Some Guys Have All the Luck

by Deborah Cooke

  Cassie noticed that the guys were listening closely.

  She realized she’d never heard Reid say so much at once and watched him, fascinated.

  “I started by listening to people complain,” he admitted and everyone laughed. “Because that gave me obvious places to make changes or improvements. There wasn’t enough fresh produce, they said. They wanted more organic options, in the produce and the meat and even the packaged goods. They wanted more variation, gluten-free, low sugar, ancient grains, more spices, whole spices, all those possibilities and more. I expanded the store out the back, so it wouldn’t look bigger or renovated—because these are frugal people. They’d assume that any improvements to the store would be reflected in the prices—and I packed in the products. I made the shelves higher and longer, plus expanded the produce section. Each week, we highlighted one of the new sections with a sale and recipe cards for using those ingredients. Marty had a blast doing that. I sponsored cooking classes at the high school, providing the ingredients so that the only cost was the instructor.” He took a sip of his wine and they waited, rapt. “And I started to host a farmer’s market, every Saturday, on the empty lot next to the grocery.”

  “Isn’t that competition?” Lauren asked.

  “It’s diversity. It’s about buying local and supporting our farmers. People got in the habit of shopping at the farmer’s market, then coming into the store for other ingredients. The produce manager also shops at the market, adding local produce to what’s available in the store.”

  “That makes sense,” Haley said. “Local is always fresher, often more flavorful.”

  “It is. And it also builds our sense of community. I know the guy with the egg farm, but now everyone else does, too.”

  “You’re in it together,” Theo said with approval. “I like that.”

  “But that sense of community goes far beyond the farmer’s market,” Reid continued. “There’d always been a donation bin for the food bank in the store, but I sponsored cooking classes at the food bank. It’s cheaper to cook than to buy prepared foods, and ensures you eat better, too. I sponsored the breakfast for kids at the primary school, and that was when it started to build momentum. The Chamber of Commerce endorsed that initiative, and several local businesspeople took over the sponsorship. I sponsor the football team and the basketball team now.”

  “Kids who have breakfast do better in school,” Haley said.

  “Exactly,” Reid agreed. “We started to build for the future then. And because Montrose River is small, it was easy to see how things were trending. I could step in and help when I saw a need. There was the couple who wanted to take over his family’s small farm and take it organic, making it a mixed farm. I invested in their venture for a small percentage, but that gave them cash for the necessary changes.”

  “It got them started,” Haley said with a smile.

  “Yes, and that’s kind of my mantra. They also come to the farmer’s market and we stock their stuff in the store.”

  “You’re part of their success,” Ty said.

  “Or even their viability in the early years,” Reid said. “I get people started by providing a bit of cash to get them over the hurdle. The Harrison kid went to chef’s school and wanted to open a restaurant on Main Street. I owned the building.”

  “You own all the buildings,” Cassie whispered and Reid grinned. The others laughed.

  “It helps. I did the necessary renovations and comped his rent for a year. It’s been ten years and Seth has expanded into the adjacent retail space. He gets written up in magazines all the time as a hot new chef.”

  “Which makes his restaurant a kind of pilgrimage location,” Lauren guessed.

  Reid nodded and Cassie saw how her friends were excited about his story. “And the pastry chef Seth knew from college who came to work for him, then wanted to set up on her own? Same deal. Her bakery is right across the street.”

  “You stock her baked goods,” Kyle guessed.

  “Only certain ones. She makes a couple of breads for us, but you have to go to her shop for all the fancy pastries. That way, we build each other’s businesses.”

  Ty nodded approval of that.

  Reid put down his fork. “Her sister came to town and opened a coffee shop beside the bakery, which is one of the most popular retail stores in town.”

  “All indie,” Amy said with a smile. “No big chains.”

  “I want to go to Montrose River,” Haley said, and they all laughed again.

  “We don’t have any so far, and I don’t think I’m the only one who likes it that way.” Reid returned Haley’s smile. “Recently, there was an inn opened just on the edge of town. A brother and sister fresh out of college with big dreams. They’d come to town on vacation as kids, but since their grandparents had passed away, the massive Victorian house had been sitting empty. There wasn’t a market for it or the family would have sold it. These two wanted to turn it into a luxury inn, a retreat from the city. He’s a landscape gardener and she’s a chef with two small kids. Her husband is a carpenter. They convinced the family to sell them all the shares in the house.”

  “And you invested in their venture,” Cassie guessed.

  “Absolutely,” Reid agreed. “They had some money but not enough because the house needed a lot of work. Every year, there are features on their place in the Chicago magazines and media, listing it as a great weekend escape. They do some advertising there, especially since the brother married a graphic designer. So, that’s rolling along, plus there are three more small businesses in town.”

  “A landscape gardener, a carpenter and a graphic designer,” Theo said.

  “When I donated to the breakfast program at the school, they invited me to join the board. I did and challenged them to update the curriculum. There were a lot of older teachers, preparing to retire, so we put together a committee to tempt new teachers to come to Montrose River.”

  “You’ve done a lot,” Ty said.

  “I’ve started a lot of initiatives,” Reid corrected. “In a lot of cases, people just need the idea. Once they’re inspired, they run with it.”

  “Because of that sense of community,” Lauren said.

  “You fund at the start, and that has a long shadow,” Ty said.

  “And it’s the trendspotting, too,” Kyle said. “Like you said, you can identify places where you can make a difference.”

  Reid nodded agreement. “Doc Winspear was past the age he should have retired, but still working as a GP because he loved his work. I knew, though, that we needed a GP, so I talked to him. We decided he’d go to his alma mater, along with one of the recruiting teams for teachers, and talk to new grads from medical school. I put up the signing bonus. He found a couple, just married, both just graduated from med school, both looking to find a small town to set up a joint practice. They actually bought Doc Winspear’s practice from him with money from their families, and used the bonus to buy a house in town. They hired the carpenter to fix it up for them, and they were invited to the consulting board of the local hospital in the next town. They’ve been key to recruiting specialists to the region.”

  “And now you have the seniors’ community coming,” Cassie prompted when he fell silent.

  Reid nodded again. “People who have visited the inn or the town like it. It’s small and safe, not that far from Chicago, with lots of great amenities. So, this developer wants to build a community of houses for seniors. I sold him the land, but on the condition that he forgo his planned recreation center and contribute to a larger one for the town.”

  “One that everyone can use,” Haley said.

  “Yes, I think it’s important that this new community becomes part of the town. They’ll bring tax revenue, and income, but they need to make more connections, too.”

  “They’ll have knowledge to share, too,” Haley said. “People forget that senior citizens have a wealth of expertise to share. They just have to be asked.”

  “That’s a grea
t point,” Reid said. “The plan hasn’t come together quite yet, but I think it will. Having a pool and ice rink and other recreational facilities in town will be good. Right now, we just have what’s at the high school, and those facilities need an update. They might integrate the library into a new building, too. Everyone’s still talking and that’s a good start. I could go on and on, and I apologize because I pretty much have.” He shrugged and fell silent, taking a sip of wine.

  “But it’s fabulous,” Haley said. “What a great legacy you’re creating.”

  “It must be really rewarding to see the changes,” Theo agreed.

  “It is,” Reid acknowledged.

  “It’s kind of the same thing, though, isn’t it?” Kyle said and everyone looked at him. “I mean, your gift as a quarterback was identifying the player who could do the most, then putting the ball in his hands. Like magic.”

  “Not quite magic,” Reid said with a smile.

  “But it’s the same thing,” Kyle insisted. “You’re using the same perceptiveness to identify who can run with your suggestion and make it happen for the town.”

  Reid blinked and Cassie realized he’d never thought of it that way.

  “The quarterback calling the plays for Montrose River,” she said and he looked surprised. “Brilliantly, too.”

  The back of his neck reddened, and she knew he wasn’t used to being praised. “Someone else would have done it if I hadn’t,” he said gruffly.

  “I don’t think so,” Cassie disagreed.

  “Probably not so well,” Kyle said.

  “No one else would have started with food,” Haley said.

  Reid gave Cassie a crooked grin. “Marty taught me that.”

  “I think he taught you more than that,” she said softly and his smile broadened.

  “That’s one hell of a story,” Theo said. “Rags to riches.”

  “Well, comparatively. M not b,” Reid said with a grin and Ty laughed.

  The others looked blank.

  “Millionaire is good enough, given the way you’re working it,” Ty said and a wave of understanding passed around the table. “If you’re not touching the capital, you never know. Plus all those early investments should bear fruit. It’s a sound strategy.”

  “You must have actually paid attention in all those boring finance classes,” Kyle teased.

  “So, I don’t have to worry about you making the transition from m to b?” Lauren said to him, her smile indicating that she didn’t mind one bit.

  “Not in this lifetime. I’d have to cash out of F5 to even get close, and I’ll never do that.”

  “We couldn’t manage without you,” Cassie said, then leaned against Reid. “Kyle here is our trendspotter.”

  “That’s a gift,” Reid said with admiration, and the conversation moved to the opening plans for the new facility. “I could never do it in a bigger environment.”

  “Don’t be so sure of that,” Ty said. “You’ve got a knack. Don’t underestimate it.”

  “Don’t make more of it than it is,” Reid countered.

  “You had a dream and you achieved it,” Lauren said.

  “No,” Reid corrected firmly and she looked surprised. “I had an objective and I made the small steps necessary to help it come to fruition.” He thanked the waitress when she took the plate away from his salad, then tented his fingers together. “Dreams rely on outside intervention to come true. Fate. Luck. Destiny. Somebody else making it happen.” He shook his head with resolve. “I don’t believe in dreams. I pursue goals.”

  The entrees were brought to the table, covering the fact that the others were a bit startled by Reid’s vehemence. They ate in silence for a few moments, then Ty cleared his throat.

  “I think you have more of a gift than you believe,” he said. “Although I respect your philosophy. Hard work and good planning leads to more consistent results than luck.”

  “Wasn’t there a basketball player who said that the more he practiced, the luckier he got?” Cassie asked and Ty smiled agreement.

  She was more aware of Reid’s sidelong glance of approval.

  Cassie stared at her dinner for a moment. She was more aware of the heat of Reid’s leg so close to her own, more fascinated with the movement of his hands as he talked, more fixed on the sound of his voice. She’d barely looked at Ty and wasn’t at all jealous of Amy.

  She was struck that no one else at this table knew about her pregnancy or her choice. None of them knew that she and her sister had argued for so long. She hadn’t mentioned Ryan to one of them. She doubted they’d known much about Montrose River before Reid’s comments.

  Reid truly did know all about her and apparently liked her anyway.

  She stole a glance at him and he winked at her, looking as reckless as she knew he wasn’t. She couldn’t help but smile back and immediately felt the heat of his leg press against her own. Desire rolled through her with predictable power. Instead of getting enough of him, each time they were together, Cassie just wanted more.

  “Too much?” Reid murmured, his voice pitched so that only she could hear it. She glimpsed concern in his eyes and hurried to reassure him.

  “Just right,” she replied and pressed her leg against his. His gaze locked with hers. “I won’t have any reason to punish you later.”

  He laughed. “We’ll think of something,” he promised, the glow of his eyes making her feel all shivery inside.

  Cassie smiled and ate her dinner, completely certain that they would.

  In fact, she had only one secret left that Reid didn’t know.

  Maybe it was time to tell him that she’d fallen in love.

  With him.

  Thirteen

  Reid had really wanted to dislike Tyler McKay.

  Maybe even hate him.

  It was petty and he knew it but Ty was, after all, the guy who didn’t see the merit of Cassie Wilson. That was unforgiveable, to Reid’s thinking. Ty was the guy who didn’t want everything Cassie offered, the guy who had captured her heart and didn’t care. He was obviously a guy who couldn’t see for looking, as Marty would have said.

  Reid recognized three of the partners even before Cassie’s introductions, thanks to her sharing their ads for the club. Theo had to be who he was by process of elimination. They all possessed a bone-deep confidence that Reid envied. He guessed that they’d grown up in stable homes, sure of their own worth, convinced that they could have whatever they wanted if they were willing to work for it.

  They were also all more accustomed to money than he was. They wore their expensive clothes with ease. They didn’t even look twice at the restaurant, which glittered like a jewel and made Reid want to gawk. His was obviously the only jaw that nearly hit the table at the prices on the menu.

  To his relief, they sat in couples, with Cassie at his immediate left. She put her hand on his leg when they sat down, as if she understood he needed a little steadying influence. She looked fantastic, of course, her hair twisted up the way it had been that first day in Montrose River, her little black dress both simple and stunning. She was elegant and poised as well as lovely and he was proud to be by her side.

  He was seated right across the table from Ty, who fixed him with an assessing look. Cassie had said Ty was protective of his sisters and his wife, and Reid realized she didn’t guess that Ty was also protective of her. Amy was at Ty’s left, Haley, the nurse, on Ty’s right. Damon, the quiet partner, was beside Haley, and kind of blended into the shadows where that end of the table was against the wall. Theo was sitting on Cassie’s other side, Lauren on Reid’s right, and Kyle was at the head of the table. It suited him, and no one seemed to be surprised that he claimed that seat.

  Ty was dressed expensively, every detail perfect. His confidence was also rooted in wealth—he’d never lacked for anything as far as Reid could guess. He was intelligent, Reid could see that in his steady gaze, and there was something about him that Reid instinctively admired.

  Ty had principle
s. It might have been easier for him to be an idealist than it might have been for Reid, but Reid smelled that on the other man and respected it. He also liked how attentive Ty was to his wife, and how he teased his sister. Ty listened when Reid spoke, giving their conversation his undivided attention. Reid ended up talking more than he’d intended, because he wanted to make his motivation clear.

  Reid didn’t usually speak up and he didn’t usually explain himself to strangers, even virtual strangers. He didn’t like being the focus of attention and didn’t trust it. But he saw Cassie watching him, her eyes alight with pride, and knew he had to step beyond his usual habits.

  They might be just friends, but he was Cassie’s guest, and he didn’t want to let her down.

  When Ty approved of what he’d done and why, Reid realized he couldn’t dislike him.

  They agreed on a lot of things, even though their backgrounds were different.

  And Ty was a nice guy. A rich nice guy, but Reid couldn’t hate anyone for being lucky. He would never count on luck himself, but he had a feeling Ty didn’t either.

  Cassie, to his relief, didn’t seem to be too concerned with Ty or Amy. As far as Reid could tell, he pretty much had her undivided attention.

  “So, we have this issue at F5,” Ty continued. “Maybe you could give us some suggestions, Reid, since you have a lot more retail experience.”

  Was this a test? Reid halfway thought so. “Sure,” he said lightly, wondering what to expect.

  “Sales in the retail store are dropping,” Ty said. “We have great merchandise, thanks to Cassie’s selections and branding, but a higher percentage of people who enter the shop are leaving without making a purchase. There’s no obvious connection to economic trends, and there are no complaints about the offerings. In fact, they say they love what’s there. They’re just not buying as much or as often.”