Total pages in book: 110
Estimated words: 107204 (not accurate)
Estimated Reading Time in minutes: 536(@200wpm)___ 429(@250wpm)___ 357(@300wpm)
Estimated words: 107204 (not accurate)
Estimated Reading Time in minutes: 536(@200wpm)___ 429(@250wpm)___ 357(@300wpm)
After all the tasks for the day, I headed outside and stared at the building in front of me. “There ya go, Teresa,” I muttered to myself. My employees would come in for more training in a few days, and then we’d be up and running.
An overwhelming amount of guilt fell over me as I stood in front of the building. I took too long to get it together. The place should’ve opened months ago.
Teresa wouldn’t even get to try the menu I crafted with her over a year ago. It was because of her that I combined Caribbean and Spanish cuisines. I would’ve never opened a fusion restaurant without her guidance.
Still, I knew she’d be proud of it. I knew it would mean a lot to her, even if it meant nothing to me.
“You got a minute to chat, Chef?” someone said behind me.
I looked over my shoulder to find someone I did not expect to see standing behind me. “You’re Nathan Pierce,” I blurted out, stunned to see a professional baseball player.
His dark brown hair was cut with a fade, and he hovered a few inches over me. Even though Nathan wasn’t as built as he used to be when he played in the Major Leagues, it was clear he was in good shape, which was shocking after the articles I saw swirling about him over the past few years. Last I heard, he was passed out on the strip in Vegas. That was years ago, though. Not much had been said about him after that. He pretty much went ghost for years afterward.
And there he was, standing in the middle of nowhere Honey Creek, looking at me. Holding a huge box of produce in his hands.
“That’s me, and you’re Alex Ramírez.”
“News travels fast in small towns.”
He nodded. “Sure does.”
“Yeah. Wow. I’m a big fan. Not that I wouldn’t love to chat, but I have to get back to work,” I said as I started toward the building.
“Hold up. I need a word with you,” Nathan stated.
“With me?”
“Yeah. I spoke with Tatiana not long ago.”
I narrowed my eyes, confused. “About?”
“I moved back to town to help with my family’s farm. Rumor mills were running around about an uppity restaurant in my old stomping grounds. I had to see it for myself.”
“You’re from this hellscape?”
Nathan smirked with a chuckle. “Born and raised. They even named the baseball diamond Pierce Field after me. I got a feeling they have regrets about that choice. Anyway, like I said. We need to talk.”
“About?”
He gestured with his head toward the box he held. “Honey Farms. My family’s pride and joy. We want to partner with your restaurant and provide the produce and livestock for you and your team.”
“I have all my partnerships lined up already and—”
“And you should reconsider. Nobody has better ingredients than Honey Farms. I promise you that.”
“You shouldn’t make promises you can’t keep.”
“Trust me. I keep my promises.” He reached into the box and handed me an eggplant. If someone told me I’d be holding Nathan Pierce’s eggplant by nightfall, I would’ve called their bluff.
“You can have this whole box to test out the produce. I even tossed in some eggs and meat from my brothers’ butcher shop. You’ll see the difference in quality. You’ve never had something this great.”
I narrowed my eyes. “I find that very doubtful.”
“I don’t care if you doubt it. It’s just the truth.”
I shook my head. “It’s not every day a professional ball player shows up requesting to be a partner with my restaurants.”
“Former professional ball player. I don’t do that anymore.”
“Why is that?” I asked. “What happened?”
His nostrils flared slightly before he shook off his annoyance. “If you take me into your kitchen and cook some of these ingredients up, I’ll tell you.”
I chuckled. “No, you won’t.”
He shrugged. “Only one way to find out.”
“Why is working with me so important to you?”
“A couple of reasons. First, my mom’s health isn’t doing the best, and I figured I could help her out with her farmland. My four brothers do a stand-up job, but I know it’s been a lot on them. I’m the head of the family and haven’t really stepped up the way I should’ve after my father passed. I’m back to do better. Second, you own my favorite spot in LA and my second favorite in Chicago. If I want my family’s farm to become the best, I should work with the best. Having Honey Farms partner with you could change our lives. When I saw you were opening a spot in my hometown, I figured it was meant to be. It’s that easy.”
“No offense, Pierce, trust me, I’m a big fan. Huge, actually. If my best friend, Noah, knew I turned down the chance to partnering with you, he’d have a few choice words for me, but the truth of the matter is, I can’t take on the risk.”