“Like a collector. I used to be like that.”
“Yeah, exactly. In high school, he and his buddies were the guys who smoked between classes, tripped the athletes, and had sex with cheerleaders in supply closets. They rode motorcycles, and when a mom and her kids would cross the street, they’d rev their engines just to scare them.”
“And yet you talk about him with such affection.”
“Well, he didn’t do any of that when I knew him. Remember, he owned the market, so he grew into a responsible citizen. Besides, he took me in. He raised me.”
“Did he do a good job? I’m picturing a dirty Declan with no manners and clothes he’d grown out of months ago walking right into neighbor’s houses and rooting around their refrigerators for something to eat.”
“Ha. No, not at all. Sam took good care of me. You’ll be happy to know he made me take a bath every night and brush my teeth twice a day. And he’d whack the back of my head if I didn’t say please and thank you.” Most of the time, he tried not to think about Sam. The vortex of grief was something he worked hard to avoid. “He was always there for me. In fact, the only time he missed a hockey game was when he skidded his motorcycle out on black ice.” At the toot of a horn, Declan glanced up. “After that, he bought a truck. Never missed another game.”
A dark blue Aston Martin pulled up in front of them. The passenger side window rolled down, and Glori leaned over. “Hope you two brought your appetites.”
“Oh, I’m always hungry.” Phinny gestured for him to get into the front seat. “You’ve got longer legs.”
He leaned in, the tip of his nose tickled by her sweetly scented hair. “No, you sit there. You’re here to talk to her.”
She gazed up at him with the strangest look of affection. “Declan.” With the gentlest touch, she cupped his cheek. “You make it very hard…”
“Hard to what?”
She closed her eyes and broke out in a soft, satisfied grin. As she opened them, she shivered. “Last night…”
What? Say it.
Say something about it.
But before she could answer, the driver waiting behind Glori tapped his horn. Phinny gave a dreamy sigh and got into the car.
Chapter Thirteen
While the two women chatted, Declan looked over his messages. Nothing from the General Manager but that didn’t mean much. They were probably looking for his replacement. If they couldn’t find one before exhibition games, he’d be okay. But if they could…
He’d be out of a job. He’d made a name for himself these past seven years. No doubt, he was on track to become a head coach. But what could he do? Phinny was no closer to keeping the ranch than she’d been ten days ago. He had no choice but to hang tight and stay the course.
“Here we are.” Pulling into the cool darkness of her organized and spotless garage, Glori parked alongside a mammoth SUV. She led them into the kitchen and dropped her purse on the counter.
“Your house is stunning.” Phinny took in the soaring ceilings, the rustic wooden beams, and the modern furnishings. Light spilled in from massive, floor-to-ceiling windows. “I can’t believe you live here.”
“I love it. When I first moved to Calamity, I had a lovely Craftsman home not far from town. But when I came back—oh, a decade or so later—I decided I’m here for the long haul and liked the idea of not having to worry about anything home-related. Village Management handles everything.”
“May I ask what you do for a living?”
Glori reached for her hand and gave it a squeeze. “What I love about your generation is that you don’t assume I got this house in a divorce.” Then, she sashayed over to the pantry and made a sweeping gesture to reveal rows and rows of neatly stacked boxes. “I made Extra Bars.”
“They’re still my favorite,” Declan said.
“What do you mean you made them?” Phinny asked.
“I’ve always eaten well. Salads, whole grains, lean proteins. But some nights I just didn’t feel like cooking. I didn’t want anything but a bowl of popcorn and a good book, but I figured I should have something with protein, so I’d reach for a bar. I was on the eternal quest to find one that not only tasted good but didn’t have a lot of sugar. I just couldn’t find anything I liked, so I researched ingredients, tried a thousand different recipes, and then I came up with this.” She pulled one out of a box. “It’s soft as a candy bar, but it has less than a gram of sugar. And the best part is that it’s got twenty grams of protein.” She shrugged. “It was a cinch to sell it.”
“I’m assuming it’s popular since they’re his favorite.” Phinny glanced at Declan
“Very,” he said.
“I sold the company three years ago. Come see my latest product.” Glori led them across the kitchen. She pried the lid off a storage container and held it out to them.
Phinny took one of the bars and bit into it. “Oh, yum. This is good.”
Declan reached in and took one as well. “It looks more like a granola bar.”
“You’re right. Though it’s packed with protein, and the only sugar comes from the chocolate chips, that’s exactly how I’d market it. Try it.”
He took a bite and chewed. “It’s good.”
“I love it,” Phinny said. “Are you going to sell these?”
“Oh, no, I’m retired now. I still love to tinker in the kitchen, though. And I’m always looking for the perfect snack food. I’m a grazer, so I’d rather eat a granola bar now, a protein bar later, and a handful of nuts before bed.”
“Well, wait, what if I sell them at the farm stand?” Phinny asked.
“I’m not sure what the point would be. I’m not going back into business. I’m done with the twenty-four-seven kind of life.”
Declan never wanted Phinny to be disappointed, so he said, “Might not hurt to get some reviews on the product. If they’re well-received, you could keep it low-key and only sell them at Harley and Lu’s Emporium.”
“That’s not a bad idea. If I could keep production low and not turn it into a worldwide conglomerate…yeah, I’d do that.” Glori smiled at them. “Look at us. Just a trio of entrepreneurs hanging out together.”
“I’m headed to the rink this afternoon.” He had to coach one of the Renegades. “If you’ve got enough, I could bring a batch to the kids at the hockey clinic.”
“If I’ve got enough.” With a gleam in her eye, Glori led them back to the garage. Pulling open the freezer, she showed them stacked containers. “How many do you need?”
Declan laughed. “Good to see you’re retired.” He pulled several boxes out and set them next to her car.
“Now, come on in, and let’s chat.” Glori headed back into the house. “Would you like your tea hot or iced?”
“Iced, please,” Declan said. “Thank you.”
As Glori brought glasses down from the cabinet, she said, “You know, it was your grandfather who got my business started.”
“How’s that?” Declan asked.