Page 16 of A Gingerbread Romance

He stood, his face reddening and his voice just slightly irritable this time. “Fine.” He started across the room, his expression grim.

“I’ll see myself out.”

* * *

Jonathan trudged backto his apartment across shoveled sidewalks under a cloudless black sky. He’d meant to ask Greta for a second date after explaining about the real estate deal.

Looked like that was never going to happen. He sighed and swore under his breath, then pulled out his phone.

“Hey,” Wade’s voice came across the line. “What’s goin’ on, bro? You talk to her? Ask her out again?”

“I talked to her.” But he was wondering if he shouldn’t have said anything at all. “Apparently, I underestimated the situation. Made it worse.” Much worse.

“Nah…really?” said Wade doubtfully.

Jonathan explained what had happened and how he hadn’t had the guts to bring up another date because he would’ve been shot down mercilessly. Of course, the timing had been all wrong, understandably.

“Yeah, apparently the bakery’s struggling more than I thought it was. I’m worried, to be honest. Brett and Elaine could line up another bakery to take the space faster than you can saysugarif they get wind of this.” The two of them were all about the bottom line, and they weren’t going to make any exceptions just because the bakery had been there for decades.

Jonathan had been working with them on several projects in the past year, and he knew for a fact that the state of Pennsylvania had no rent cap laws in place. And they’d be exactly the type of people who’d take full advantage of that.

If Greta couldn’t pay the increase when her lease renewed in March, they wouldn’t hesitate to evict her, and he’d feel absolutely terrible for her if it came to that.

“So, what can you do to help?”

“Well, that’s the problem,” said Jonathan, stepping around some snow on the sidewalk. “She won’t let me help. I’m sure there’s something I could do, but she’s stubborn.” Not that he didn’t admire her tenacity. “And independent. And she’s not about to take any assistance or advice from me, of all people.”

Another sigh escaped his lips, and he saw his breath in the cold evening air. She’d looked so betrayed, sitting there, stunning, in a simple gray sweatsuit and not an ounce of makeup on her face. No pretension, no mask, and even more perfect, somehow, than she’d been last night, all dressed up.

“I’ve got a buddy in town who does consulting for small businesses,” said Wade. “Maybe you could talk to him? See what he’d recommend. He’s probably familiar with the Smithfield already, too.”

Jonathan turned the corner to the place his brokerage had rented for him, a small but trendy furnished apartment on the second floor of a refurbished warehouse on the outskirts of town.

Hmm.That wasn’t a bad idea. Maybe she’d accept the help of an expert if she wouldn’t accept help from Jonathan. “Yeah, send me his number, would you?” It was worth a shot.

And he’d better dosomethingbecause the golden-brunette with the fire in her eyes was driving him to distraction.

FIVE

Jonathan sat in Henry Berg’s home office the following afternoon, a well-appointed room in a comfortable two-story Colonial on several acres of suburban New Haven Falls. Berg seemed to be listening intently as Jonathan explained what he was looking for.

Berg was in his early thirties, he’d guess, about Jonathan’s age. A fit guy, and single, despite the fact that the house could easily fit a large family. He was obviously doing well for himself. The guy might even employ an army of elves, Jonathan thought with a grin, because the place was tidy and well decorated.

A Christmas tree stood tall in the corner of the living room, lit with white lights; Jonathan had glimpsed it on their way in. The affluent scene Henry Berg had set was an altogether convincing method of getting someone to hire him for his consulting services. It was already working on Jonathan.

Jonathan tapped his thumbs together, wondering, as Berg pecked away at his keyboard, if he’d ever move out of the city and finally buy a home like this for himself. He could picture himself in something similar. Somewhere near his brothers, ideally. Well, one or the other. Wade and Luke lived about half an hour apart, but Tim and Wade were both nearby.

He wouldn’t want a big house like this until he had someone to share it with, though. He wondered if perhaps Berg had a live-in girlfriend.

“So, yeah, I’m sure I can help your friend,” Berg said. “The Smithfield Bakery’s practically an institution around here. I can’t imagine losing it, and I would guess all of New Haven Falls would agree with me. And, yeah, there are some simple methods we can employ to get her started, if she’s open to new ideas?”

“I think she will be,” said Jonathan. “Here’s the thing, though. She’s—let’s just say—not one to ask for help, and she doesn’t know I’m here today. I’ll be the one paying your bill, but if you can purposely not mention my involvement, everything will go much more smoothly, trust me. We had a little falling out, and I don’t want my name coming into this at all.” Jonathan held his gaze. “Is that going to work for you? Because it’s a deal breaker.”

He didn’t like the idea of lying to Greta about it, but she’d never agree to work with a consultant if she knew the idea had come from Jonathan. But if she didn’t do something major, Brett and Elaine would find a way to replace her the way they’d replaced Lennie and Nancy.

Henry Berg studied him for a moment. “Not a problem at all. Who should I tell her is footing the bill, then, if she asks?”

This was where it got rocky, because it would definitely come up. “If you can just be vague and tell her as little as possible, I’m sure she’ll draw her own conclusions. And if you can get things moving as quickly as possible, she’ll be on board in no time and not care where the help’s coming from, as long as it’s helping.”

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