face. “But that third of the grant, that shared third, if we play it right, can mitigate the risk for both of us.”
“Exactly.”
“We could do behind-the-scenes packages. Meet the actors at the bar afterwards. Or your chef caters a meal backstage for people who buy VIP tickets.”
“See—you have all the good ideas.”
“Well, this whole collaboration was your idea.”
“Yeah, but that was obvious. It was staring us in the face.”
“I didn’t see it.”
“Well, maybe you’re not as smart as I am.” He winked.
“Are we going to fight now about who has better ideas, except in a new twist, we’re each arguing for the other?”
“Maybe.” He for one hoped this peace treaty wasn’t going to be the end of all fighting. Giving up bickering with Maya would be like giving up seeing the world in color. “There is one flaw in my plan, though.”
“There is?”
“You were going to use the grant money to set up a fundraising program.”
“If I won. Honestly, I was already a little worried about that being the centerpiece of my application. Fundraising will support the theater, not the town. It’s not actually very community-minded.”
“But the theater is a big part of this community.”
“Are you trying to talk me out of what you were just trying to persuade me of seconds ago?”
“No! I just want you to see what you’re giving up.”
“I see it. And I’m not really giving it up. I’m just postponing it. We get the grant, we do the joint stuff, we add volume to both of our businesses, I can use that increment of new profit to set something up fundraisingwise.”
He couldn’t hide his grin if you paid him. “Okay, then.”
“All that time we spent fighting about the pizza oven, we could have been leveraging the pizza oven for the common good,” she mused.
“It kind of blows the mind, doesn’t it?”
“You know what? I secretly love your pizza. Nora has been smuggling it to me since she moved here.”
“Really?” Another thing that blew the mind.
“Really. So…” She trailed off, all coy and adorable. “I think this means I should get my pizza for free from here on out. Because we’re basically business partners now, right?”
And ideally a whole lot more, but, again, one thing at a time. A chat on the beach wasn’t enough to make his case on that front. For that he needed an action plan.
A person of words and not deeds is a garden full of weeds.
But for these deeds, he needed help.
Handily, he lived in a town full of helpers.
Maya was looking at him kind of funny, so he got his head back into the game—this game, the business-partners game. If they were going to mix business and pleasure, which he sincerely hoped they were, they needed this part cleanly squared away. He would never want her to think one was contingent on the other. He would design dinner-and-theater packages with her and leave it at that if that was what she wanted. His heart would break in the process, but he would do it. So he held out his hand for her to shake. “Yes—business partners. And yes—all the free pizza you can eat.”
She shook his hand, but she seemed a little underwhelmed.
“We can win it, right?” he asked. Maybe that was what she was concerned about. He hadn’t been keeping up on who else was applying.
“Are you kidding me?” she said, shaking off her seriousness. “What’s more community-minded than joining forces to provide arts and dining for the town and to lure in tourism dollars?”
He liked that idea. He also liked the idea of just…having her around while he made the big restaurant leap. Between Maya and Brie, he sort of felt like he couldn’t go wrong. Smart women saving his ass. “There is one more thing we have to discuss.”
She smiled widely, which was a bit confusing, because he wouldn’t have thought this topic would inspire that reaction. “And what would that be?”
“Holden.”
The smile evaporated. “What’s there to talk about?”
“Where he’s gone so I can go drag him back by his hair?” And who would have ever thought Law would find himself in a position of wanting Holden Hampshire around?
“LA,” she said dejectedly.
“Give me his number.”
“You’re not going to get him back.”
“I know, but I’d like to have a few words with him.” She raised an eyebrow. “I promise I’ll be civil. I just want to talk to him.” The eyebrow went higher. “Do you trust me?”
“I…do.” She sounded surprised. She gave him the number.
“Don’t cancel the last