and Ollie pried the top off, and it’s now spilling out all over the place.
Grant couldn’t help but grin at that. Whitney needed a chance to be innovative and have some fun with her work. The company had been in her family all her life. She knew it inside and out, and it clearly meant enough to her that she’d stayed on after her family sold it. She needed a chance to be a part of its growth, and if she had some things she’d always wanted to try, they needed to tap into that. For her sake, and for theirs. The woman knew the market and the product and the factory better than any of the rest of them ever would. They absolutely needed to let her take the lead on any number of things.
Except pony rides at a snack cake baking contest maybe.
I blame you, Grant told Piper. I sent her to you when she was worried about Ollie overdoing. Why didn’t you stop it? He grinned, waiting for her reaction.
I’m very, very, very good, Piper texted back. But I think we both know that, at best, I can distract him or slow him down. I’ve never been able to really stop him.
Grant frowned. That sounded a little less confident and good-natured than he was used to from Piper.
And now he’s got her all caught up in his magical fantasyland. I think she’s a lost cause, Piper added.
That didn’t sound good. He definitely didn’t need two Oliver types on his hands. But more, Piper could not get sick of Ollie. Fluke Inc., and by extension, Hot Cakes, needed her. Ollie needed her, actually. Someone had to keep his feet on the ground.
Keep them apart until I get back, Grant decided. If they can’t brainstorm together, maybe we can keep this from snowballing until I can be there.
I’ll do my best, Piper said. But you should know that I’m “forgetting” to look into pony rides, the tent order “accidentally” got canceled, and I’m hiding his company credit card.
That’s my girl, Grant said.
I’m also considering putting a sedative in his orange juice.
Okay, maybe we don’t need to go quite that far, Grant said. He would not put that past Piper at all.
Fine. But I expect gifts. You know my size.
About 750 ml? Grant asked.
You’ve got it.
He’d definitely get her a bottle of the Disaronno Riserva amaretto liqueur she loved. Even though it was almost four hundred dollars a bottle.
And you’re not quitting. Ever, he added.
I’m not quitting, she agreed. Then a moment later sent a second text: Today.
Though they joked about it all the time, that last word seemed ominous suddenly. Dammit.
He would deal with all of that when he got back to Appleby. He couldn’t believe he was adding Whitney to the list of issues though.
He quickly filled a plate at the buffet table and grabbed two glasses of champagne before heading for the table where Josie sat with four of the women from his seminar.
“Well, one of us reads out loud and the other does the foot rub,” he heard Josie say as he approached.
Grant set the little glass plate next to Jocelyn’s elbow as the women at the table all oohed together.
“You are so sweet,” one of them said to him as he took his seat.
“Oh?” He glanced at Jocelyn. “Why do you say that?”
“They were asking about what it’s like to be married to you,” she said, smiling at the plate.
It was covered in petit fours. Piper had, of course, handled the catering menu for the reception after the seminar. But she always did finger foods—hors d’oeuvres and little cakes and tarts—and a selection of drinks.
He also handed Josie a glass of champagne.
“I was telling them how romantic you are. How we’re really homebodies and like to just be together, doing simple things.” She accepted the glass and took a sip.
Okay, so they were going to make up stories about their marriage. It didn’t really matter what these women thought of him, or his and Jocelyn’s relationship, and this could be fun.
“Well, I hope you told them about how I showed up at your work and whisked you off for a weekend getaway to Paris,” he said, helping himself to a little cake.
Vanilla with raspberry filling. Yum.
“Paris? Wow. I thought you said you hardly travel other than back and forth to Chicago,” one of the women, Cristy, said to Jocelyn.
Jocelyn smiled at her as her hand settled on Grant’s thigh and she squeezed. “Oh well, there