Page 97 of The Grump

“Merry Christmas.”

I glanced at the documents on the desk. They could wait until after the holidays.

I was about to get up from my chair when I got a call from Ron Trudeau.Shit!I’d completely forgotten to open his email, and then it got buried by others on Monday morning. I answered right away, not wanting him to think I wasn’t serious.

“Hi, Xander.”

“Hi, Ron”

“I figured I’d call you since the last email—”

“I want to apologize for that. I completely overlooked it.”

“That would explain a few things.”

I frowned, jumping up from my desk. “What things?”

“I went by the confectionery, and Bailey gave me a tour. But she was very surprised to see me there.”

Fuck, fuck, fuck.“You were at the confectionery?” I said, as if he hadn’t made it abundantly clear.

“Yes.”

“When?”

“Just now. I’m on my way out.”Fuck. Bailey must think I’m the biggest asshole in the world.“So anyway, the place looks solid. I’d make some changes, but the bare bones are there. I asked her about the recipes, but she wasn’t very straightforward.”

“That wasn’t your request to make,” I barked.

“I figured you might react like that. Definitely wasn’t smart to bring that up. I don’t think she liked it either.”

No shit. Jesus Christ, what must Bailey be thinking right now?

“Listen, I don’t want to cut you short. I was actually going to ask you to lunch before Christmas, but one thing happened and then another, and... I’ve decided not to sell.”

Ron groaned. “LeBlanc, come on. You were set on that. We haven’t even talked price yet.”

“It’s not about the price, I just have other plans for it.”

“Well, this was a waste of time.” He sounded very annoyed, and I couldn’t blame him, as this wasn’t my most professional moment.

“I apologize. How can I make it up to you?”

“I don’t know that you can. You’re known around business circles as a man of your word. I didn’t think you’d put out feelers for selling something if you didn’t actually have the intention to do so.”

“I had every intention back then, but things have changed in the meantime.”

“What changed? Did the business suddenly turn a profit?”

“No, it didn’t. Far from it.” But I’d since learned that that wasn’t the most important thing. That the LeBlanc & Broussard pralines meant something entirely different to those who got them. And I owed that all to Bailey. I needed to talk to her. “Listen, I’ll set up a meeting in the new year, okay?”

He scoffed. “Don’t bother. Just be straightforward from now on.”

I disliked that he was questioning my reputation, but I had more important things to focus on, like Bailey.

“Listen, I have to go right now.”

“I’ve got better things to do, too, than continue wasting my time. Merry fucking Christmas.”

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