CHAPTER 31
“I come bearing gifts.” Ean entered Megan’s Books & Bakery office. He offered her a mug of coffee before closing her door.
“Thank you.” Megan accepted the coffee with a smile as warm as if he’d given her a bouquet of roses.
Ean wished he had brought her flowers, red ones to match her bulky red sweater and the blush in her cheeks.
She looked well rested. In contrast, he’d barely slept in the week since Leonard George had interrupted their evening with the news that his mother was going to run for office.
Ean made himself comfortable in her visitor’s chair and fortified himself with coffee. “Am I forgiven for my initial reaction to my mother’s decision to run for mayor?”
“Yes.” Her blush deepened. “All is forgiven.”
“Good.” Ean set his right ankle on his left knee and drank more coffee. “I don’t think you were as upset over my reaction as you claimed to be.”
“I was upset, but I’m not anymore.” Megan cradled the mug in her small palms, avoiding eye contact.
Ean didn’t acknowledge her response. “I think you’re looking for excuses to put distance between us.”
“That’s not true.” But she still wouldn’t meet his eyes.
“Then why do you act as though every other day, you expect me to pack my bags and return to New York?”
Megan was silent for several moments. Ean waited, drinking his coffee and enjoying the view of her wide chocolate eyes, honeyed skin, full red lips and delicate features.
Finally she sighed. “All right. You have a point.”
“So you believe that I’m back for good?”
“I do. I do believe you’re going to stay in Trinity Falls.” Megan gave him a reluctant smile. It started in her eyes and made him want to kiss her.
Ean rose, setting his coffee mug on the corner of Megan’s painfully organized desk. He leaned across its mahogany surface, intending to place a quick kiss on her mouth. But as her lips softened beneath his, their kiss lengthened and deepened. Ean lost track of time and place. Megan tasted of coffee and felt like home. She moaned low in her throat, bringing Ean back to his surroundings.
He exhaled, running an unsteady thumb over her soft, damp lips. “We’ll explore that further, under more comfortable circumstances.”
“I’ll hold you to that.” Megan’s promise was a soft whisper.
Ean tightened his grip on his coffee cup and sank back into the visitor’s chair. He wasn’t entirely comfortable and her words weren’t helping. “Let’s change the subject.”
“More talking?” Megan pouted.
Ean tried to ignore Megan’s hungry gaze as it dropped from his mouth to his lap. “I think my mom will make a great mayor for Trinity Falls. But as much as it pains me to admit this, Grady had a point last night.”
Megan raised her eyes to his. “About what?”
“He said we need to do something to save the center businesses now. We can’t risk waiting until next year’s election.”
Megan straightened in her dark blue executive chair. She looked even more confident in her role as business leader today than she had when he’d returned to town almost two months ago. “I agree with him, too. But what can we do?”
“The association has to buy the center.”
“You and I already talked about that.” Megan drew her fingers through her thick, dark hair. “The sale price is out of our range.”
“Even if everyone pools their resources?”
“Unfortunately, yes.” Her eyes were dark with concern. “Grady’s not the only one whose finances are balanced on that fine edge between surviving and succumbing. It’s not only the economy but the increased rent, too.”
Ean stilled in his seat. “How are Books and Bakery’s finances?”
“The bookstore’s doing fine.” She smiled. “Ramona and I won’t make the Forbes list of the top ten thousand richest women in America, but we aren’t struggling, either.”
“You can try to make the list next year.” Ean braced his elbows on the chair’s arms and leaned forward. “Each association member wouldn’t have to give an equal amount. Some of us—you and I, for example—could contribute a little more.”
Megan picked up her pen and rocked it between her index and middle fingers. “The group discussed that, too. At that time, Vernon, Belinda and I were willing and able to give a bit more.”
“What happened?”
Megan dropped the pen. “Even if the other members had been willing to go along with that plan, we were still too far away from the asking price to make it work.”
“What’s the asking price?”
Megan opened her bottom desk drawer and recovered a manila folder. She flipped through the stack of papers in the folder, until she came to the page she wanted. Reading from the document, Megan named a figure that almost made Ean drop his coffee mug.
“Is there any flexibility with that price?”
Megan closed the folder. “That’s their negotiated number.”
Ean sighed. “You’re right. That figure is steep.”
“We’d need deeper pockets than the ones we have at the town center.” Megan returned the folder to her desk drawer. “Any ideas?”
“No.” Ean set his empty mug on the corner of her desk. “How about you?”
“I’ve been wracking my brain over this since Ramona announced her intent of selling the center to a real estate investor.”
Ean dragged his left hand over his hair. He had to find a way to make this work. The election was too far away to be effective for the town center. “Maybe we could take out a loan.”
“Vernon and I were willing to consider it, but the other members don’t want to take on more debt.” Megan shrugged. “I’m not dismissing your suggestions. It’s just that we’ve considered these proposals before and couldn’t come to a consensus to support any of them.”
“Would they rather lose the town center because of their pride?”
“Would it be so easy for you to depend on someone else to save your business?”
Megan’s gentle question made him face an ugly truth. No, it wouldn’t be easy for him to ask someone else for help. It never had been.
Without responding to her question, Ean rose from his chair and wandered her office. Business files and ledgers shared shelf space with knickknacks and family photos. Ean paused again over the photo of Megan and Ramona as little girls with their grandparents and the author.
He slipped his hands into his front pants pockets. “I wish I could buy the center myself.”
“I think we all wish we could.” Her voice sounded fatigued behind him. “The amount the Realtor is asking for is fair. It’s just not within our reach.”
“I wonder whether it is fair. This is Trinity Falls, Ohio, not New York City.” Ean turned away from her bookcase. He wandered past her printer and paused behind the visitor’s chair. “Perhaps they could negotiate it down further. The only way we can secure the future of the center is to own it. Otherwise, we’ll always be in danger of having a new owner try to force us out and bring new businesses in, whether Trinity Falls wants those shops or not.”
“You’re right. We’ll keep working toward a solution.”
Ean nodded. From Megan’s expression, he realized they were both wondering the same thing. How much time did they have to find that solution?