Page 20 of Wishing for Love

He laughed when she said that. “I didn’t tell you what I did. I’m sure you’re curious.”

“I am,” she said. “You said you owned a business. I will say I did Google it and saw that it was called Nix Plastics and then I found another that said Nix To Go. So I guess it’s not just Elsie that calls you that.”

He smiled and it softened and relaxed his face. He was attractive and she realized how dangerous this could be.

“Maryn and Elsie are the ones who came up with the name. I’ve only been in business for about two years. I have a Chemistry background and worked in a lab. On my own time, I developed a process on how to use recycled plastics to make materials used for bags. Mainly bags for men. Like laptop cases, backpacks and adventure bags. I was just starting to branch off into a women’s line, but it’s been a process. I was getting some help there with design, but put it aside for now.”

Which told her that maybe Maryn had been helping him there.

Crystal had seen the bags and thought they were pretty neat. Not super expensive either. More like an affordable stylish option.

“You’ve got to be pretty smart then,” she said. “Looks like you’ve got two businesses.”

“One feeds the other. That is all it does,” he said. “But I had to name it to start and then branched out. It’s complicated.”

“I’m sure it’s way over my head,” she said, “but I understand more.”

She’d filled out her employment records with him and it’d said Nix Plastics on it and she assumed that was how she was able to get benefits. She didn’t care; it didn’t make a difference to her.

She was breaking up the ground beef while it cooked and then grabbed a knife on the counter and saw the cutting board and moved it over to the island so she could talk while she prepared the rest of the meal.

He got up and grabbed a platter for her to put the lettuce, then tomatoes on. He opened the olives that were already sliced and drained and then put them on the plate too.

“I’ll get these in the oven since it doesn’t look like it will be much longer.”

“Thanks,” she said. “Guess we make a good team.”

“Seems it,” he said.

“Elsie, what do you like to eat for breakfast? I’m assuming I’ll be preparing that?”

“If you could,” he said. “She has to be at school much later than when I leave. I like to get to the office a little after seven and Elsie is just getting up then. I’ll get her up before I go. My office is only ten minutes away, so not a big deal.”

“That’s fine,” she said. “I’m used to being at my other job by six. Now I can get up and shower and just come down the stairs. Best commute ever. I have you beat.”

He laughed. “I’d say you do.”

He put the shells in the oven when it beeped and she grabbed some silverware and then found the plates to pull down.

“I like cereal,” Elsie said. “And pancakes and waffles.”

“There are a bunch of frozen ones,” he said.

“That works. Elsie can pick her breakfast out daily.”

“She bathes the night before,” he said. “My mother was doing that before she left on Thursday. But we can change that to the morning now.”

She nodded her head. Which told her that maybe Phoenix wasn’t comfortable doing it. “We’ll get it worked out, right, Elsie? Do you want to take a bath tonight since you didn’t have one yesterday?”

“Can I?” Elsie said. “I can do it alone, but Uncle Nix said no.”

“We can do that,” she said.

He moved over to get the shells out of the oven and put them on the counter and then put one on a plate. She watched as he made Elsie’s, then moved to the fridge and got her a glass of milk.

“What would you like to drink?”

“Water is good,” she said.

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