“But sometimes you have to take what you can get, so you settle.”He popped a tomato in his mouth, chewed.“It’s not bad, but you never forget the taste of that anise pizzelle.The sweet uniqueness as it consumes your senses.One is never enough.Three is only a starter.”He held her gaze, his eyes shifting to liquid silver.“You devour five, ten, maybe twenty, and you still want more.That’s when you start to wonder if it will ever be enough.”
Katie clutched her fork, waited for him to say more because he was clearly talking about a lot more than a pizzelle.When he remained silent, she couldn’t help herself.“And if it isn’t?What do you do then?”They were definitely talking about relationships and how they’d felt about each other all those years ago, and maybe nothing had ever been the same for him after that summer…
A shrug, a half-smile as he sipped his wine.“You come to terms with what is and stop wishing for something different.But when you see something that reminds you of a pizzelle, you think of the one you really want, and you might taste the other one, but all the while you’re imagining something else.”
Or someone else?This was getting too personal.She had to stop him before he pulled her in further, and she started asking questions.“Well, you’re here now, and Lily Desantro is helping Pop with pizzelle making.I’m sure you’ll be able to get as many anise pizzelles as you want.”
One more pointed stare, a nod, and then a quiet, “That’s what I’m hoping.”
Katie shifted the conversation to questions she’d been wondering since she saw him again.“So, what have you been doing all these years?Did you stay in California?”She tried to act nonchalant as though his answers didn’t matter, but they did.
“After I graduated, I moved around a bit, landed a few engineering jobs which I absolutely hated, invested in a few companies… mostly small stuff.I seem to have a knack for it, and one of them exploded.”The smile inched across his face, his expression softening with his story.“Great guy, excellent product, but he didn’t have the capital.That’s where I helped him out.I earned back my investment in eight months.Between contracting with Max and the investment projects, I’m pretty busy.”
All these years, she’d pictured him living off of his father’s money, not supporting himself, not following his dreams.What he’d just shared provided a very attractive visual.She pushed aside thoughts of Ian’s determination and grabbed onto her next question.“Can you tell me about the companies you invest in?It sounds like you’re giving them a shot and they’re having success because of it.”Katie thought of her own investor, the one she hadn’t met yet.That person had givenhera shot, and she would be forever grateful.
Ian tore apart a piece of bread, dipped it in the olive oil and spices.“Well, there are five right now, but I’m looking at two more.Two are related to the automotive industry, one is in tech, the other is health, and the last one is prepared foods.”
“Do you find them, or do they find you?”She’d never pictured him as a businessperson, but he definitely was.
“I pay attention, read the business magazines and articles, but it’s not just about the product or the possibility for expansion.I want to know about the owner.What does he or she think about their company?What’s the vision?Is it to grow X percent per year?Is it to expand nationwide?And what are they willing to do to get there?If they’ve got a stellar product, but they want to vacation every other month, or expect someone else to come up with a plan?I’m out.The person has to have passion, and it’s not enough to create a marketable product.You have to be objective, have foresight, and when something isn’t working, you can’t make excuses.You have to be willing to listen and adapt.”
There was something in the way he said those words that made her think he was talking about her and Katie’s Soups.“You mean, like me?”
“Yeah.”His voice dipped, swirled around her like a soft blanket.“Like you.”
14
Katie didn’t usually stop in at O’Reilly’s Bar and Grille unless she was meeting up with Ava or one of her other friends.But to just drop in to order hummus, wings, or a glass of wine?No, that just wasn’t her thing.Now if her sister were in town, Norah would definitely hang out at O’Reilly’s, chatting with everyone, filling them in on her life and on occasion, even inquiring about theirs.Norah was a burst of energy who knew how to draw a crowd and keep their attention.Katie preferred one-on-one conversations and would rather listen than talk about herself.
However, over the past week, she’d found reasons to stop by O’Reilly’s.Delilah wanted wedding soup, and two days later, she craved minestrone with extra greens.Who could ignore a pregnant woman’s requests?As long as she was there, why not splurge on chicken wings with a side of hummus?But the truth behind those visits slipped into her brain and refused to leave the third time she entered the bar with a supposed “reason” in mind.The person behind that truth glanced up from behind the bar when she entered, offered a smile, and went back to pouring a beer for a customer.
Katie ignored the triple-pulse beat when Ian Finnegan smiled, and found a booth which just so happened to give her a direct line of vision to the bar.She’d brought a notebook to jot down thoughts regarding what Ian had called efficiencies and improvements.Once he got her thinking of ways to make the processes better and faster, she’d come up with more ideas.Sure, they might not all work, but they should at least be considered.She’d gotten to number eight on her list when Ian slid into the booth across from her.
“I see you’re doing your homework.”
The teasing in his voice and twinkle in his eyes said he approved.Katie paused, pen in the air, and let out an exaggerated sigh.“I have a very demanding teacher.”She pointed to the bar.“Don’t you have work to do?You’re making poor Nick serve beerandfood?”
His laugh made her insides tingle in ways she did not want to remember.
“It’s slow, so he said I should take my break now.”Ian darted a look at Nick Borado, who waved at them and went back to polishing the bar top.
“Does he know…” She bit her bottom lip, reworked the question.“Did you tell him that we were…?”
Ian’s frown said he didn’t appreciate what she’d been about to say.“You asked me not to and I haven’t.”His gaze narrowed on her.“And I won’t.”
She hadn’t meant to offend him, but it was important that people didn’t begin speculating about them.What they might be doing together, what they might be talking about…and that’s why he’d only come to the shop after hours and then to her house.Never in a place where it would seem like they weretogetheror even interested in one another.But she should have known people wouldn’t miss the sizzle between them, no matter how much they tried to act otherwise.
Katie cleared her throat.“Thank you.”
He picked up a saltshaker, toyed with it.“Sure.”He eyed the notebook in front of her.“So, did you come here to work, or did you come here to eat?If you came to eat, then we’ve got you covered.If you came to work…”
“Maybe I came to do both.It’s crazy, but the more we talk about shop layout, processes, even material ordering, I start thinking about other options.In the past, I had to do everything on a small scale, and I guess I didn’t consider what the big picture could really look like.I never had the money to do that, so I always piggybacked one process on top of the other, rolled one plan into the next, without considering other possibilities.”She’d believed with limited resources, there were no other options other than survival.When the investor changed her situation, she wasn’t able to think big enough and adjust her mindset.“You’re helping me see how Katie’s Soups can be so much more.I couldn’t even consider the possibilities before, but now that I am, I’m starting to wonder if I even need more money from the investor.Wouldn’t it be great if I could fix the company’s issues without another infusion of cash?”
Ian leaned against the back of the booth, crossed his arms over his chest, and nodded.“We’ll keep working on the processes and the efficiency factors and once you implement those changes, then let’s see how things look.”
“You really are good at this stuff.”The man was a mystery, a curious one that she realized she wanted to solve.“How did you get so good at this?You seem to have the ability to eye something andknowwhat needs done to improve the situation.”She massaged her temples, blew out a sigh.“I thought I knew, but I didn’t consider the big picture, and that got me into my current predicament.”
The shrug said the compliment made him uncomfortable.“I might be able to move machines and jobs around, and I can even tear one apart and fix it, but maybe it’s because those machines and those processes make sense to me.”His gaze homed in on her, burrowed deep in her soul as he offered a truth she hadn’t considered.“But other areas, like people and relationships?Well, I’ve had some massive fails, and I guess that’s where you could teach me how to fix those.”
