Chapter Fourteen
“Iknew you were a good negotiator,” Cash said as he opened the door to his restaurant and let Zoey step out first. Then he signaled over his shoulder with his thumb toward his building and office where they’d had their Zoom meeting with his vendor. “But that was something else.”
Zoey grinned as they stopped out front on the sidewalk. It was seven-thirty in the morning, and aside from a few people making their way in and out of Choco-Latte for coffee and muffins, the foot traffic was pretty slow compared to later in the day. As soon as the festival opened, Main Street would be teeming with people, cars, and Labradoodles. What was with those dogs, anyway?
She’d come into town early to do a conference call with Cash’s seafood vendor. Not one to shy away from a challenge, she’d eagerly agreed to sit in on the meeting as Cash’s representative.
“I’m happy to help.” Zoey grinned. “That was pretty fun, actually.” It’d beensofun. To help with a serious part of an established and successful company, to be treated like she knew what she was doing, to be trusted with this … She’d loved it.
Cash chuckled. “You’re telling me. Steve is the most stubborn vendor I have for any of my restaurants. Fun was watching him squirm.”
“Any time you want someone to squirm, just let me know.” She laughed with him even while tucking her scarf tighter around her neck. Brr. The morning air had quite the nip to it.
Brandon pulled up alongside them in his truck, the morning mist curling out and away from the wheels as he did. Zoey reached up to the bandana she’d tied over her hair, making sure it was fastened tight against the humidity. While her natural hair loved the humidity, her weave did not. She didn’t want to be frizzy today.
“I thought today was his day off at the fair,” Zoey said.
“It probably was,” Cash said, “but what we’re both learning is that when you’re married to a honey girl, you never have a day off.”
That explained why he hadn’t said anything about the cattle drive. Normally that kind of thing would be right up Brandon’s alley.
One of the things she loved about Allie and Jo, besides their open hearts and fun-loving ways, was that they worked so hard at making the honey company a success. Allie could be considered flighty, with her energy level off the charts, but under all that hyperness was a killer businesswoman. Though Allie had confided in Zoey that the business end of Sticky and Sweet wasn’t something that had come to her naturally. She’d been working hard at for the last year—she had had to prove to herself, more than anyone, that she could do it.
That resonated with Zoey in a big way. To her it said, if you want something, you have to fight for it. And Zoey knew firsthand that was true—she just hadn’t really thought of it that way until Allie told Zoey her story.
Brandon came around the front of the truck and shot a look between the two. “Morning.”
Cash smiled his sunny smile. “You here to help cart crap over to the fair.” He motioned toward the honey shop, which was only one door down from his restaurant. The front windows of the store had a tree trunk painted up the side with a hive hanging from the branch and leaves in all the best fall colors falling and then collecting in piles at the bottom. If you looked closely, you could even see the small bees buzzing about their business. Allie had done the mural on a burst of creativity and a need to let her artistic nature have free rein. She’d offered to do Cash’s windows too, but he’d declined, stating the need to stick to his brand.
Brandon chuckled. “Yep, but don’t let the twins hear you call their honey products crap.”
Cash swiped a hand through the air. “Meh, as long as I keep buying it by the crateful for my restaurant, they don’t care.”
They all chuckled.
Cash pointed to Zoey. “You didn’t tell me your sister was such a good businessman—woman.”
Zoey stood a little taller as Brandon eyed her. He didn’t look skeptical, thank goodness, but curious—cautious maybe, even.
“She talked my seafood vendor down a couple thousand dollars for the year,” Cash said. “She was excellent. So careful in her negotiations. And Steve still likes me.” He grinned.
“You act like that’s an accomplishment.” Zoey poked his shoulder. “You’re likable.”
“I know. But Steve doesn’t like anyone—so getting him to knock down his prices and not want to cherry-bomb my toilets is pretty cool.”
Brandon looked at her, cocking his head to the side as he considered Cash’s praise. “She did that?” he clarified.
Cash nodded. “With ease. No wonder you guys are the premier fruit company this side of the Mason-Dixon Line.” He glanced at his watch. “Shoot. I have to get the bread out.”
Brandon continued to stare at her, making her squirm.
She waved goodbye to Cash, who was already sprinting inside. “What?” she asked her brother. “You look like you’re trying to figure out what a six year old carved into a pumpkin.”
“I didn’t realize you …” He slowly shook his head. “Never mind.”
Zoey stewed over his unfinished sentence. He hadn’t realized what? That she’d grown up? That she had a brain? That she had skills? That she was more than a little sister?What? She waited a few more beats for him to finish, but he kicked an acorn off the sidewalk and tucked his hands into his pockets.
“Well,” she said, jumping into the silence. “I’ve got to go. The Westbrooks invited me to their cattle drive today, and I’m supposed to be there at eight.”
