Page 7 of Sawyer
“Kevin?Nah, he’s harmless.”Connor shrugs and continues to grin.
“I need you to look after her,” Tanner says as he watches me carefully, and I frown.
“What do you mean?”
“She’ll need help with all the legal things but also the business side.I want Victoria and myself to remain impartial, so I need you to ensure she understands things.”
“I’m a lawyer, not a business coach.”I scrub my face.I knew I should’ve gone over the details with her.
“This is what it means to work in a small town, Sawyer.We all rally together and help each other.Not to mention, you’ll be paid accordingly.Annabelle has a lot going on and is too proud to ever ask for help.So all I’m asking is if you can make sure that whatever she signs, she knows what it entails.And offer business advice if and when she needs it.”
Releasing an impatient breath, I shake my head.“I need a shower.”
“Yes, you do.”Tanner nods in agreement.
“And a fucking big bottle of whiskey,” I say, and they both chuckle.
“Well, you’re in the right place.”Tanner’s grin widens.
“That's debatable.”I give them both a death stare.
“Welcome to Whispers!”Connor says jovially as his hands fling out to his sides, and he smiles like he’s in a tourism commercial.
My return smile is fake, and they know it.“Fuck you.”
They both cackle as I stride back to my truck and drive to my new place on Billionaire Boulevard.A shower’s in order, and there are a million things to do, including ordering a new tailor-made designer suit.
Yet the woman with the blond hair isn’t very far from my mind for the rest of the afternoon.
4
Annabelle
Isettle in at the dining table with my coffee, holding my cell between my shoulder and my ear as I write a few things down while Victoria continues.
"The soaps we make at the moment are amazing, but I think we can expand our distribution.”
I take a deep breath and look around my run-down house.The familiar ache in my chest that I’m not good enough pulses through my bones.
When I don’t respond, she clarifies, “I mean, we have them for sale through the distillery shop and around town, and they’re very popular.But ever since we put them in the new Whiteman’s Spa, we’ve had a lot of interest, and we’ll be opening new distribution channels in other spas with the teas and tonics Daisy makes as well, so we could take advantage of those relationships…”
It makes sense, but I’m still hesitant.“If we opened new lines of distribution…”
“Nationwide.”She jumps in, her excitement palpable.
I swallow roughly.“National distribution would require higher quantities, I assume?”I love making soaps, and it relaxes me, but doing more of it on top of my day job as a teacher, as well as looking after two kids and running this small farm all on my own, it’s a lot more than I think I can handle.
“Well, we would stick to the three lines we have initially, so no new products, but we would have to increase our stock on those.”
I nod, even though she can’t see me, trying to get it all straight in my brain.Business and numbers are not my strong suits; I’m more of a creative person.A doer.
"Well, I just planted more lavender in the far field, and the current yield we have is enough to double the production if we require it.”I wonder if I can manage cultivating more rosebushes along the driveway and around the house, and how long it’ll take me to distill the oil and add it to the soaps.
“Did Sawyer come to see you?”she asks, probably hearing my brain working from wherever she is.
I take a sip of coffee and almost burn my tongue.
“He did.He left some paperwork for me to look at.”My eyes search the piles of paperwork on my desk to see if I can spot the small folder, but I can’t.
