The Devine Doughnut Shop(50)

“Which,” Travis said with a smile, “would be amazing for business. Every one of those people would figure out how good your doughnuts are and buy them on their way to work each morning.”

“And it would give us close neighbors,” she countered. “I’m not so sure we’re ready for that, but I will ask my partners for their opinion. Isn’t there other property near Devine that you could buy? I’ve seen signs that say ‘acreage for sale’ between Devine and San Antonio.”

“Probably. But to help the town financially, I should think about building within the city limits, right?” he asked.

Grace kept eating but nodded and wondered what Sarah and Macy would have to say about selling their land. The property, like the shop, had been in the family for so long that she couldn’t imagine selling it, or having anyone live close to them.

“You’re frowning,” Travis said.

“Am I?” She raised an eyebrow. “I can’t imagine that Macy or Sarah will want to sell the land, but I will ask them.”

“Will you let me know what your partners say about your land sometime next week?” Travis asked. “I’d like to give Claud and the guys some good news before the bad. They were all pumped up about a factory in Devine.”

“I can do that,” she agreed.

“How about I pick you up for dinner on Wednesday, and we can talk about it more then? How many acres do you have?” he asked.

“We own half a section, which is three hundred and twenty acres. We have three hundred leased to a rancher, who runs cattle on it right now. The lease is up on May 1, but he has always renewed it,” she answered.

“Wow!” Travis exclaimed. “If I sold it in three-acre lots and advertised it as rustic life out of the city, we could sell a hundred homes down there; most likely, they’d be under contract to buy as fast as we could get them built.”

Grace wanted to ask just who we would be. Did he have investors outside this huge building with one floor devoted to a group who did nothing but think? Or was he so rich, he could jump into a project like that without anyone having a say-so? But she just finished her last few bites, pushed back her chair, and brought the doughnuts to the table.

“Now for the best part of the meal.” Travis opened the box and took out one with sprinkles.

“Same,” Grace agreed as she picked up her favorite—one with maple icing. “What are you going to do with all the leftover pizza and breadsticks?”

“I’ll have Calvin and Delores box it all up and take it all down to the kitchen for everyone to snack on all afternoon,” he answered. “That’s what we did with all the leftover doughnuts from the taste test, and there wasn’t a single one left at the end of the day.” He lowered his voice and leaned over the table. “But the first-floor kids insisted on taking those from your shop right to their floor. They don’t play well with others,” he said with a deep chuckle.

“Who are Calvin and Delores?” she asked.

“Calvin is my CEO, but he’s also my best friend and has been since we were babies. We grew up in this building, went to the same schools, and came back here to work after we graduated college. Delores is the woman behind the scenes for Butler Enterprises. She’s actually the COO, though she doesn’t like titles. She knows everything about everything. She began working here before I was even born. She’s probably seventy-four years old, and I hope she lives to be a hundred—not only for what she does for the company but because I love her that much,” he explained.

Not many men would use those words to describe an employee, even their CEO and COO, Grace thought. They also wouldn’t have that look of happiness on their faces when they talked about a friend. Or, for that matter, they wouldn’t have been so gracious about lettuce in their teeth, either.

“And your parents now?” Grace asked.

“They have several homes, and right now they’re in London,” he answered. “They get back to the States a couple of times a year—usually around Christmas and sometime in the summer.”

For her second doughnut, Grace opted for one with chocolate icing. “That sounds like a very good retirement. Please don’t advertise the offer to buy our land until it is a done deal,” she continued, “because I don’t think we’ll be interested in selling, and it will just stir up more drama and rumors in Devine.”

“I won’t, but you didn’t answer me about dinner on Wednesday evening,” he said with another smile.

The way he paid attention to her and respected her rejection made Grace like him—especially when she remembered how his hand had felt on her back. She shouldn’t accept his invitation. She’d turned him down for a dinner date once, and after the way Neal had pulled the wool over Macy’s eyes, she wasn’t sure she should trust any man—especially one who had his mind set on buying her business and land.

“Well?” he asked.

She meant to tell him no, like she did the first time—she really did—but when she opened her mouth, she said, “Yes, I’ll go to dinner with you, but it has to be on my terms. We aren’t going to discuss business, and it can’t be at a fancy place. Maybe just a burger and fries—but not in Devine. There’s enough talk going around down there without me fanning the fires.”