Page 117 of A Heartfelt Christmas Promise
“That’s so sad.”
“It was. Olivia was a wonderful mother and wife. Mike loved her so much.” His eyes softened. “We all loved her.” He pressed his lips together. “It tore Mike apart when she died. There was nothing I could do to soothe my grandson. Nothing. That’s a bad feeling.”
She nodded.
“Then, my wife had a heart attack.”
“I’m so sorry.”
“Thank you. We’d been married so long I could barelyremember life without her. Frankly, I was tired of seeing people I love die.”
“So, you gave up your business to fund a hospital?”
“Yes. Sort of. I couldn’t solely fund it, but I made the deal very enticing.”
“Mike didn’t understand or agree?”
“He didn’t know. Still doesn’t. It didn’t matter. I’d do anything for this town, and these people. I did what I thought was right. It hurt some folks, but in the long run, I’m happy with my decision.”
“I know what you mean. These people. This place. They take up residency in your heart when you’re not looking.”
Buck let out a hearty laugh. “Never heard anyone put it that way, but you’re right.”
“I thought I was giving everyone what they wanted. Corporate is not happy with me right now.” She shook the phone messages in his direction. “It doesn’t matter that I was able to increase the profit model for Porter’s by nineteen percent, or that I was able to meet the warehouse goals—on time and under budget. They want to sell off Porter’s. Building and all. Shut it down.”
“Is that bad?”
Vanessa couldn’t believe her ears. “It’s horrible.”
“Everything can seem very different when you look at it from a different perspective.” He cocked his head. “Maybe you’re looking at this the wrong way.”
“I can’t fix this.”
He sipped his coffee without a word, then simply said, “Can’t you?” He dropped a five on the table and walked out.
“No.” But he’d already walked away. It seemed as if the whole world was closing in on her. She placed a twenty underthe still full bowl of chicken and dumplings, grabbed her bags, and left. She wasn’t even sure where she was headed until she got there.
In the bleachers, on the bottom row, she stared out onto the empty football field. School had been out since last week. The bright sun had melted a lot of the snow, leaving it looking like a patchy mess.
She rested her elbows on her knees. The sun tucked itself behind a cloud. A drizzling rain began to fall, splattering against the glossy shopping bags.
“The wrong perspective”? What did Buck mean by that? It was pretty cut-and-dried.
Suddenly she could see herself at ten years old, wearing bright red rubber boots, walking and kicking through piles of leaves just to hear them rustle and crunch beneath her feet.
Marching like a nutcracker in a parade, lifting her heavy boots high with each step. The leaves fluffed into the air, scattering around her, leaving a wake behind her as she kept moving through them.
Nature at its best. When was the last time she’d kicked through leaves, or walked with no expectations? Even her daily runs had purpose, and she kept on task by watching how far and fast she was going to meet the goal. Maybe the goal should be to just enjoy nature and run as the mood dictated. It was exercise either way, but couldn’t her mind use a break?
She opened her arms, daring the raindrops to hit her. Closing her eyes, she let the rain surprise her. The simplest of things.
“They’re selling.” She patted her pockets, looking for her phone. “They’re selling.” She grabbed her bags and ran on the track all the way out of the schoolyard to Main Street. She headed for the library, and tucked herself in a corner at atable. She opened her laptop and connected to the Wi-Fi. She pulled up the responses from Edward in her email, and the attached sale sheet for Porter’s spelled it all out. Because the value of the warehouse sites was so strong, the remaining older building wasn’t outrageous. The valuation of Porter’s wasn’t based on the numbers she’d forecasted, but rather the old revenue.
She did some calculations and then jogged straight back over to the carriage house. She was sweaty despite the cold by the time she got there. She knocked on Buck’s front door.
“Thought you might stop by.”
“I need your help. I need you to help connect me with the local banker here.”
