah shook her head. “How often did I drop everything to see you? That’s not responsible. That’s…”
“You refused to see me unless you cleared your damned schedule. You never left anyone hanging. Except that first time. Because I dazzled you so much.”
Blush tickled Leah’s cheeks. “I’m not ready for something like this.”
“I know you have it in you to spearhead your own business. Not like you have to do it alone.” Before Leah could assume anything Sloan was about to say, she continued, “that’s what good employees are for. I wouldn’t throw this at you unless I thought you could really do it.”
“You mean it’s not a ploy to get me back?”
Leah wasn’t sure if she was heartbroken or relieved to see Sloan shake her head. “I’ve been wanting to invest in some proper small businesses around here. I spend so much time in the PNW that it’s only fitting that I start things up on my own. Perhaps I’ll relocate here. We’ll see.”
“Relocate?”
