A Sweet Deal (Crimson Romance) (20 page)

He pulled a small velvet box from his jacket’s inner pocket and popped the lid open. As he plucked the ring from his cushion, her hands flew to her lips. He didn’t hold the engagement ring she’d left behind. This one was smaller, more delicate, and it sparkled in the soft light of the room.

“This was my mother’s ring, and it’s one of the few things of hers I have left. My father gave it to me years ago so I could give it to my wife. You are the first woman who has ever meant enough to me to give it to, the only one I want to create a family with. I love you, and I want to spend the rest of my life with you. Yvette Cruz, will you marry me?”

Tears fell in earnest as she nodded her assent while he placed the ring on her finger.

“Yes,” she whispered. “Of course I will.”

Richard stood and pulled her to her feet along with him before wrapping her in his arms. With a hand cupped at the base of her head, he held her closer and kissed the top of her head. “I love you.” His words were murmured against her lips as he tipped her face up to meet his, sending warmth winding through her body.

“And I love you.” She fitted herself into his embrace, marveling again at how perfectly matched they were. Everything she’d ever wanted was finally right in front of her, and she couldn’t wait to start a family and a life with the man she loved.

Saffron’s newest venture, Millie’s Candy Shoppe, was full of customers on opening day. Richard never would’ve believed that giving up control of the company he loved would make him so happy, but his wife had taken him up on his offer to put Morgan Confectioners under Saffron’s control and ended up transforming it into something amazing. Between the research and development funding, the increased marketing, and the new family neighborhood store, the brand had flourished. Trading control of the company for the wife and child he’d always wanted was a bargain, and he hadn’t regretted it for a minute.

Richard knelt beside his daughter, steadying her with a hand on her back.

“What do you think, Candace?” Scanning the row of old-fashioned bins of candy beside his toddler, his heart was full enough to burst.

“Pretty,” she murmured, her big brown eyes wide with wonder. “Lollipop.”

“Yes, baby, lollipop.” He plucked a glossy pink confection from the bin and placed it in her chubby little hand, much to her delight.

Rising to his feet, he took in the atmosphere of the new store, grinning from ear to ear. The candy shop that meant so much to him as a boy was long gone, but this was a close second, and it felt like home. Yvette strode in, the door on the bell chiming behind her.

“Mommy!” Candace squealed, toddling to meet Yvette, who managed to avoid the sticky lollipop as she pulled her into a hug.

She dropped a kiss onto Richard’s cheek and looked around, beaming. “It’s really something, huh?”

Yvette had overseen every aspect of the store’s development, from conception to completion, to be sure it was as close to the original Morgan store as possible. Framed black and white pictures of the Morgan family hung on the walls, the employee aprons were replicas of the originals, and for the grand opening, the prices were even the same as they’d been on the original store’s opening day.

“It’s perfect.” He slung an arm over her shoulder and kissed the top of Candace’s head, breathing in her sweet baby shampoo scent.

The young reporter covering the store’s opening approached the family, handheld recorder ready to roll. “Mrs. Morgan? I’ve interviewed some shoppers and employees, so I’m ready for you whenever.”

Yvette placed Candace in Richard’s arms and led the reporter to a quieter corner so she could answer questions. He bounced his little girl in his arms, loving the sound of her giggle.

“Down, Daddy, down!” She squirmed in his arms, determined to gain her freedom.

With her feet back on the floor, she wandered around the bins again, enjoying her lollipop while she contemplated the array of colorful candies lining the row. Listening to the shoppers as he followed Candace, Richard knew the store was going to be a success. The neighborhood they’d chosen was perfect for the concept, and the people were looking for new family-friendly places to shop. His eyes fell on a picture of his mother, a huge smile on her face, standing in front of a big bin of colorful candies. She’d be glad to know that he’d found Yvette, would’ve adored Candace. Probably would’ve spoiled her rotten.

As he wandered, he’d made it to the corner where Yvette was finishing up her interview. The reporter held out the recorder. “One more thing and I think I’ve got everything I need. Saffron bought Morgan Confectioners, correct?” They nodded. “How did you ever convince the Morgans to agree to that?”

Richard scooped Candace up into his arms and answered for his wife. “Well, Yvette made me an offer I couldn’t refuse.” He winked. “Let’s just say it was a sweet deal.”

Monica Tillery lives in Texas with her handsome husband and two sons, where she loves playing Bunco, reading, and hanging out with friends. She loves to hear from readers and can be found on Facebook at
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Adam Whitman twirled his favorite Mont Blanc Starwalker in his fingers, enjoying the weight, and smiled to himself. This deal and the promotion that went along with it were as good as his. The partnership between Eco Initiatives and Everlight Optics would be the biggest contract he or anyone else at the company had ever brokered, and if he could just get the woman across from his desk to sign on the dotted line, it would be done.

“You’re telling me you were a farmer? As in, you were out there in the field, picking tea leaves?” Christine Grazioli, Everlight Optic’s CEO, shot him a suggestive smile from her spot on the sofa in his office.

He’d seen that look before, and if he played his cards right, the ink would be dry on the contract by noon. “I certainly did, from the time I could walk until the day I left home. My family owns the largest tea farm in Washington. You’ve probably had some yourself. Hold out your hand.” He paused and picked up a crystal bowl on the table, holding it out to her. “Pick one.”

She plucked a leaf from the bowl and handed it to him. He gave her a conspiratorial smile and turned the leaf over in his hand. “Nice choice. It says that an important decision you make will bring you much success.” He dropped the leaf above her hand, letting it float gently into her open palm.

Christine laughed, throaty and seductive. “I don’t think that’s how tea leaf reading works. You’re supposed to brew these and read what’s left behind after I drink the tea.” She glanced at her watch. “Oh, shoot. I’ve lost track of time. I need to get across town for a meeting at Paramount. Can we get in touch later?”

“Absolutely. I’ll have the contract sent to your office; just send it back when you’ve reviewed everything and signed.” He stood and opened the door. Once his client was safely down the hall, Adam fist-pumped the air in silent celebration. All it took was a nice working lunch and some harmless flirting, and he was on his way to closing a six-figure deal and locking in the promotion. This partnership would make the Eco Initiatives higher-ups very happy and guarantee him one fat end-of-year bonus. He laughed to himself; sometimes it was too easy. The tea leaves always did the trick. Women either believed in the magic or allowed themselves to think there was something between them. Who would have thought his upbringing on the family tea farm would still come in handy? He returned to his desk to review the paperwork so he’d be ready when she sealed the deal.

“Mr. Whitman, Richard Whitman is on line one.” His assistant’s disembodied voice came through the phone speaker, and he looked up from the proposal. How long had it been since he spoke with his father? Weeks at least. Far too long.

“Thank you, Lauren.” Adam pressed a button on his phone and answered the call. “Hi, Dad.” He sat back in his chair and relaxed, ready for a long chat. The deal with Everlight Optics would still be there when he finished with his family. He hadn’t given them enough time lately. Or for the last several years, if he were to be honest with himself.

“Hey, son. Is now a good time?” The voice came through the line robust and hearty. It was good to hear him sounding so upbeat. They exchanged pleasantries until his father reached the real reason for his call. “I need you to come home.”

Adam sat up straight. “What’s wrong?” Fear gripped him and his blood ran icy in his veins. His father had asked him to come home once before, and only once. That time his mother’s illness was taking a turn for the worse, and he had barely made it in time to say his goodbyes before she passed away.

His dad laughed. “Relax. Nothing’s wrong. I’m looking to retire, and I could really use your help. Do you think you could get away for a week or two?”

A week or two? He would be lucky to make it through the weekend without getting a call about something. His job at Eco Initiatives left little time for any semblance of a normal life. When he wasn’t busy with his own accounts, he was consulting on others or researching the latest technological advances in environmental sciences. His days were spent helping local L.A. businesses green their operations through technological improvements, training company sustainability officers, and consulting for lobby groups. He enjoyed working for Eco Initiatives so much, he rarely took vacation days and regularly worked sixty-hour weeks. Still, losing his mother taught him that he’d regret squandering his time when his family needed him. Once someone was gone, they were gone forever. If his father was asking him to come home, Adam knew better than to second-guess it. He never wanted to look back and wish he’d chosen differently.

“I could come up for a few days, probably. I don’t know about a week.” If his hunch was correct, his father wanted him to consider taking over the farm. His father had made no secret of the fact he wanted his eldest son to claim his place at the head of the family business, Emerald Tea Farm, to live out his legacy. He had heard it all his life and had resisted the pressure. His dad was getting older, and with no replacement in line, it might be more difficult to work it out this time. There was no chance that could be managed in a week.

“Adam, I need you, and I don’t think we can wrap it up in a few days. I want to settle everything while I’m still able. I don’t want to end up with a situation where I’m forced to hand everything over to the first willing body because I’m too old to do anything about it. Now will you come help me or not?” His voice was strong, determined.

“What about Chad and Daniel? What do they have to say about all this?” His younger brothers still lived in Emerald Springs and ran the family’s other businesses. They would never come out and say it, but he always suspected they resented the assumption he would take over the farm, the family’s lifeblood, when he was the one who left. Chad and Daniel remained loyal to the family in ways he simply hadn’t, and they likely wondered why their father wanted Adam to come home so badly.

“Chad is busy with the restaurant, and Daniel has his hands full with the resort. They both say they’re willing to help with the farm, but honestly I don’t think either one of them has the time for it. They’d let the whole thing run into the ground before they’d admit they’re not up for the job.”

He laughed. His father was right; they would drop from exhaustion before they would ask him for help. “That’s true, but what makes you think it’ll do any good for me to be there?”

“Maybe you can talk some sense into them and help them realize they need to leave it to someone else, or maybe you’ll come up with some way they can juggle everything. We might end up hiring someone to oversee operations, someone who doesn’t have other businesses to worry about. That can only happen after we let the boys decide they can’t do it, though. They’ll never accept someone else if they don’t get their fair shake first. Who knows? You might finally decide to join the family business.”

His father rarely brought up the possibility of hiring an outsider to take over, and Adam took notice. If they were addressing the matter directly, Dad might finally be ready to retire for real—and had given up on Adam taking his place. He was surprised to feel the first twinges of disappointment and quickly dismissed them. He didn’t want the farm. He had spent his entire childhood dreaming of leaving town and never picking tea again. He should welcome his father finally moving on, so why did it feel like something was being taken from him?

“I haven’t worked in the fields in years, Dad. I don’t know how much good I could do,” Adam stalled.

“You know how little actual farming I do nowadays, right?” He could hear the smile in his father’s voice. “I’m not exactly out picking tea.”

“Yeah, I guess I can’t remember the last time you really got your hands dirty.” He sat back in his chair and stretched. “All right, Dad. I haven’t taken vacation time in a while, and I suppose I can always work online if anything urgent comes up. I’ll be there. I can probably swing five or six days.” He clicked his mouse and scanned the calendar on his computer to be sure nothing pressing would keep him from visiting Emerald Springs.

“Thank you. This means a lot to me.” Relief colored his father’s tone.

“It’s no big deal. Just give me a couple of days to get ready, and I’ll be there. I’ll let you know when I have a flight to Washington.”

They ended the call, and he tapped his pen on his desk blotter, mentally calculating how much time he’d need before he could leave town with a relatively clear work schedule. The sooner he went to Emerald Springs and got everything squared away, the better. The nagging thought that his life wasn’t tied up as neatly as he thought ate away at his confidence.

Over the past fifteen years, he’d held out hope his brothers would manage to work together to keep the farm in the family, but the other Whitman enterprises must be commanding too much of their attention. Daniel had always preferred the family resort, a perfect match for his attention to detail and appreciation for luxury, although Chad’s work at the family restaurant was surprising, given that he excelled at the art of dodging responsibility. Adam had known tea farming since he could walk, and now he was in the position to take the company to another level. The farm had always been all-organic, but Richard couldn’t fracture his focus enough to commit fully to both optimal farming and green operations. Adam could come in with fifteen years of education and experience and a fresh perspective, ready to revolutionize things.