Excited jitters danced around in Hallie’s stomach. Maybe there was hope for her business after all. “That would actually be really helpful. I’ve built a decent name around town, but there’s only so much I can do to spread the word without a physical location to send people to. I’d like to save up for a space to expand. I just don’t know how.”
“It sounds like you need an investor to help with the start-up costs.”
“Christian suggested that too. I just don’t know where to find one of those.” Mentioning Christian’s name reminded her that he still hadn’t come back outside. Was he okay? Maybe she should go check on him.
“I might be able to help,” Jenna said.
“How?” Hallie asked, momentarily setting her worry over Christian’s whereabouts aside.
Jenna smiled at her eagerness. “When my mom passed, my dad set up a foundation in her memory. She had a real passion for small businesses—she always bought locally, never at the big chain stores. Once I finished my PhD, my dad put me in charge of the committee.”
“What kind of foundation is it?” Hallie clamped down on the hope sparking in her mind.
Jenna placed her plate on the grass before leaning forward to rest her forearms on her thighs. “We give grants to small business owners needing a little boost. And we offer mentoring in marketing and other areas to help them succeed. Hearing you talk about your bakery, and after sampling this delicious cake, I think you’d be the perfect candidate.”
Hallie brought her hand to her mouth to keep her jaw from dropping. “Really? That’s fantastic!”
“We get hundreds of applicants from all over the state of California,” Jenna continued, “and we can only award two per year, so I can’tguarantee you’ll be chosen right away. But you should definitely apply. I can send you an application next week.”
Hallie didn’t know what to say. “Okay … I’ll do that. Thank you.”
“Of course,” Jenna said. “In fact, what’re you doing next month?”
Next month? “I’m going home to visit my family for Christmas, but other than that, my schedule is pretty open. Why?”
A toddler ran over and patted her mom’s legs. Jenna lifted her onto her lap. “Our foundation’s Christmas party is the second Friday in December. We’d selected a bakery down in Newport to cater the desserts, but they just backed out this week because of a food handling issue. You have a permit, right?”
“Of course. It’s all current.”
“Great. How would you like the gig?”
Just like that? Hallie had to take a beat to keep herself from bursting. This was the break she’d been hoping for. Who knew that crashing Christian’s family barbecue would lead to the chance of a lifetime?Just wait until I tell him!
As she and Jenna fine-tuned the details, her ears picked up on Isla’s laughter nearby and she shifted her gaze to the soccer game. Isla kicked the ball past one of Paul’s older grandsons, a boy who looked to be around ten. He made a show of missing the save, flopping onto the ground to the girl’s delight.
Some of Hallie’s excitement dimmed. If this opportunity came to fruition, she’d have a lot of work ahead of her to get things rolling. Sure, the grant wasn’t a foregone conclusion. In fact, Jenna had been upfront about the likelihood of hernotbeing selected, especially in the first year. But if she did, it had the potential of accelerating her business dreams. And changing her life.
And based on the expectations Jenna laid out before her, the foundation Christmas party next month would be the biggest event Hallie had ever catered.
She’d no longer have the time to watch the girls. Her stomach sank. How would this opportunity affect Hallie’s relationship with them in the long run? Would her leaving crush them irreparably? Especially Isla, who’d begun to thrive in only a couple weeks?
And what about Christian? How could she tell him she could no longer help?
It was only supposed to be temporary.
Then why did the idea of pursuing this chance feel like abandoning them all?
Under any other circumstances, Christian would’ve liked Paul. The man seemed to carry himself with integrity and humility. Every member of his family adored him, and he matched well with Mom’s fun-loving energy. Plus, he’d treated her with nothing but respectful reverence all afternoon. In every aspect, the guy appeared to be a saint.
It wasn’t that Christian didn’t like him; he just didn’t like the idea of him dating his mother. Not at the expense of forgetting Dad.
After helping Penelope wash her hands, he’d sent her back outside to play, needing a reprieve from the social crush outside. Alone in Mom’s kitchen, he’d occupied himself by emptying and loading the dishwasher. Next, he’d moved onto scrubbing the entire sink, then wiping off the counters on either side of it. Maybe he’d do the windows next.
Man, he really must be stressed if he’d resorted to cleaning to relieve his mind of his troubles. Or maybe Hallie was rubbing off on him.
The sound of the sliding glass door opening caught his attention as Mom stepped inside.
“I’ll tell you what.” She held up the half-eaten cream puff in her hand. “Your Hallie is a keeper, especially if she continues bringing scrumptious treats like these around.” She popped the rest of it into her mouth.
