My face flushes hot with embarrassment.
Shecan’tbe right.
I look ridiculous. No makeup. Hairnet. Gravy on my shirt.
Plus, Iran outon the guy. Twice, now.
Chapter Twelve
Harrison
If I were the type of guy who easily found things amusing, this would make me chuckle. Hell, years ago, I would have outright guffawed, maybe even had a witty joke to tell.
Our six and a half foot, stocky former Division I college football linebacker, Lenny, sits stuffed behind the small reception desk. He’s the first person someone encounters coming into our building.
I don’t laugh, though. That quiet but fun-loving and lighthearted boy is long gone, and the man I am now doesn’t find much comical. I force away the twinge of sadness that accompanies thinking about the past.
Things change. Life gets hard. People you love die. People you love sometimes die because you’ve failed them.
I mentally slam down the barrier behind which I keepthosememories. It’s the only way I can function. Emotions need to be in check.
I lift an eyebrow at Lenny and give him a questioning look as I walk up to the desk. He groans.
“Sally had a doctor’s appointment this morning. Asked me to cover until nine-thirty,” he says. “I look like a giant sitting here and have banged my knees on the underside of this dollhouse desk three times already.” He chuckles at his situation.
Now it makes sense why he’s sitting here. I smile at him.
Sally was Henry’s nanny, but now Layla is six and in school all day, and Lena, who is still a toddler, usually goes to work with my sister-in-law, Tillie, in the mornings. Sally takes over for her in the afternoon and picks Layla up from school.
Having Sally here from nine in the morning until she leaves to get the girls is a godsend. The number of general phone calls we get between the warehouse, our enormous mill, and for Henry and me would be unmanageable without her. It almost is when she leaves for the day.
“Well, it works out perfectly then. I was going to come find you when I got here today.”
I reach into my bag and hand him one of the pastry boxes I brought back from my trip.
“What’s this?”
“Open it and see.”
When Lenny opens the box, his eyes widen as he stares down at the dozen specialty cannoli.
“Boss, you didn’t have to do this. Wow, I don’t know what to say. Do you have any idea how happy this will make my Janice?”
“My pleasure. If I have to travel for work, something good should come from it. San Francisco was nice, but I prefer our quaint Aron Falls any day.”
Lenny and his wife, Janice, grew up near San Francisco, and they met in the Italian bakery where I bought these cannoli for them. Lenny loves to tell people he went in for cannoli and came out with a wife. He told me all about it before I left for my trip.
“Just enjoy them with your wife. Have a good day, Lenny.”
“Thank you so much for this. You have a great day as well.”
I turn away from him and make my way to the stairs that lead to the second floor, where our offices are. We’ve got two main areas up there—one that houses offices for our administrative staff, and the other side is where Henry, Holden, Hayden, and I have offices.
“Sir?” Lenny calls just as I’m about to step onto the first step.
I glance over my shoulder. “What’s up?”
“Nothing. Just wanted to say that you’re a really great boss and a nice guy. It’s okay to let other people see it.”
