Page 90

“Hey, Blanca, how are your courses going?”

“Really well!” Her eyes lit up as she dove into her latest syllabus. “We’re working on a brand new alternative to soy and the options are fascinating. I’m hoping that we might be able to introduce some of the alternatives into Ivey’s stock soon.”

“Sounds brilliant,” I said.

It was one of the best parts of having money; using it to help others grow. Blanca flourished immediately.

I wandered around the store when Blanca had to help a customer, aimlessly inspecting the shelves I’d memorized ages ago. I wasn’t sure why I’d visited the store.

“Hayden, hi.”

My heart stuttered in my chest. “Hey, Frankie.”

“Sorry, I didn’t know you were visiting today; I would have come to see you.”

“Relax, I’m not here to micromanage you.” I chuckled, the tightness in my chest loosening ever so slightly.

Frankie smiled back at me.

She’d pulled her curls into a ponytail with a few strands slipping free from her hair band to frame her face. She wore a dress again, so similar to the one she’d worn not too long ago. I didn’t let my thoughts linger there for too long.

“Then, I’m going to go out back to check on the week’s deliveries,” she said, lifting a hand in farewell.

I watched her jog off, her sneakers squeaking on the tiled floors. I stood there for a moment before Vanessa called out to me.

“Hey boss! Your coffee is ready!”

True to her word, a cappuccino waited on the counter for me when I got to the café.

“Thanks, Vanessa,” I said, taking a long, delicious sip. “I don’t know how you do it, but these always taste better than the last one.”

“It’s a gift.” She shrugged, and I didn’t doubt it.

“How are things going?” I asked her, sitting on one of the empty stools on the other side of the counter.

“Smoothly,” she mused. “Especially since Frankie loosened the reins a little bit.”

I huffed a quiet laugh.

Indeed, since Frankie had treated me to lunch, she’d tried hard to be a lot more accommodating. Even going as far as entertaining investors herself, although that may have been more for my benefit than hers.

“She’s full of surprises,” I said, taking another sip of my coffee.

Vanessa hummed thoughtfully, her gaze on me. “You’ve probably heard it a hundred times in the short amount of time you’ve been here,” she began. “But you’ll keep hearing it; she’s a special person.”

“I’m learning that.”

“When we first opened the store, foot traffic was very slow,” Vanessa said. “But she’d gather up all her favorite toys and books and hold free talent shows every afternoon after school.”

“Talent shows?” I chuckled. I remembered the melody she plucked from the guitar. “I’m guessing she was quite the little musician.”

“Yeah, how did you know?”

“I found out about her working at the music store,” I admitted, and Vanessa’s eyes went wide as dinner plates.

“Then you know about her mom, too?”

I nodded. “I got the sense that she wasn’t happy to tell me,” I said, glancing down at my cup. I rolled it between my palms. “Is her mom’s situation serious?”