After all, the man was a handsome stranger and new to town. What’s more he was a city guy, and had already made it clear that he thought differently to Sally. But she was on her own now and had to make her own decisions. Nervously, she nodded, instinctively trusting that she would be okay with this man, even though she hardly knew him. “There’s only one decent restaurant in town. The Diamond Back is one block down. I’ll meet you there at six.”
“Great. I’ll see you then,” he said, smiling again and sending shivers down Sally’s back. And then he walked out of the store.
All day, no matter how busy she was, Sally couldn’t get the man out of her head. Nor could she forget why he was here.
She would never consider training someone to take over the store. With a non-compete agreement, at least she would know that the future of the store would be safe from competition from someone with insider information. She supposed it wouldn’t hurt to show someone how she did things and she certainly needed more help, since she was trying to fill the roles of both parents plus her own jobs.
She had two ladies who came in to help her during the day and they at least allowed her to eat lunch if the store wasn’t too busy. She had Billy, but he often left at five, since there were no deliveries in the evenings.
Sally lived in a very nice house on the street right behind the store. Her parents had loved its location and it meant she only had to take a very short walk to get to work. Sally brought her lunch and dinner from home so that she could make sure she was on hand if anything came up.
Today, Sally had been relieved when the time came for her to take her break. She had decided to spend the time working on the store’s books, something her father had taught her to do when she was sixteen. Her mind drifted back to the times they had spent making sure the books were all up-to-date and correct. It wasn’t that she hadn’t expected to own the store—Sally had been fully prepared to take over, but had thought it would happen when her parents retired. Their deaths had come much too soon.
Sally sat staring into space and began to think about her dinner date for this evening. He was certainly a handsome man, but she now realized she didn’t even know his name!
It wasn’t often that people wandered into Bailey by chance. It was a small town in the northern part of the state. The mountains surrounding Bailey kept it away from the world, and only those who sought out Bailey would come across it.
Which meant the man had been telling the truth about the agreement her dad and Wilbur Hunt had made. Why else would he have come here? Her father had never mentioned anything about his idea to either her or her mother. But then again he hadn’t expected to die so suddenly, either.
As the day traveled to its end, Sally began to wonder if she’d made a mistake. Her agreement to have a meal with a man when she didn’t know his name was unusual. It was more than unusual. It was unheard of.
As the clock drew near six o’clock, Sally began debating more and more about what to do. Should she stay in the store, not meeting the stranger at the restaurant? He’d know where to find her, but he might be so irritated, he wouldn’t come back to the store.
If she went to the restaurant, how would she ask for her dinner partner when she didn’t even know his name? The vision of his handsome face floated before her. Sally realized that she did in fact want to go and meet him. It would be a relief to talk to someone not from Bailey. Someone who had seen the world. Or at least more than she had.
Finally she slipped over to her house, the big, lonely house she’d shared with her parents. She removed her denim jeans and sweater and put on a slim black skirt and a knit top that showed some sense of style. She even added a little makeup, though she seldom wore any at the store.
At exactly six o’clock, she walked into the Diamond Back restaurant, looking around, hoping to see the man already sitting at a table. No such luck. She looked at the hostess, Diane Diamond, wife of the owner and someone she knew very well from the store.
“Evening, Diane,” Sally said, smiling slightly.
“Your guest is waiting at our best table, Sally. Thanks for bringing us new business,” Diane answered, smiling fondly at Sally.
Relieved that she hadn’t had to ask any uncomfortable questions Sally released a sigh. “You’re welcome, Diane.” And moved in the direction the other woman indicated. She rounded the corner and saw a table occupied by the stranger she’d met that morning.
When she approached he stood and moved around the table to hold her chair for her.
“Thank you,” she murmured and slid into the seat.
He returned to the seat across from her. As he sat down, he smiled. “You look lovely, Sally.”
“How do you know my name?” she asked, taken a little by surprise.
“It’s one of the charms of a small town, isn’t it? People are willing to talk. Just the hint of your parents’ deaths and they told me about you and Penny, your cousin.”
“Please don’t make fun of small towns. I happen to be fond of them.”
“My apologies. I think I neglected to introduce myself this morning. Because of the surprise you handed me, I forgot the niceties. I’m Hunter Bedford and, as I said, I represent the Hunt Corporation of Denver.”
“Good evening, Mr Bedford. I’m sorry, but I think you’ve made a wasted trip,” Sally answered, relieved that she at least knew his name now.
Hunter smiled at her again, his perfect teeth gleaming. “I wouldn’t say that.”
“Mr Bedford, I have only just heard of this arrangement between my father and your grandfather and like I said this morning I’m not interested in training you without a non-compete agreement.” Sally was determined that she wasn’t going to be railroaded.
“I realize that, not knowing my grandfather, that would be your position. I talked to him on the phone after our meeting this morning and told him of the situation. He was sorry to hear of your father’s death and passes on his condolences. He also told me that the agreement they had was a verbal one, between gentlemen, but he has no problem giving you a non-compete agreement if that would make you happier. He is very keen for me to stay here in Bailey and get to know more about your store. And I think you could maybe use some help for the rest of the month—free of charge.”
Sally was silent for a moment, thinking about Mr Bedford’s words. She knew he was right about the help, but didn’t want to appear desperate for him to stay. She said, “We could manage.”
They were interrupted by the waitress who stepped up to their table.
“Good evening, folks. Have you had a chance to look at the menu?”
“No, we haven’t. Could we have a couple of minutes?”
“Sure thing.” The waitress was listening to Sally but was smiling at the stranger.
Sally picked up the menu, though she knew it by memory, to make a decision about what she would eat. Her dinner partner did the same.
After a moment, the waitress reappeared at their table and took their order, both deciding on the meat loaf. “I’ll have that right out for you,” the waitress said brightly, again smiling at Sally’s dinner partner.
“The
