“We could really use a contract,” she said. They were past desperate for business, and doing a dessert or two would be…so much fun.

Fun. A word she hadn’t used for a long time. Excited, that was another one. Maybe her life hadn’t turned out as she’d expected, but she was hungry to try something new. Starving for it, honestly.

“Okay, great,” Leo said. “So, you’ll present the idea to her?”

Tessa hesitated. In her desperation, she’d been about to trust the enemy. “Wait a minute,” she said. “What’s in it for you?”

“The couple who bakes for us just retired. But to be honest, their bread is just so-so. And we have to pay transportation costs from Evanston. That and the fact that my dad’s been serving only crème brûlèe and tiramisu for thirty years. Plus, the old theater remodel is done, and people will be wanting later dinners, so that’s an opportunity to give both of us more business, even though it’ll be after hours for you. Maybe it’s time for our businesses to combine forces so they can both survive.”

He’d clearly thought it out carefully. Still, it seemed too good to be true.

“You’ve been successful in New York,” she said. “At least, that’s what everyone says. Why don’t you just use your money to reinvigorate the restaurant?”

“My dad refuses to accept my help. Plus, pouring all the money in the world into it won’t help if there are no customers. The menu is outdated, and there’s nothing fresh to appeal to younger people as well as keep the older regulars. It needs rebranding, and I have great ideas. But I need to come up with some way for my dad to trust me enough to use them.”

As if sensing her doubt, he said, “Our parents wouldn’t even have to get near each other. I could be the go-between. Something to help both businesses survive.”

“This insanity is a long shot,” she said. But it was intriguing; she’d give him that.

His dark brows knit down. “How much of a long shot?”

“Um, as unlikely as a snowball in hell. Or when pigs fly.” She waved her hands in the air to emphasize the point. “Castorinis and Montgomerys don’t even talk, let alone do business together.”

He leaned in, looking way too sexy. “We’re talking.”

“No,” she said. “You’re talking to me. I’m just…answering.”

“At least you’re not fake answering,” he said pointedly.