“He could do a bait and switch.”
“I don’t have to pay him until the roaster’s operational, so he’s taking a bigger risk than we are. And Fred says he’s legit.”
“Then send me the info. In any case, I’ll also look at flights. I doubt I can get there any sooner than tomorrow night, but I’d like to be there when Fred hooks it—”
“Sis, don’t do that.”
“Why not? This is a major crisis. I need to be there.”
“If we go through with this deal, it’ll either work or it won’t. You being here isn’t going to change that.”
“But—”
“I’m handling it. You could end up spending a lot of money to change your ticket and you’ll also cut your time short with CJ. Or have you settled everything with him?”
“Not exactly.”
“Then stay until Sunday morning, like you planned.”
“I’ll see how much the change fee is.”
“Izzy, I can han—”
“Listen, I’d better call this guy. We may be forced to take a chance on him, but I’ll feel better about it if I can ask a few questions. I’ll text you after our conversation.”
“Okay. Love you.”
“Love you, too.” She disconnected and turned to CJ.
He held his hat in his hand as if unsure whether he was supposed to stay. “You’ll be looking at flights?”
“Yes, but first I need to talk with a guy who has a used roaster for sale. He’s less than two hours away and offered to arrange the delivery.”
“Do you want me to make myself scarce?”
“No, I just don’t want you to be bored.” Her phone pinged with the text from Naomi. “I don’t know how long this will take.”
“I can amuse myself.” He glanced toward the small kitchen nook. “I see you picked up bread, so we must be having sandwiches.”
“That was the idea, that we’d… but then Naomi called and—”
“How about if I put the sandwiches together now?”
She hesitated.
“I could be wrong, but I doubt you’re in the mood for licking every inch of my body.”
She gave him a rueful smile.
“I’ll fix the sandwiches while you make your call and text Naomi. Then we’ll eat and talk about what’s going on.”
“Okay. Thanks.”
“My pleasure.” Leaning over, he gave her a quick kiss. “If you need me, I’ll be right over there.” He pointed toward the kitchen nook.
“Like I’d forget.”
“Like I’d let you.” He winked and walked away.
The touch of his lips and the scent of his shaving lotion stirred the embers. Her phone pinged a second time, signaling the text was still waiting. With a sigh, she focused on the business at hand.
Bob Kennedy turned out to be a genial man who’d launched a coffee shop on a whim and then discovered how much work was involved. After a few minutes of conversation, she agreed with Naomi and Fred. The guy seemed honest. She agreed to the deal.
Spending a large amount of money with no return policy was risky, though. She pressed a hand against her stomach to calm the butterflies.
“You okay over there?”
She glanced up and met his concerned gaze. “I will be.”
“Sandwiches are made.”
“Let me text Naomi and I’ll be right with you.”
“I hunted around for drink options and—”
“Oh, right. I didn’t think of that when I picked up the food. I could have grabbed you some hard cider. I have either non-alcoholic cider or I can make decaf coffee.”
“I’m good with whatever you’re having.”
“Cider, please.” She texted Naomi, who answered with don’t fly home and a smiley face emoji. When she looked up from her phone, CJ had taken their plates and cider to the little table near the window. He’d found napkins, too.
Pulling out one of the chairs, he gestured to it. “Have a seat.”
“Thank you for doing this.” She laid her phone beside her plate as she slid onto her chair.
“Gonna check on flights?” He took his seat.
“I need to. I doubt I can get there before the roaster arrives, but I can at least be on hand when our maintenance guy hooks it up.”
“And give Naomi moral support.”
“That’s my thought, even though she told me not to come. She said it would either work or it wouldn’t.”
“Sounds logical.”
“It does, but she’s never dealt with anything like this and George, who’s normally fairly steady, is freaking out. The shop is my responsibility. I should be there.” She waved toward his plate. “Please start. I want to see how much extra it will cost me, assuming there’s even availability.”
“I’ll wait.”
“No, really. I hate to make you—”
“I’ll wait.”
That tone meant she might as well save her breath, so she picked up her phone and got on the airline’s website. It didn’t take long to discover coach seats were gone. She could switch to business class and add that to the change fee. “Damn.” She put down the phone.
“Expensive?”
“Yep. I have to let the sticker shock wear off.” She put her napkin in her lap. “Let’s eat.” She picked up half of her sandwich and took a bite. “Mm.”
“Good?”
She chewed and swallowed. “I got so involved in the roaster thing I forgot I was starving.”
“Then I’m glad I went ahead with the sandwiches.” He bit into his.
“Thanks for suggesting it. I didn’t even think to ask you. If you’ll pardon me, I have a sandwich to eat.” She dived in.
He polished off half his sandwich and picked up his cider. “I’ll bet you didn’t think of asking me to drive you to Seattle, either.”
She paused, the second half of her sandwich halfway to her mouth. “Drive me? I couldn’t possibly—”
“I don’t know if I could get the time off on such short notice, but if I can make arrangements with Henri and the Brotherhood, we could leave as soon as you’re ready. You might get home in time to take that delivery yourself.”
“I would never ask that of you.” She returned her attention to her sandwich.
“My point exactly. I’m offering. Want me to call Henri?”
She shook her head, finished chewing and swallowed. “I’m not so desperate to get
