“We’d like to partner with you on two fronts,” Logan continued. “The first is the food pantry. The second is with our upscale restaurants in Chicago and in St. Louis.”
The breath caught in Mabel’s throat. This was much bigger than she’d ever dreamed.
“We’d also like to work with you on our menu development,” Preston added.
“How would that work?” she asked.
Preston’s face lit up. “This is the fun part. You’d tell us the variety of fruits, vegetables, and grains you’re going to grow, and we’ll plan our menus around that.”
“You want to offer true farm to table?” she clarified.
The chefs exchanged a glance.
“Yes, and that’s actually how we found you. It was through a typo,” Preston replied.
She cocked her head to the side. “A typo?”
“I went to search the hashtag Farm to Table and ended up entering Farm to Mabel. And that’s when you popped up. I believe you were eating a piece of artisan cheese, and then we found your food swoon casserole posts. You eat a lot of cheese and casserole,” Preston teased.
She did. He wasn’t wrong.
She couldn’t help the grin that stretched across her face. She’d taken everything she’d learned from Bella Mae and had used that knowledge to build Eat Elverna. And it had worked. And in the process, the parts of Elverna that she’d rejected had become the things she’d loved most. She glanced at Cal, who, while she’d been so angry with him for so long, never ceased to be her first and only love.
“There’s more,” Logan added, tapping the sheets in the folder.
“More!” she replied. “How much more can there be?”
“We want you, Mabel,” Logan answered.
She reared back. “Me?”
What could they mean by that?
Cal’s posture grew rigid. “Mabel works for the town. She’s not for hire.”
Logan raised his hands defensively. “We understand that completely and don’t want to take you away from your work with Eat Elverna. We’d hoped to bring you on as a consultant. You could set your hours and your availability. We’re extremely flexible.”
“What would you want me to do?” she asked, her heart rate kicking up.
“Similar to what you’ve done in Elverna, we’d like you to help educate and inform our patrons about what farm to table means,” Preston explained. “You’d share information about the families in your co-op and the processes involved in sustainable farming while weaving in aspects of our various restaurants.”
“You want me to manage your social media?” she quarried. It seemed almost too good to be true.
“We could do it on a trial basis. You could stay in the city for a week or two and get to know our restaurants. We could work on menus and plan content,” Preston replied.
“To say that we’re impressed with what you did in Elverna is an understatement. We love what Eat Elverna stands for, and we’d love for you to help us communicate our business philosophy in a similar way,” Logan added.
She took a sip of her coffee but didn’t taste anything. She was too excited at the prospect of expanding Eat Elverna while getting to dip her toe back into city life. The best of both worlds could be hers. She wanted to high five the chefs, but she still needed to keep this professional.
She cleared her throat. “We’re in the process of increasing our delivery capacity to provide seasonal produce, baked goods, and grains to the suburbs around St. Louis and Chicago. Both are equidistant from Elverna. We hadn’t quite gotten to incorporating the cities into the fold yet. However, if we agree to work with you, that would have us going into the cities. It could certainly expedite our ability to offer farm share deliveries to those urban areas. I see a clear path forward for growth. What do you think, Cal?”
He glanced at his watch. “It’s time to go. We need to get on the road.”
This had to be a joke!
She wanted to be patient and understanding, but frustration heated her cheeks. How could he not see the bounty Preston and Logan were laying at their feet? Eat Elverna would be highlighted on their menus. This could garner national recognition for the town. Not to mention, this was a big opportunity for her. How could he not see it? What was clouding his mind?
Cal stood and pulled out her chair for her.
“Will you consider doing some consulting work for us, Mabel?” Logan asked, seeming to sense Cal’s displeasure.
“I—” she began, but Cal cut in.
“We’ll have to get back to you. This is a decision that we’ll need to make with the town council,” Cal replied, but his tone signaled there wasn’t any chance that he’d be on board.
“We understand. Just know, we’re all in with Eat Elverna,” Preston added.
Cal started for the door, leaving her alone with the chefs.
Embarrassment and anger welled in her chest as she nodded to the men. “Thank you again for the tour and the coffee,” she said over her shoulder, trying to keep up with Cal, who’d already left the café.
He’d gone too far. First of all, she wasn’t about to allow anyone—even him—to answer for her when it came to a job opportunity.
“Cal!” she called, hurrying to catch up to him. “What is going on?”
“Not now, Mabel,” he cautioned as he strode toward the delivery truck. She had to jog to keep up, and that was no small endeavor in a pair of Jimmy Choo heels.
He opened the door for her to get in, but she slammed it closed.
“I’m not getting into the truck until you tell me what’s going on!”
He glanced back at those damned rundown homes. “Not here.”
She pointed to them. “Why are you so fixated on those houses?”
“Get in the truck, Mabel,” he ordered.
Who did this man think he was talking to?
“No!” she snapped.
He ran his hands through his hair. “Can we please get out of here?”
“Only if you promise to tell me what’s going on,” she shot back.
“I can’t do it here. I can’t…” he answered, choking up as he spoke.
Her frustration dissolved into concern. “Okay, let’s go. But you’re taking me someplace where you can explain what’s going through your head.”
His stormy blue eyes blazed with unspoken agony. “There’s only one place I can do that.”
Neither of them said a word as Cal drove south on the interstate. He was heading back to Elverna. She knew that much. But when he missed the turn to Muldowney Farms and headed for the outskirts of town, she couldn’t piece together where they were going until the quarry appeared.
The water glistened with the final rays of light playing on the sun-dappled surface. The tall grasses and wispy willow trees swayed in a tranquil breeze as the hum of crickets and the early calls from bullfrogs peppered the air. But she couldn’t concentrate on the peacefulness. No, there was nothing peaceful about this place for her. In fact, it opened every insecurity she’d attempted to hide with the invention of Bella Mae.
“Why are we here?” she asked as he parked the truck in the same spot as he had on the night that she’d returned to Elverna. The night they shared their first scorching kiss right on this stretch of road.