wanted to say hello.”
They were headed out to have sex. Because that’s what people in love did. Well, at least there was a chance Bella might get some blueberry pancakes while she was here. This was a consolation, at least. There was always cake, in its various forms.
A few minutes later Mike plopped on the bar stool next to her. “Bella, good to see you. How you been?” He sounded subdued, almost defeated. This wasn’t like him. Mike looked like the Marlboro man and had the soul of Ghandi. When it came to River Valley and its residents, the town’s honorary mayor would die trying to save it.
“I’m good,” she answered. “Just got into town. Great to be here.”
“You bring a little extra light to the place, that’s for certain.” He tapped the bar. “Cindi, I need a beer and a shot of whiskey.”
Cindi looked at him with surprise. “Whiskey? Hard day?”
Mike rubbed his eyes. “One of the worst of my life.”
Cindi poured him a shot from one of the whiskeys lining the shelf behind the bar and set it in front of him. “What happened? Is Sharon all right?” She tilted a pint glass under a draft, stopping the flow of the amber liquid just as it reached the top.
“Yeah, she’s fine. On her way over here now, as a matter of fact. I told her she’ll need to drive me home.” He threw back the shot, wiping his mouth with the back of his hand. “I have to close the sawmill.”
“What?” Cindi’s face looked like he’d just told her someone close to them had died. “The sawmill?”
“It’s been coming for a long time now. Just can’t afford to keep it going with so many of the restrictions on timber. You know I’ve wondered for years how I’d keep it going and if it was possible to make it work, but it’s just not. I only employ thirty people out there now, but still, that’s thirty about to lose their jobs.”
They spoke for a time about the logistics of stopping production and what he would do about telling the employees. Bella was listening absently because her mind was whirring. Could her makeup line be manufactured here? Could they turn Mike’s mill into a factory that made cosmetics instead of lumber? She’d need at least thirty employees if not more if she were to do what she wanted to do.
“Mike,” she said, without thinking first. “I have an idea for a business. I’ve been too scared to actually do it but I don’t know, maybe the mill closing is a sign or something.”
Mike’s face went from defeated to interested. “I believe in signs. The vision for River Valley’s resurrection came to me in a dream in the form of a talking fish.”
“A talking fish?”
“Yep. You heard me. Never mind. I’ll tell you later. Tell me your idea.”
“I’ve wanted to start my own makeup line for years. I have a company that can put together the formulas for the products. I have funding. We could manufacture it here if we built a lab.”
“Like where my mill is now?”
“Exactly. It could employ a lot of people.”
“Holy shit, girl. Why haven’t you done this before?”
“Too chicken.”
He motioned for Cindi to pour him another shot. “Pour me another. A shot to toast the future, not mourn the past.”
“Well, I’m still not sure.” Amanda was starting a business. Dumb little Amanda. Surely she could do as much.
He looked her straight in the eyes. “Fear is the opposite of love, my dear. Just keep that in mind.” He downed the shot and then tapped the surface of the bar with the tip of his finger. “Speaking of love, Ben Fleck was talking about you today. I left him a message about the mill closing to see if maybe he had work for any of my people. Instead of calling me back, he came by my office personally to see how he could help. So nice of him.”
Her heart pounded hard in her chest. She pulled on her earring, trying to appear nonchalant. “He was asking about me?”
“Yep.” Mike’s eyes twinkled at her. “You heard me.”
She sipped her
They were headed out to have sex. Because that’s what people in love did. Well, at least there was a chance Bella might get some blueberry pancakes while she was here. This was a consolation, at least. There was always cake, in its various forms.
A few minutes later Mike plopped on the bar stool next to her. “Bella, good to see you. How you been?” He sounded subdued, almost defeated. This wasn’t like him. Mike looked like the Marlboro man and had the soul of Ghandi. When it came to River Valley and its residents, the town’s honorary mayor would die trying to save it.
“I’m good,” she answered. “Just got into town. Great to be here.”
“You bring a little extra light to the place, that’s for certain.” He tapped the bar. “Cindi, I need a beer and a shot of whiskey.”
Cindi looked at him with surprise. “Whiskey? Hard day?”
Mike rubbed his eyes. “One of the worst of my life.”
Cindi poured him a shot from one of the whiskeys lining the shelf behind the bar and set it in front of him. “What happened? Is Sharon all right?” She tilted a pint glass under a draft, stopping the flow of the amber liquid just as it reached the top.
“Yeah, she’s fine. On her way over here now, as a matter of fact. I told her she’ll need to drive me home.” He threw back the shot, wiping his mouth with the back of his hand. “I have to close the sawmill.”
“What?” Cindi’s face looked like he’d just told her someone close to them had died. “The sawmill?”
“It’s been coming for a long time now. Just can’t afford to keep it going with so many of the restrictions on timber. You know I’ve wondered for years how I’d keep it going and if it was possible to make it work, but it’s just not. I only employ thirty people out there now, but still, that’s thirty about to lose their jobs.”
They spoke for a time about the logistics of stopping production and what he would do about telling the employees. Bella was listening absently because her mind was whirring. Could her makeup line be manufactured here? Could they turn Mike’s mill into a factory that made cosmetics instead of lumber? She’d need at least thirty employees if not more if she were to do what she wanted to do.
“Mike,” she said, without thinking first. “I have an idea for a business. I’ve been too scared to actually do it but I don’t know, maybe the mill closing is a sign or something.”
Mike’s face went from defeated to interested. “I believe in signs. The vision for River Valley’s resurrection came to me in a dream in the form of a talking fish.”
“A talking fish?”
“Yep. You heard me. Never mind. I’ll tell you later. Tell me your idea.”
“I’ve wanted to start my own makeup line for years. I have a company that can put together the formulas for the products. I have funding. We could manufacture it here if we built a lab.”
“Like where my mill is now?”
“Exactly. It could employ a lot of people.”
“Holy shit, girl. Why haven’t you done this before?”
“Too chicken.”
He motioned for Cindi to pour him another shot. “Pour me another. A shot to toast the future, not mourn the past.”
“Well, I’m still not sure.” Amanda was starting a business. Dumb little Amanda. Surely she could do as much.
He looked her straight in the eyes. “Fear is the opposite of love, my dear. Just keep that in mind.” He downed the shot and then tapped the surface of the bar with the tip of his finger. “Speaking of love, Ben Fleck was talking about you today. I left him a message about the mill closing to see if maybe he had work for any of my people. Instead of calling me back, he came by my office personally to see how he could help. So nice of him.”
Her heart pounded hard in her chest. She pulled on her earring, trying to appear nonchalant. “He was asking about me?”
“Yep.” Mike’s eyes twinkled at her. “You heard me.”
She sipped her
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