01_The Best Gift Read Free

significant amount of the funding for his education.
    So even though he’d rescued Turning Leaves, his efforts were small repayment for all she’d been to him. Friend. Confidante. Supporter. Benefactor. And now she had one last request. Help her great-niece learn the business.
    How could he say no?
     
     
    “Blake, A. J. Williams is on the phone for you.”
    Blake frowned and transferred his gaze from the computer screen to the flickering phone light.
    “Bad time? Should I get a number?”
    Slowly, Blake shook his head and looked over at his assistant manager. There was no sense avoiding the inevitable. “No. I’ll take it, Nancy. Thanks.”
    She hesitated at the doorway. “Is everything okay?”
    Blake heard the trepidation in her voice, and nodded. “I’m sure everything will be fine.”
    As a divorced mother with two part-time jobs, Nancy worked hard to provide for herself and her ten-year-old daughter. She’d been unsettled ever since Jo’s death, clearly unsure about the future of Turning Leaves. Blake had tried to be reassuring, but he couldn’t offer much encouragement since he felt the same way.
    Blake looked back at the flashing light. Too bad he hadn’t hung around long enough after Jo’s memorial service to meet her nieces—and get a few insights about his new partner. He took a deep breath, picked up the receiver and punched the flashing button.
    “Blake Sullivan.”
    “Mr. Sullivan, this is A. J. Williams, Jo Warren’s great-niece. I believe you’ve heard from Seth Mitchell about my aunt’s bequest of Turning Leaves?”
    The voice was a bit breathless, but bright and friendly. His was cautious and curt. “Yes.”
    There was a hesitation, as if she expected him to say more. When he didn’t, she continued. “Well, I’m getting ready to make travel plans to St. Louis and wanted to talk with you about the timing of my arrival.”
    Deep inside Blake had harbored a dim hope that A.J. would pass on her inheritance. From the little he’d heard about her through the years, a bookshop didn’t seem like the kind of thing she’d be interested in. Now that hope flickered and died. “There’s no rush from my end.”
    His less-than-friendly reply was met with a moment of silence. Okay, maybe his comment wasn’t exactly warm and fuzzy. But it was the truth.
    “Well, according to Seth Mitchell, the clock starts ticking on December 1. But I see no reason to wait until then. I can wrap things up here pretty quickly.”
    Now it was his turn to hesitate. But only briefly, because he wanted an answer to his next question. “May I ask you something, Ms. Williams?”
    “Yes.” Her reply was immediate, but cautious.
    “How much interest do you have in Turning Leaves?”
    “What do you mean?”
    “Is this a lark for you, or do you have a serious interest in the business?”
    There was a moment of silence. “Maybe a little of both,” she finally said. “I’m ready for a change, and the business sounds interesting. I don’t really have any long-term plans.”
    “Then let me make you a proposition. I happen to care about Turning Leaves. And I do have long-term plans, which revolve around this business. So my proposal is this—I’ll work with you for six months so you can claim your inheritance. At that point, you give me the option to buy your half of the business at a mutually agreeable price. That lets us keep Jo’s legacy alive, and frees you to pursue your next…lark.”
    On the other end of the line, A.J. felt the stirrings of her Irish temper. This man was treating her like some irresponsible airhead who flitted from one distraction to another. She hardly considered her years in Afghanistan, nor the past two working in Good Samaritan, Inc. headquarters, a “lark.” Nor the rigorous years of training that went into earning her M.B.A. She didn’t like his inference one bit. In fact, she didn’t think she liked Blake Sullivan. But she didn’t have to, she reminded herself. She just had