He laughed. “Exactly. Especially in this dry, hot weather. We need rain.”
Someone tapped him on the arm—Styles, a buddy from high school—and while Ryder slightly resented the interruption, he wasn’t sure where to go next with Elizabeth.
By the time he finished reminiscing with Styles and meeting his wife and daughter, Elizabeth and most of the Dorseys had exited. But Granny D. caught him in the parking lot.
“Come to lunch. I’ve a pot roast in the oven.”
“Are you sure?” Purely rhetorical. “No” was not an option with Granny D.
She made a face. “Of course I’m sure. Head on over, and no, you don’t have to bring anything.”
When the Dorsey crowd trailed off toward their cars, Ryder stood alone with Elizabeth. “Guess I’ll see you at lunch.”
“I guess you will.” Her smile captured him.
Not good, Donovan. First of all, she was leaving in a couple of months. Second, he’d made an art form out of guarding his heart. Relationships caused pain. He’d learned that from his parents.
But then there was Elizabeth Dorsey. Somehow, she changed the game for him, and he wasn’t sure he knew how to play.
Monday morning, Elizabeth woke early for an online Pilates class, trying to shake the sense of Ryder’s hand in hers. But it clung to her skin, sinking in, causing her to want things a girl destined for Wharton should not want.
At Dorsey Furniture, her cousin Will met her in her office with an insurance payment snafu, so she spent most of the morning untangling those communication wires. And somewhere along the way, the feel of Ryder’s firm palm finally began to fade.
“Beth, Court Chadwick just called.” Will returned to her office after lunch. “He said you helped him with a payment plan. He’s really, really grateful. He’s pretty embarrassed about his company’s financials, but you made him feel like everything was going to be all right.”
“He’s a nice man. I could tell he didn’t like having to pay on installments. He’ll be paid off by next summer.”
“Dan also said you helped him out with a software issue.”
Dan Cooper had been the CFO since Pops ran Dorsey Furniture. He was seasoned, wise, and a numbers whiz.
“I used the same program during an internship.” Elizabeth stacked the folders she’d worked through that morning. “I can’t believe they’ve not fixed that bug.”
“Beth.” Will leaned over her desk, propped on his hands. “Dan is retiring in three years. If you stayed here, you could work with him, learn the ropes of the business, take his place when he goes. Dan Cooper is a grad-school course walking.”
“What? CFO?” She always thought she’d be a CFO by way of marketing and sales, maybe a few years in R&D, then leading a team on strategic initiatives. All corporate opportunities were excitingly endless. But to be a CFO before she turned thirty? And at Dorsey Furniture? In Hearts Bend, Tennessee?
“I know you have other plans, but please, think about it.”
“You’re serious?”
“Am I laughing? This is not nepotism. Okay, maybe a little. But I’d not offer you the job if I didn’t think you could handle it. You’re smart and talented, innovative. You’re great with the customers and the employees.”
“That’s from my years of waitressing.” Growing up, her parents had money, but they made it plain that Elizabeth did not. While they provided her needs, she provided her wants.
“And you put it to use. Not everyone does that, Beth. I’ve seen you with the staff,” Will said. “They respect you.”
“Because they think I’m leaving. Never mind bearing the Dorsey name.”
“Believe me, they don’t respect all Dorseys.” He turned to leave, pausing at the door. “I had to go with my gut and make the offer. Let me know.”
She sank slowly into the chair as Will made his way down the hall. What just happened?
Wait. No. She didn’t have to think about it. Her future was not here. She didn’t spend two years battling illness, propped on the couch, doing all she could to keep up with the world while too tired to lift her head, to join Dorsey Furniture.
Elizabeth sighed and glanced toward the window, surprised by a rise of tears. What was wrong with her? Ever since church yesterday and holding Ryder’s hand, and then the family dinner, her emotions sat near the surface.
Gathering herself, she chased Will to his office. “Hey, so are you officially?—”
