Chapter 21 Ash
ASH
Ash sat at the diner in Sugarville Grove after a day of touring the area with his investors.
From Hayes Maple Sugar Farm to the country store with its homespun Santa Claus station out back, and everything in between, including the village itself, the park with its beautiful decorations, and now Bean Counters Café, Ash had left no stone unturned as he introduced his three guests to the small town that had won his heart so thoroughly.
It had been a little odd to take a limo up and down the winding roads of the modest town and the surrounding farmland. But it was worth it to sit here now and watch the three of them remarking over the menu and the fun they’d had all day.
“Look at that,” Patrick Weathers said to Geraldine Sheen, who sat beside him. He was pointing at the menu and whatever she saw there made her smirk.
Ash felt a twinge of annoyance, and looked over at Doug Pruitt, who was seated beside him.
While Patrick and Geraldine were the slick, opinionated business types Ash had expected to encounter when he first met the three, Doug was a little older, and he took his time with things.
Right now, the silver-bearded man was scanning the drink menu, frowning to himself.
“What can I get you all?” a waitress asked, floating over to them all with a smile.
“Do you have anything gluten-free?” Patrick asked immediately.
“We serve breakfast all day,” the waitress said brightly. “We can do bacon and eggs with fruit for you, or even a steak or sausages.”
“Fine,” Patrick said, slapping his menu shut. “Bacon and scrambled egg whites with fruit, but not bananas. And coffee.”
“You’ve got it,” she said, jotting it down carefully before turning to Geraldine. “And for you?”
“Pancakes with that local syrup,” Geraldine said. “And a diet whatever.”
“Great,” the waitress said before turning to Doug.
“How long have you been working here for?” Doug asked her.
“Oh, well, I’m a newcomer here,” she said with a smile.
“What does that mean to you?” he asked.
“It means I’ve been here less than a generation,” she replied, chuckling. “I was an accountant in the city, and I was burnt out six ways from Sunday. I came out here and started this place a couple of years ago, hoping to live better.”
“That’s why it’s called Bean Counters,” Doug guessed. “Because you were an accountant.”
“Right you are,” she said, smiling. “My name is Tara.”
“Tara, has your menu changed much since you opened?” he asked her.
“Not really,” she said. “Most of my customers are creatures of habit and we all like to support the local businesses, so I source as much locally as I possibly can.”
“That’s wonderful,” Doug told her. “Thank you for answering all my nosy questions. I’ll take the BLT and a chocolate shake, big as they come.”
“Very good,” Tara said with a smile.
“Steak and eggs, please,” Ash told her when she looked to him. “Rare. And a cup of coffee.”
“Coming right up,” she said cheerfully, taking all the menus but Doug’s, which he was still holding onto.
“She’s right,” he said quietly. “An awful lot of these items have notes about which farms the ingredients come from. She does like to support the locals.”
Ash nodded, feeling excitement well up in his chest.
His guests were getting the message he’d hoped they would—and seeing for themselves how great it was to be on the ground in a place like Sugarville Grove.
“Lot of city folks find their way out here, huh?” Doug asked, finally placing the menu at the end of the table.
“Yes, sir,” Ash told him. “Some of the locals call us flatlanders, but mostly we’re accepted, especially if we don’t try to change the way things are done.”
That earned him a flat laugh from Doug. Geraldine and Patrick were too busy scrolling on their phones to pay any attention.
This is going well, Ash told himself.
But he was still filled with a bubbling energy that had nothing to do with his business.
Allie had agreed to meet him at the ball tonight. And he knew from Barbara at the shop in Burlington that she and Charlotte had been in to choose dresses.
He knew these investors were important, but couldn’t help picturing Allie every time he closed his eyes.
Maybe my plans will all come to fruition, Ash told himself. Maybe I’ll end tonight with a firm deal to take my business to the national level and a real fiancée.
Tara came back with their drinks and he tried to focus on the meal at hand.
But his mind kept going back to Allie, her face shining as the lights of the town Christmas tree reflected in her eyes, her arms around Maya like there was no place she’d rather be.
He knew now that there could be no holding her at arm’s length. He was lost for her, heart and soul.
Please let there be room for me in her heart…