The Icing on the Cake by Linda Seed

Author:Linda Seed [Seed, Linda]
Language: eng
Format: epub
Publisher: Linda Seed

Chapter 20

The next day, just when Cassie was wondering when Brian might call, he did. They made plans to see each other that evening, and that was a development she’d fully expected.

Barely an hour later, his mother called.

She hadn’t expected that.

Cassie was at Jitters on Main Street, in line to order a vanilla latte, when the call came in on her cell phone.

“Cassie, is that you? Darling, it’s Lisa.”

Cassie was so surprised that she didn’t say anything for a moment. Then, the thought popped into her head that this had to be about the house, because why else would Lisa be calling her?

“Oh. Lisa. Hello.” She regained her composure as she moved forward a little in line. “Is there a problem with Otter Bluff? Is it the power socket in the bathroom? I told Elliot—”

“No, no. The house is fine. Well … the interior design is terribly dated, of course, but I have no one to blame but myself.”

“Oh. Is Brian okay? I just talked to him earlier today, and—”

“Yes, yes. My son is fine.”

Clearly, Cassie wasn’t going to be able to guess what this was about. There was nothing to do but wait for Lisa to get to the point.

“Lisa, can you hang on a second?” Cassie muted the phone and ordered her latte. She paid for it, then stepped aside to wait for her drink. She unmuted the phone. “Okay, I’m back. What can I do for you?”

“Dear, I just wanted to tell you how impressed I was with your cake decorating skills. You’re an artist with frosting.”

Coming from an actual artist—one who was, by all accounts, enjoying a hugely successful career—that meant something. Cassie picked up her drink at the counter, found a table by the window, and sat down.

“Thank you so much. I really appreciate that.”

“Well, it’s simply the truth.”

As flattering as it was, there was no way Lisa had called just to tell her that. Something more was coming, and Cassie already felt uneasy about it.

“That’s very kind,” she said.

“Listen, dear, I’m sure you’re busy, so I’ll get to the point. Brian told me you’re interested in opening a bakery, but you don’t have the capital.”

“That’s … that’s true. I’m looking into getting a small business loan, but—”

“Well,” she went on as though Cassie hadn’t spoken, “my financial adviser has urged me to find a business to invest in, and I thought perhaps you and I might enter into a mutually beneficial partnership.”

Cassie blinked a few times, wondering if Lisa could possibly mean what she seemed to be saying.

“You and I? A … partnership?”

“I’d like to bankroll your business, Cassie. For a percentage of the profits, of course. Do you have an attorney? If not, I’d suggest that you get one, as the legal details of these things can be utterly excruciating. I can offer you some names.”

Cassie still was having trouble processing what Lisa was saying. “You want to … to help me open my bakery? But I can’t ask you to give me that kind of money.

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