“It was safe and a long way from Scotty. I volunteered at the center, and then Shelley, Pastor John’s wife, offered me a job. We didn’t have a lot of money left over each week, but I saved as much as I could. I did a business course at the church and that made me think about opening a café.”
“You should be proud of what you’ve achieved.”
“I am. It hasn’t been easy, but I’ve had a lot of support. There’s something else you should know.”
“That doesn’t sound good.”
Andrea cleared her throat. “I should have told you this before I signed the partnership contract, but I didn’t want you to think I couldn’t handle the stress of opening my business.” She looked at David to make sure he wasn’t angry.
“Go on. I’m listening.”
“I had a breakdown after I arrived in Sapphire Bay. Pastor John and his wife looked after the boys while I stayed at the mental health unit in Polson. I was able to come home after few weeks and use their outpatient services. It took a while, but I learned how to look after myself and the boys after being in an abusive relationship.”
“How do you feel now?”
“Better than I ever have. Sometimes, I have flashbacks, but I use the strategies I was taught to lower my anxiety levels. Does what I’ve told you make you worried about being my business partner?”
David looked as though he was carefully considering her question. “I offered to help you because the café is a good investment. The reason it will be a success is because of you. You’re hard-working, resourceful, and want to make a difference. What you’ve been through would have broken a lot of people, but you’ve created a better life for yourself and your boys. That’s the type of person I want to work with.”
Andrea breathed a sigh of relief. “I thought you’d be worried I’d fall apart under the pressure of baking too many chocolate brownies.”
“You can never have too many brownies, especially if they’re as good as the ones I’ve tasted.” David stacked the empty plates in front of him. “While we’re tidying up the kitchen, you can tell me about the refrigerator you’ve ordered.”
For a few seconds, she didn’t move. On the outside, David was similar to her ex-husband. He had dark hair, blue eyes, and was always beautifully dressed. His positive attitude made it easy to like him. But everything else about him was the complete opposite. Instead of the monster she’d married, David seemed kind, sensitive, and caring.
She hoped what she saw in him was the truth. She’d been wrong before, and it had almost killed her.
Chapter 7
David parked his truck in front of The Starlight Café. He’d called Andrea earlier in the day, asking if she wanted to see the building that would become the research and development facility for BioTech Industries.
To his surprise, she’d said yes. It felt strange to share this part of his life with another person. Most people were only mildly interested when he told them he was the clinical director of a large biomedical company. Even the state-of-the-art prosthetics they created didn’t inspire long conversations.
It wasn’t until someone saw first-hand what they were achieving that they appreciated the time and skill that went into creating each device.
The front door of the café opened and Andrea stepped into the sunlight. His breath caught when she smiled. He was attracted to her. He enjoyed spending time with her and making her laugh. But after yesterday’s conversation, he was worried about where they were heading.
Her ex-husband had traumatized her and her sons. He didn’t want Andrea to feel as though she had to spend time with him. They needed to work together to make the café a success, but that didn’t mean they had to do it in person. She could email him the financial statements each month and call him to discuss any issues.
His involvement in her business could be as little or as much as she wanted. All she had to do was set the boundaries of their partnership and he would stick to them.
Andrea opened the passenger door. “Hi, David. That was perfect timing.”
“What have you been doing?”
“After I spent half an hour admiring my new refrigerator, I read the manual for the combi oven. It’s so much better than I thought.”
“Will you be able to bake everything you need for the café in it?”
She clicked her seatbelt into place. “Definitely. With a little planning, I’ll save lots of time compared to using traditional ovens. Does that meet your efficiency standards?”
He reversed out of the parking space and smiled. “You know me too well.”
Andrea’s smile disappeared. “Not as well as you know me.”
“If you’re worried about what you told me yesterday, you don’t need to be.”
“Aren’t you even a little anxious about working with me?”
