Julianna Morris - Bachelor Protector

“I...” Sarah started to yawn and clapped a hand over her mouth. “Sorry, I’m short on sleep. I could protest, but the proposed rules aren’t bad. They only affect me because the restaurant and catering side of my business has gotten so huge. If I’d known code changes were coming, I would have bought a larger building to start with. Now I may need to relocate, which is too bad, because I get a huge amount of foot traffic from the tour buses.”

“That’s an even better reason for me to take a look,” Tyler said, unsure why he was pushing the issue. “Besides, a year isn’t that long when it comes to this sort of thing. If nothing else, it can be difficult to book contractors. You must have experience with that after your previous remodels.”

“Actually, my father and other family members insisted on doing most of the work,” Sarah murmured.

* * *

AS TYLER NODDED, Sarah thought about the preliminary report the building inspector had given her. She hated the idea of going into debt again, but the worst part was not knowing if another remodel was possible. She didn’t see how an extra inch of space could be gained without reducing the already-small customer area, and even that might not be enough.

“Do you think your family would be willing to help do the work again?” Tyler asked.

Sarah fought an unreasonable panic at the thought of losing her independence, which always came when she relied too heavily on family. She hadn’t been married to Douglas for that long, but she was still repairing the damage he’d done to her self-confidence.

She’d let her father take charge of the previous renovations because it had saved her a ton of money and it meant so much to him. Yet it had also made her uneasy...she was just too aware of how easy it was to start depending on someone else. Maybe some people were naturally stronger, but life had already shown how easily she could lose herself.

“I’m sure they’d want to help,” she admitted, “but they’re busy and I hate inconveniencing them.” She didn’t add that it might be impossible to stop them.

“But it’s good for the town, right? My mom mentioned this is the only bakery.”

“Yes. I always thought we needed one growing up. Even when I went to college I wanted to come back here and open this place. The plan was derailed because...er...that is, for a while, but not forgotten.”

Tyler’s eyebrows shot upward. “Why not start a chain? You could bake in a central factory and ship everything to the different sites. If you plan it right, there could be Sarah’s Sweet Treat outlets all over the Gold Country.”

“I’m not interested in factory baking, that’s why.” Sarah was annoyed, even though she hadn’t expected him to understand. “Maybe my dream isn’t as grand as being a famous architect, with clients who are desperate to have my name on their building, but I don’t want a business empire. I simply enjoy feeding people.”

Tyler’s face chilled. “Being able to call it a Prentiss building isn’t the only reason people want my designs. I’m good at what I do.”

Apparently she’d touched a nerve again.

“I’m sure you’re an excellent architect,” Sarah said, debating whether she should explain that she knew about the investigation in Illinois. No, she decided, taking another look at his arctic expression.

A gremlin inside of her wanted to goad him, but she didn’t think it was wise. It might be like catching a tiger by the tail—both hanging on and letting go would be equally dangerous.

“Then you’ll accept my professional assessment of your building,” Tyler said.

Sarah lifted her chin. The offer of free advice was tempting, but she didn’t want to be put under an obligation and couldn’t afford to hire him.

“I’m not helpless and I’m quite capable of taking care of it by myself,” she told Tyler. “I’m sure you have more important things to do with your time.”

“You don’t need to get huff—” Tyler stopped, apparently rethinking what he’d intended to say. “That is, I know you’re capable. But you aren’t an architect. I expect to be in Glimmer Creek until my mom and brother leave. Why don’t I take a look at the analysis from the building office when it comes, along with the blueprints for your building? I’d be happy to make recommendations.”

She knew quite well he’d started to say she was getting huffy and rolled her eyes. In her opinion, huffy was gender-specific. If she’d called him that, he would have felt his masculinity was being threatened. That was another point in Theo’s favor—he didn’t get in a tizzy about his manhood, though being a neutered cat, he might not feel he had that much to defend.

Sarah gave herself a shake. Her thoughts tended to drift when she was tired, and she still had to clear out the register and take care of a dozen other things before she could go home.

“That was sarcastic, not huffy,” she returned, and Tyler looked faintly embarrassed. “But I’m not making any decisions until I’m more rested and have done more evaluation of my own.”

“I understand. Maybe you can assist me in return.”

Sarah was instantly wary. “How?”

“I’ve contacted over a dozen general practitioners in Stockton to get an appointment for Nathan, but the earliest slot for a new patient isn’t for two or three weeks. Do you have any contacts who could help? Maybe someone in your family?”

“Go to the Glimmer Creek clinic. No appointment needed.”

“I noticed there was a clinic in town, but I’d prefer someone in private practice.”

Sarah gave him an exasperated look. “Give me a break. The GC clinic is brand-new and state-of-the-art. All of our medical professionals work out of it, but I’d recommend Dr. Romano for your brother. He was a reservist who served in the air force during the first Gulf War. Just call and ask when he’s there.”

Tyler nodded. “Okay. Do you mind if I wander around and take measurements, just in case you decide to accept my opinion on your renovations?” He pulled a tape measure from his pocket along with a small notebook.

“You brought a tape measure?”

“It’s a habit. If you don’t let me do some innocent checking, my mother’s feelings may be hurt. She really hopes I can come up with a solution for you.”

Invoking Rosemary’s feelings was dirty pool. “Fine. Do some measuring. Just stay out of everyone’s way. Would you like a cup of coffee before I empty the coffee makers?”

“Sure. Decaf if you have it, regular otherwise.”

Sarah poured him a large to-go cup of decaf and cleaned the coffee makers, then put the now day-old baked items into plastic bags.

“Don’t you have someone who can do that?” Tyler asked.

“Somebody comes later to clean, but we take care of the coffee machines immediately and bag the day-old items.”

“What about those?” He gestured to the loaves of bread she’d kept separate.

“They’ll be made into croutons. Croutons are popular in the shop, and we also use them for our restaurant and catering needs.”

Leaving Tyler to roam the building by himself, Sarah took the contents of the till back to the office and got it ready for the bank’s night drop box. The shift supervisor cosigned the slip, and Sarah sealed the deposit in a large envelope.

“Hey, guys, I’ll be right back,” she told the kitchen crew. They waved, used to her going to the bank each evening.

The swing shift was the smallest, except when they were catering a dinner. Luckily in Glimmer Creek, there were plenty of people willing to work on an as-needed basis.

Tyler was sitting at a table by the front window, pouring over figures in his notebook, presumably the measurements. She just couldn’t see what he hoped to do with them without knowing the proposed regulations.