Page 80 of Tripped By Love
Cassidy
LET’S MAKE LOVE
“Do you know what you do to me?
Everything inside of me
Is wanting you and needing you.”
Performed by Tim McGraw with Faith Hill
Written by Mayo / Green / Marsh Lindsey / Luther
Marco had been silent all morningas Lance had taken me around the plant. He’d introduced me to so many people my mind was a whirl with names and faces. As we’d gone through test kitchens, the production floor, and the storage lockers, he’d filled me in on the sustainable farms and eco-friendly companies they used. He’d even discussed, with great pride, the tiers of solar panels covering the parking lot and roof of the building that fueled the plant. It was all state of the art but also green in every way he could make it.
It was hard not to be impressed, but the truth was, I couldn’t fully concentrate on it. My mind was stuck replaying a movie reel of Marco and me from the night before. My offer and his ultimatum. The choice I’d made that had sent me to a room by myself, tossing and turning, aching for things that I shouldn’t have wanted and didn’t know how to fit into my life.
Marco’s words were the sweetest words anyone had ever spoken to me. The thought of someone never wanting to let me go once they’d had me…it was tantalizing. I’d nearly given in. I’d nearly accepted what he’d thrown down not only because I wanted to be able to lose myself in his skin and his scent, but because the idea itself?having someone at my side at the end of each day and as the sun rose each morning?was a dream I’d been longing to make real for some time now.
But it would have been selfish to accept it. It bothered me that he was willing to accept so few pieces of my time and my energy. It drove me nearly batty that he seemed to think it was all he deserved when, really, he deserved to be the center of someone’s world. To have them be consumed by him.
I forced my thoughts back to Lance and the conference room he was showing us into. He introduced his product development manager, Sue Lee. She had an ageless kind of face, but her black hair had wisps of white in it. She was all business as she waved to the samples she’d prepared for me to taste with the slight changes they were proposing to my recipes.
“What do you think?” Sue asked after I’d tried all of them.
“I can’t even tell the difference in the pomegranate and acai coffee cake or the cookies,” I said before waving to the chorizo quiches. “But there’s too much crust on these.”
Lance grinned, and Sue frowned.
“What?” I asked.
“That’s what I told Sue,” he said.
Three more people came in, and Sue rose. “I’ll go back and whip up a few more quiche samples. We may have to increase the size to more single-serving rather than appetizer to get the correct balance. I’ll have a new version ready for you tomorrow.”
She hustled out, and Lance turned to the new team who’d strolled in, introducing them as his marketing folks. They’d taken my Golden Heart Café logo with the tree of life in the middle and the heart shape carved into its bark, enhanced it, andplacedit on white packaging rimmed with gold trim. It was beautiful and professional and made my pulse beat faster with both joy and nervousness at the thought of seeing my food being sold outside of just Grand Orchard. They threw out several different advertising ideas and slogans, and I sat in awe of it all while Marco watched me. I didn’t need to twist my head to the side to know this was the case. His gaze burned into my skin.
I gave feedback, but I wasn’t sure I’d be able to recall what it was. The team seemed happy with it, and they left the room all smiles.
“Let’s have lunch in the company cafeteria, and then I’ll send you over to Marsha’s Muffins to meet up with her. We have a very good relationship now. In fact, we distribute for her everywhere except in the United States,” Lance said.
He took us into the small cafeteria where groups of people were scattered around tables spread across the black-and-white-checked floors. There was a full kitchen and several line cooks behind the counter. The menu held some of the company’s own products but also standard lunch counter fare you might find in a fifties diner.
There was an air of contentment in the cafeteria that was easy to read. I’d been in places where the atmosphere was loaded with tension and unhappiness, and this was the complete opposite. Laughter drifted about amongst the groups, and the few solo people had newspapers or e-readers in front of them, completely relaxed.
My hesitancy about Lance back in Grand Orchard seemed almost ridiculous in light of everything I’d seen today. I glanced at Marco, and he appeared as surprised by the cafeteria as I was.
Seeing our exchange, Lance smiled. “We’re family here. Lunch is part of the compensation package, and I encourage people to take the full hour. Life is about balance, don’t you think? I want my employees to be happy while they’re working, but I also want them to know I don’t expect this to be the entirety of their worlds.”
His words hit me hard in my belly.
When was the last time I’d had true balance in my life? Physically, it had never been part of my world, but I should have been able to find it in other areas. I’d preached it to my nutrition clients before I’d been laid off. But other than with my food and meals, I’d never followed my own advice. I’d gone headlong into every activity I’d ever done with an obsessed focus. School. Nutritionist. Mom. Restauranteur. Even my workouts with Marco had been stubbornly executed on a daily basis as if I could only succeed if I gave it two-hundred percent.
“Cassidy?” Lance asked, and I drew myself back to the conversation.
I smiled. “Sorry, was deep in thought.”
He smiled warmly, like a father to a wayward child. “I’ve thrown a lot at you, and I’ve been hovering around you the whole time without letting you really absorb it.” He waved to the counter. “Order what you want, and I’ll leave you two in peace for the day. Here’s Marsha’s address. She’s expecting you at two o’clock. I’ll see you tomorrow morning at ten, but you’re welcome to call and chat if you have burning questions between now and then.”
