“Fine. I’ll be needing to get home by then.” Allison logged off, picked up her purse and jacket, and let him usher her out to his black Escalade. While Garrett steered through late-day traffic, Allison struggled to pull her lines together, like a would-be actress about to walk on stage for the first time. She would have to be open to his ideas, but not too open; curious, but not too curious.

He parked at a nearby steak house, escorted Allison inside, and followed the hostess to a quiet corner booth. She waited until the server brought their wine and took their order before she made her move. Gazing at him over the rim of her wineglass, she said, “I missed you today.”

He smiled. “Sorry. I meant to be there to welcome you and show you the ropes myself. But we were meeting with contractors in the theater. Big plans ahead. The place is going to be unbelievable when it’s finished. Remind me tomorrow, and I’ll show you the blueprints.”

“Blueprints?” Allison raised her eyebrows. “So this is really happening.”

“It has to happen—and happen now. If Burke keeps dragging his feet, the remodeling won’t be done in time for the spring season. That would be a disaster. Everything is planned and ready to go, just waiting for him to get on board.” Garrett emptied his wineglass and motioned to the server for more.

“How is Burke, by the way?”

“Getting better, but he still needs rest and therapy. As you might imagine, he’s not a happy patient.”

“Any luck getting him to sign off on the partnership?”

“I’m working on it. At least he’s listening to me, but he’s a stubborn man. Maybe if you were to come to the house and show him the blueprints and bids—”

Garrett shook his head. “Burke and I are barely on speaking terms. He’d never listen to me. That’s where you come in. If he’d agree to give you power of attorney—”

“He’d never do that. Burke isn’t an invalid, and he’s not mentally incompetent.” She leaned toward him. “Give me a little more time, say, a week to persuade him. I know he’s worried about finding the money, especially if the bank doesn’t come through. If he doesn’t pay off that short-term loan by the end of the year, the American Heartland will go into foreclosure. Come to think of it, why doesn’t the Edgeway Group just wait until that happens and buy the place from the bank?”

“I’m sure they’ve talked about it. But that old theater is in a prime location. The land alone is worth more than they’re offering to invest, even at foreclosure prices. Besides, the Edgeway Group likes to work behind the scenes, with the original owners out front.”