When Kent stepped away to take his phone call, I found Stacy hanging back and watching the kids. She’d been keeping an eye on them from a distance, even though everyone in town was keeping an eye on them too. But now that they were safely occupied with their friends at the puppet show, she turned her full attention to me.
The second she looked at me, I saw I was about to get a lecture. Or be interrogated.
I quickly tried to think of what I did to earn such a thing. Nothing was coming to mind.
“We need to talk,” she said.
“What’s up?”
“Follow me.”
I followed her to a less crowded area by the salad booth, where we could speak without being overheard by everyone in town. Stacy glanced around and spotted Kent still on the other side of the street.
“You need to be careful with that one,” she said, nodding toward where Kent stood with his phone pressed to his ear.
“Careful how?” I asked, though I had a feeling I knew where this conversation was headed.
“Sylvie, the Bancrofts aren’t just wealthy. They’re powerful. We’re talking about a massive empire, massive wealth, massive reputations. They don’t do anything small, and they don’t do anything without expecting something significant in return.”
My defensive instincts kicked in. “He’s here on business, Stacy. He mentioned that his family is looking for investment opportunities, and?—”
“Investment opportunities?” Stacy’s tone was skeptical. “And what exactly do you think they want to invest in around here? Magdalena’s shortbread?”
I shrugged. “That would be an amazing investment, actually. But I don’t know. Also the lodge, maybe. The farm. The town in general. He’s been asking a lot of questions. He seems genuinely interested.” Even as I said it, I could hear how hopeful I sounded, how desperate. “Stacy, what if this is exactly what we need? What if Kent Bancroft is the answer we’ve been praying for?”
Stacy’s expression shifted as she processed what I was suggesting. The skepticism didn’t disappear entirely, but it was tempered by something that looked like cautious interest.
“A Bancroft business deal,” she said slowly. “That would be crazy.”
“That would mean the world to Brom if we could save the farm,” I finished. “Who am I kidding? It would mean the world toall of us. We need help to get out of this hole. Once we get back on our feet, we can start making real money again instead of leaving our ledgers in the red. We need help. We all know we’re teetering on the edge of losing everything. Dad won’t stop talking about it.”
Stacy was quiet for a moment, and I could practically see her weighing the possibilities against the risks. She’d been part of our family long enough to understand exactly how desperate our situation had become, how close we were to losing everything.Her future was on the line as well. We were all in desperate need of someone to come in with bags of money.
“You really think he’s here to help us?” she asked.
“No, I think he’s here to evaluate opportunities,” I said carefully. “And I think we need to make sure he sees Northwood as the best opportunity he’s ever encountered.”
I grabbed her hands, suddenly feeling energized by the possibility that had been taking shape in my mind all day. “Think about it, Stacy. We scratch his back, he scratches ours. We show him what makes this place special, what makes it worth investing in. We make sure he falls in love with Northwood the way we have. This might be our only shot.”
Stacy studied my face for a long moment, then slowly nodded. “You might be onto something. If the Bancrofts really are interested in investing here, that could change everything.”
“Exactly. Will you tell Brom? Get him on board with the idea?”
“Of course. He’ll want to know that there might be hope on the horizon.”
“But not my parents yet,” I said quickly. “Not until we explore this idea a little further. I don’t want to get their hopes up if this turns out to be nothing. My dad is already stressed about this.”
“Deal,” Stacy agreed. “We’ll keep this between us until we have something concrete to share. Right now, it’s just a wish and a whisper.”
I felt a rush of relief at having Stacy’s support. Having someone else who understood the stakes and could help me navigate this potential opportunity. It made everything feel more manageable. And exciting.
“Oh no,” Stacy groaned.
I followed her gaze and started laughing when I saw Aspen holding one of the puppets.
“Every. Damn. Time.” Stacy shook her head.
Aspen had a thing for puppets. She knew they were puppets and therefore wanted to know how they worked. The same thing happened last year.
