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Sally led her to the newest product the store had to offer. Mrs Ellison ended up buying a jar of the cream. And she added two new coloring books, for her granddaughter’s Christmas stocking, too.
When she left the store, the stranger was still there.
“Nice job of selling up.”
“Thank you,” Sally said coolly, wondering why he was still hanging around. “Is there anything I can show you before you leave?”
“Will you have lunch with me?” he asked suddenly, taking Sally by surprise.
Sally stared at the man. “No, I don’t leave for lunch.”
“Then dinner?”
“This is a busy time of the year.”
“You have to eat sometime. I’ll find a place to stay and be back about six o’clock. Please? I don’t like to eat alone.”
Sally knew that she shouldn’t get involved with this man. It immediately made her miss her parents, and she felt a sudden stab to her heart. They wouldn’t have let her go without a warning. After all, the man was a handsome stranger and new to town. What’s more he was a city guy, and had already made it clear that he thought differently to Sally. But she was on her own now and had to make her own decisions. Nervously, she nodded, instinctively trusting that she would be okay with this man, even though she hardly knew him. “There’s only one decent restaurant in town. The Diamond Back is one block down. I’ll meet you there at six.”
“Great. I’ll see you then,” he said, smiling again and sending shivers down Sally’s back. And then he walked out of the store.
All day, no matter how busy she was, Sally couldn’t get the man out of her head. Nor could she forget why he was here.
She would never consider training someone to take over the store. With a non-compete agreement, at least she would know that the future of the store would be safe from competition from someone with insider information. She supposed it wouldn’t hurt to show someone how she did things and she certainly needed more help, since she was trying to fill the roles of both parents plus her own jobs.
She had two ladies who came in to help her during the day and they at least allowed her to eat lunch if the store wasn’t too busy. She had Billy, but he often left at five, since there were no deliveries in the evenings.
Sally lived in a very nice house on the street right behind the store. Her parents had loved its location and it meant she only had to take a very short walk to get to work. Sally brought her lunch and dinner from home so that she could make sure she was on hand if anything came up.
Today, Sally had been relieved when the time came for her to take her break. She had decided to spend the time working on the store’s books, something her father had taught her to do when she was sixteen. Her mind drifted back to the times they had spent making sure the books were all up-to-date and correct. It wasn’t that she hadn’t expected to own the store—Sally had been fully prepared to take over, but had thought it would happen when her parents retired. Their deaths had come much too soon.
Sally sat staring into space and began to think about her dinner date for this evening. He was certainly a handsome man, but she now realized she didn’t even know his name!
It wasn’t often that people wandered into Bailey by chance. It was a small town in the northern part of the state. The mountains surrounding Bailey kept it away from the world, and only those who sought out Bailey would come across it.
Which meant the man had been telling the truth about the agreement her dad and Wilbur Hunt had made. Why else would he have come here? Her father had never mentioned anything about his idea to either her or her mother. But then again he hadn’t expected to die so suddenly, either.
As the day traveled to its end, Sally began to wonder if she’d made a mistake. Her agreement to have a meal with a man when she didn’t know his name was unusual. It was more than unusual. It was unheard of.
As the clock drew near six o’clock, Sally began debating more and more about what to do. Should she stay in the store, not meeting the stranger at the restaurant? He’d know where to find her, but he might be so irritated, he wouldn’t come back to the store.
If she went to the restaurant, how would she ask for her dinner partner when she didn’t even know his name? The vision of his handsome face floated before her. Sally realized that she did in fact want to go and meet him. It would be a relief to talk to someone not from Bailey. Someone who had seen the world. Or at least more than she had.
Finally she slipped over to her house, the big, lonely house she’d shared with her parents. She removed her denim jeans and sweater and put on a slim black skirt and a knit top that showed some sense of style. She even added a little makeup, though she seldom wore any at the store.
At exactly six o’clock, she walked into the Diamond Back restaurant, looking around, hoping to see the man already sitting at a table. No such luck. She looked at the hostess, Diane Diamond, wife of the owner and someone she knew very well from the store.
“Evening, Diane,” Sally said, smiling slightly.
“Your guest is waiting at our best table, Sally. Thanks for bringing us new business,” Diane answered, smiling fondly at Sally.
Relieved that she hadn’t had to ask any uncomfortable questions Sally released a sigh. “You’re welcome, Diane.” And moved in the direction the other woman indicated. She rounded the corner and saw a table occupied by the stranger she’d met that morning.
When she approached he stood and moved around the table to hold her chair for her.
“Thank you,” she murmured and slid into the seat.
He returned to the seat across from her. As he sat down, he smiled. “You look lovely, Sally.”
“How do you know my name?” she asked, taken a little by surprise.
“It’s one of the charms of a small town, isn’t it? People are willing to talk. Just the hint of your parents’ deaths and they told me about you and Penny, your cousin.”
“Please don’t make fun of small towns. I happen to be fond of them.”
“My apologies. I think I neglected to introduce myself this morning. Because of the surprise you handed me, I forgot the niceties. I’m Hunter Bedford and, as I said, I represent the Hunt Corporation of Denver.”
“Good evening, Mr Bedford. I’m sorry, but I think you’ve made a wasted trip,” Sally answered, relieved that she at least knew his name now.
Hunter smiled at her again, his perfect teeth gleaming. “I wouldn’t say that.”
“Mr Bedford, I have only just heard of this arrangement between my father and your grandfather and like I said this morning I’m not interested in training you without a non-compete agreement.” Sally was determined that she wasn’t going to be railroaded.
“I realize that, not knowing my grandfather, that would be your position. I talked to him on the phone after our meeting this morning and told him of the situation. He was sorry to hear of your father’s death and passes on his condolences. He also told me that the agreement they had was a verbal one, between gentlemen, but he has no problem giving you a non-compete agreement if that would make you happier. He is very keen for me to stay here in Bailey and get to know more about your store. And I think you could maybe use some help for the rest of the month—free of charge.”
Sally was silent for a moment, thinking about Mr Bedford’s words. She knew he was right about the help, but didn’t want to appear desperate for him to stay. She said, “We could manage.”
They were interrupted by the waitress who stepped up to their table.
“Good evening, folks. Have you had a chance to look at the menu?”
“No, we haven’t. Could we have a couple of minutes?”
“Sure thing.” The waitress was listening to Sally but was smiling at the stranger.
Sally picked up the menu, though she knew it by memory, to make a decision about what she would eat. Her dinner partner did the same.
After a moment, the waitress reappeared at their table and took their order, both deciding on the meat loaf. “I’ll have that right out for you,” the waitress said brightly, again smiling at Sally’s dinner partner.
“The service here is certainly efficient,” he said after the waitress had walked away.
“I believe you think it’s because you’re a visitor, Mr Bedford, but I suspect it has more to do with your good looks.”
“I’ll take that as a compliment, Sally, and please, call me Hunter.”
“Very well, Hunter. So, what do we have to talk about?”
Hunter smiled. Sally had to admit it was an attractive smile. One that would draw attention anywhere.
“You haven’t heard me out. Assuming we have a non-compete clause, would you consider me working in the store?”
Sally took a drink of iced water and returned Hunter’s smile. “Tell me, how did you hear of our store? I’m intrigued.”
“From our suppliers. The volume of your orders speaks of big sales, larger than a small town store usually handles.”
“We have a large range of coverage because there aren’t that many towns nearby.”
“I noticed that on the map. I even visited some of the stores in the area, what there were of them. But your store is by far the largest and carries the largest range of goods. Why do you suppose that is?”
“I think it has something to do with how long we’ve been trading for. My grandfather’s father opened the store in 1922 and we’ve grown over the years. Isn’t that what stores do when they are successful?”
“Of course it is. And that’s why it’s attractive to our company. We have five stores in Denver, three in Colorado Springs, and one store each in Pagosa Springs, Fort Collins and Boulder. We want to expand.”
“Why don’t you consider other states?”
“We’ve thought of that, but we prefer to keep our properties close together.”
“I see.”
“Would you be willing to consider hiring me for the rest of the month if we have that non-compete clause in place?”
“I don’t know. I’d have to think about it.” Sally looked at him intently, his blue eyes seemed genuine and honest and she found herself liking Hunter Bedford more and more.
“You wouldn’t be paying me a salary and I promise not to ask too many questions.”
“What kind of questions would you ask? I’m new at this myself so I’m not exactly sure what you’d expect to learn.”
A wry grin settled across his face. “That’s a good point and I don’t exactly know myself. I’d have to talk to my grandfather about that.”
Their waitress returned with their meal and she immediately asked Hunter if there was anything else he wanted.
“No, thank you, this looks great,” he said with another of his special smiles.
The waitress practically floated her way into the kitchen.
“You really should stop flirting with the waitress. She won’t be the same…until she realizes it was a one-time visit.”
“Will it be?”
Sally stiffened in her chair. “I haven’t agreed to anything yet.”
“I might hang around anyway, so I can soften you up a little.”
Sally took a bite of her meat loaf and chewed it before she answered his suggestion. “I wouldn’t think your grandfather would agree to sign a non-compete clause. After all, the area has a lot of appeal, surely he’s looking to open nearby?”
“Well, he assures me that he’s not interested in competing with you. How long did you say you’ve owned the store again Sally?”
“It’s been in my family since 1922, but running it alone is still all new to me.” Sally took another sip of her water and felt the prickle of tears threatening at the back of her eyes.
“You are probably having a hard time handling everything. Why would you turn down some help?” Hunter’s voice was gentle.
He’d hit soft tissue. Sally was finding herself overwhelmed with all that had happened. Some mornings, she didn’t think she’d manage to do everything that had to be done. But why would this man be willing to help her? She was trying to fill three roles—hers, her mother’s and her father’s. Eventually she’d be able to manage everything. They would hit the slow season after Christmas.
But now?
“Do you think you’d be that big a help?” Sally asked, eager to know more about the man seated in front of her.
“I thought maybe you would be interested in any warm body, at this point, especially at this time of year. And I do have some experience in working in a store.”
“You’ve worked as a salesman in your grandfather’s stores?”
“Yeah. He’s one of the old school who believe you have to learn from the bottom up.”
Sally rolled her eyes. “I take it you didn’t enjoy that kind of work?”
“Actually I enjoyed a lot of the jobs. Selling was one of the fun ones. I like people.”
“Aren’t you anxious to return home to be with your family for Christmas?”
“My grandfather expects me to work until Christmas Eve. I think I may enjoy working here rather than returning to Denver.”
“Is your grandfather your only relative?”
Hunter gave a small smile. “My first name comes from the family name. My grandmother is dead. My parents are divorced and have been for a while. My mother probably won’t be in Denver for Christmas.”
Sally could tell that Hunter found it difficult to talk about his family. “I don’t think your grandfather would appreciate your staying here until Christmas, Hunter. I bet he’ll ask you to come home before Christmas so you can spend the holiday together.”
“My grandfather would work everyone until midnight Christmas Eve if it didn’t get bad publicity! I’d like to stay on a little longer. What do you think?”
“I’ll think about it, Hunter. That’s all I can promise you tonight.” The evening had been pleasant and Sally had enjoyed Hunter’s company more than she thought she would. But could she really let him work at her store every day?
“Okay, you’ll see me tomorrow,” Hunter said, with a gleam in his blue eyes that Sally just didn’t want to think about!
CHAPTER TWO
THE next day, Sally found herself looking forward to going to work. She argued with herself that this was just because she had a lot to do in time for the Christmas Festival and not because Hunter Bedford had promised to return. It shouldn’t make such a difference to her life anyway. She’d stalled him, but deep down his promise to come back added a sparkle to going to the store.
Once there, she kept waiting for Hunter to reappear. By noon, she gave up thinking he’d walk in any minute. Obviously she’d convinced him he’d be wasting his time. She had actually considered what he was offering. Having an extra hand in the store would be appreciated, especially if she wasn’t paying him a salary.
Of course, the store was doing well enough that she could afford to pay him; she could even give up work herself if she wanted to. Her father had consistently saved a portion of income for the past twenty-five years, investing it in several mutual funds. In addition to the life insurance her parents had carried, the savings were enough to pay for at least twenty years of living well, without working at all. But she knew the store was in her blood.
“Aren’t you going to eat your lunch today, Sally?” Mary, one of the ladies who came in to work at the store, asked.
“Oh, yes. I was just daydreaming. I’m going to eat now, Mary, thank you.” Sally went to the back room, where a section had been set up for break time, including a table and chairs and a small refrigerator and microwave.
When Sally sat down at the table with her lunch, she told herself she should be glad Hunter Bedford hadn’t come back. But she had to admit that his visit had provided a little excitement for her. Something to lift aside the doldrums of her mourning and the pressure she was experiencing. But she could manage on her own. Of course she could.
Just then, Ethel, the other woman who worked for Sally, came into the back room.
