She let out a breath. "I'll bring a few trays for tomorrow, but I have a new vendor, and they want exclusivity."
"Who's the vendor?" Cal's tone was dangerously low.
Every muscle in my body was tense. I didn't want to step in, but I would if he yelled or made a move toward her.
Her face pinched, she said, "That's none of your business."
"I'm going to find out."
"I appreciate the opportunity, but this new vendor offers an industrial kitchen so it's a better situation for my business," Noelle continued in a professional tone.
Cal grumbled. "My customers aren't going to be happy about this."
"I'm sorry, Cal, but I had to do what was best for me and my business. I wish you luck." Noelle grabbed the trays, and we headed outside.
On the sidewalk, she let out a breath. "That wasn't as hard as I thought it was going to be."
"That's because I was there." I saw the way Cal's gaze shifted from Noelle to me. He knew I had her back, and I didn't have to say a thing. I might be on crutches, but the Wilde family had clout around here. I wouldn't let him treat her poorly.
"Thank you for coming. I wasn't sure I'd ever work up the courage to do it."
"One more day giving Cal donuts, and then you're all ours. Have you thought of a donut shop name?"
She chewed her lip. "I'm still working on it. Do you have any ideas?"
I thought through some options. "Wilde's donuts. But then that highlights the resort, not you."
"These are the ones I was thinking of: Sugar Rush. Donut Delight. Noelle's Nirvana."
"I kind of like Sugar Rush."
"Me too. But there's no alliteration like with the others."
"Do you want your name on the donuts? The more I think about it, I wonder if it would be better to keep it separate from your other businesses. It's something unrelated to your personal assistant or your event planning business."
"That's a good point."
She had to go there tomorrow, but maybe I could invite myself along again. She could handle Cal on her own, but she didn't have to. He was disgruntled and might not react well. I wouldn't give him a chance to give her a hard time.
It was clear that Eli would be a better business partner than Cal, who was only looking out for his bottom line.
At the resort, she carried the trays to the kitchen where Marcus had cleared space for her.
"Are you our exclusive donut girl yet?" Marcus asked.
"One more day. I just need to sign the contract and give it to Eli."
Marcus hugged her. "It will be nice to work with you."
She threw her arms up. "This kitchen is a dream compared to my apartment."
"Do you need help moving your stuff?" I asked her.
"Are you going to help?" Her brow raised playfully.
"I have a few brothers who could."
"I don't have much. Just clothes and other small items. Your condo is fully furnished."