“Gross. Why are you telling me this while I am eating”?
“It’s my job as your mentor.”
I watched him dip a French fry in the sauce. “Woah. That is unreal. Where is this restaurant?”
“Corner of 21stand Wilton. Literally two blocks from you. It’s a food truck called Dave’s. He’s a good guy. I’ve offered to help him get a spot in one of my buildings, but he says he likes the open road. He, however, has parked in the same spot every day for three years.”
“How is this fry sauce not sold in stores? I would put it on everything. Can you imagine dipping pizza rolls in it?”
“We have to try that!” It felt natural to plan to do things with him in the future. We finished our meal chatting about whatever. We held the phones up so Charlie and Daisy could see each other, and they stomped their feet in a bit of dance.” I regrettably had to finish my workday. I told him goodbye, nearly blowing him a kiss. Shaking my head, I didn’t know what the fuck was happening.
I went back into the front room and asked Sarah if there was anything else that needed tending to before I took off. I could review the vendor forms at home.
I told Rodney how impressed I was with his work so far. “We need to set up a meeting next week, just you and me. I’ll call Matt and schedule a lunch for us.”
Rodney looked at me, terrified. “Did I do something wrong? An official meeting on the books with the owner seems serious.”
“I just want to talk to you about your future here with Gentry. You can also tell me how you managed to get your mom not to harass me. I didn’t even think it was possible to mute her.” I clapped him on the back. It’s all good Rodneydoodle.”
“Why must you? I’m almost 20 years old.”
“You will always be Rodneydoodle to me.” I grabbed Daisy’s lead and snapped it on her harness. I’ll be in tomorrow for the walkthrough and to meet with demolition. Rodney, be here no later than 9:30 a.m. if you want to participate. You’re also welcome to join me for the walkthrough. I will be here at 6:30 a.m. Remember you are dragon sitting tomorrow night.” I kissed Sarah’s cheek. “I’ll talk to you in the morning.”
I headed out to the truck and looked towards the top floor of River's high-rise. I knew he was up there. It would be easy to blow everything off andgo to him. I know he would welcome me. If I wanted to keep my business, I needed to run them.
Heading home. I enjoyed lunch with you.
MyFantasy: Me too. We must get a vat of that sauce and dip everything in it.
Everything?
MyFantasy: Don’t kink shame me! :)
I would never. Can I call you tonight?
MyFantasy: If I don’t call you first. Be Safe.
Of course. I will be thinking of you.
MyFantasy: Me too. xoxoxo
Before I could go home, I needed to stop by the winery and talk to Jose about how things were going. It was the first week of October, and we had to beat the frost. We were about to harvest, which was always a large undertaking. It was two solid weeks of people gathering grapes.
Jose would bring back workers he trusted if he could. He had a total of twenty people, and fourteen of them had worked for us before. The six new people would start orientation tomorrow, and harvesting started two days later. We offered them a place to stay if they needed one, including three meals daily. I paid about three dollars anhour more than the going rate. It was easier if we had people return to our vineyard each season than to train new people every time. I treated them well, and they treated us well.
I needed to see if his daughter had picked a university yet so I could get them a check for her first year of school. Jose was one of the first people I ever hired. He used to help with the houses I was flipping, doing anything I needed, from drywall to cleaning up.
His daughter Carlita wasn’t even a twinkle in her father’s eye when her dad started working with me. Now, she was graduating high school and planned to get a degree in marketing. She has already come up with some great ideas to expand our brand. I told her I would pay for her education if she came to work for me after graduation. She eagerly agreed.
As I thought about the winery and vineyard, I thought about the date I was planning for River. I surprised myself that I had scheduled time off two weeks in a row. I decided to plan a romantic weekend for us. I would take him to the winery for a tasting and then take him to my home. I was entirely out of my depth, but I hoped River would like it.
Chapter nineteen
River
I held my phone to my chest like it was a lifeline. Aaron texted me and gave me an update on his day. It was unnecessary, but I liked it. Just days, and I knew I had it bad. We’ll see what happens tomorrow. I told him the restaurant's name but didn’t tell him much more. I knew he would charm his way through anything thrown at him, but this was going to be big.
“What do you think, Charlie? He has us hooked on him, doesn’t he?” Charlie was learning to interpret my sentences, but the visual commands were still helpful. “Do you want belly rubs?” I rolled my hand from palm up to palm down. I had no idea if this was even a command, but I figured I could teach him whatever I wanted. He sat on his rump and rolled on his back while I tickled the scales on his underside. He chuffed at me. I wondered how I enjoyed life before Charlie.
