Page 90 of Lost Then Found
Wendell watches me carefully. “You say you want to honor Alice’s legacy. Well, maybe this is how you do it. Maybe you let it grow into something bigger, something that can stand the test of time. Otherwise…” He spreads his hands like he’s spelling it out for me. “You just keep treading water. Holding on, hoping the diner makes it through another year.” His voice dips, more weighted. “Until one day it doesn’t.”
I hate that his words burrow under my skin the way they do.
Because isn’t that what I’ve worried about too? The what-ifs?
What if the economy tanks? What if an unexpected expense sinks me? What if I hold on too tightly, only to lose it anyway?
But I also know Wendell Tate didn’t walk in here just to offer me a way out.
And I’ll be damned if I let him think he’s winning this conversation.
I sit up straighter, meeting his gaze head-on. “The Bluebell is a fixture in Summit Springs, as you’ve said yourself. Feels wrong to get rid of it. Alice worked too hard for this place. I’m not selling.”
Wendell is quiet for a second. Then, slowly, he exhales through his nose and gives me a small, knowing smile.
But the energy between us is different now.
Tighter.
Sharper.
And when he speaks again, his voice is smooth as ever. But there’s something coiled underneath.
“Well,” he says, nodding slowly. “That’s a damn shame.”
Wendell doesn’t blink. Doesn’t hesitate. He reaches into his briefcase, pulls out another thick folder, and shoves it across the table toward me.
I don’t touch it.
“I thought you might say that,” he says, the warmth in his voice somanufactured it makes my skin crawl. “Figured you’d get sentimental about it all.” He tilts his head slightly. “Which is why I’ve been negotiating with one of your main suppliers.”
Something cold and sharp lodges in my chest.What the actual hell?
I still don’t touch the folder. “What?”
His smile damn near reaches his ears. “Blue Ridge Provisions,” he says, like it’s casual information, like he’s talking about the fucking weather. “They handle a good chunk of your inventory, don’t they?”
I feel my heartbeat in my throat. Blue Ridge is mybiggestsupplier. They keep the diner running. The bulk of my meat, dairy, and dry goods come from them—staples I can’t afford to lose without scrambling to find another vendor. And the thing about Summit Springs, Montana? There aren’t many vendors to choose from.
I press my hands into my lap to keep from clenching them into fists. “You bought them out?”
He shrugs. “Technically, their parent company did.”
“Their parent company?”
He nods, his smile thin and sharp. “Redmont Foodservice acquired them last month.”
I blink. “Redmont?” The name is vaguely familiar, but I can’t quite place it.
Wendell tilts his head, watching me like he’s waiting for something to click. “They’re one of my subsidiaries.”
My stomach drops.
I press my hands harder into my lap. “Why?”
His brows lift. “Why did Redmont acquire Blue Ridge?”
“No.” I shake my head, heat rising in my chest. “Why wouldyoubuy out one of my biggest suppliers? What do you get out of that?”
