His words drew color into her cheeks. Karie watched as he scribbled something on a check and slid it to her side of the table. At first, she sat there staring at it before finally being curious enough to see what he thought was acceptable for an offer of her pub. Whatever her attitude was prior, the moment her eyes settled onto the actual sum of the check, Karie gently set it back down in front of her onto the table. Her face grew even more red as embarrassment settled across her expression. “I uh… apologize. The last few offers I received have left me guarded and bitter. It was not fair of me to place such on you or judge you like I did.”<br/><br/>Her eyes moved across the information along the check. One million dollars? It was enough to buy her place outright three times and yet, it was a serious enough offer that brought humility to her features. Her face softened and the lines across her brows vanished. Karie looked to the man again sitting there waiting for her reply. Her hands moved beneath the surface of the table and fingers grew lax, flexing them out of necessity. She would have to tend to the small wounds later. Cutting limes later would be a bitch, but she would deal. Karie shifted uncomfortably where she sat and reached up to slide the check back across to his side. “Hold onto that for now. I think before you decide whether or not you’d like me to deposit that into the bank, I should show you my profit margins first. Please, follow me if you like.”<br/><br/>She slid to the end of the booth and stood, waiting for any signal of him moving into motion to indicate he was indeed serious. Once he did begin to follow her, she yelled at Meagan to man the fort before moving to the door that lead back into the kitchens. She told Cookie, a man whose stomach proved his cooking was good, to help Meagan up front when needed while she was unavailable. The older man with a severe widow’s peak and sharp, aggressive eyes paused with what he was doing to watch his boss lead an extremely well dressed man towards the old office. He shook his head and continued dropping curds in making his own mozzarella balls from scratch. He never thought he’d see the day when she’d sell herself out like that, not understanding the situation clearly.<br/><br/>Karie was keenly aware of his form behind her. Each step she took, she felt his gaze drop along her body. She was but a simple, small time business owner and he was clearly very well to do. The fact she even entertained the idea that he might be interested made her feel rather ashamed. He’d made it abundantly clear from the start, he was here for business. Shame… that shirt looks like it could slip right off him… Her eyes widened as she inhaled sharply. What was wrong with her? The large, thick wooden door looked aged and that it had seen better days. The frame of it was more recent and small chunks taken out near the handle told anyone that a robbery had been attempted within the last year. She had to use her hips to help ease the door open once she’d turned the knob and pushed inside.<br/><br/>It was dark at first as she wove herself around the chair to behind the desk where she pulled on a chain to light up a lamp that illuminated the room surprisingly well. This used to be her father’s office and most of his decor was still hanging along the walls. Karie hadn’t the heart to ever tear it down. However, her filing system was current and up to date with a laptop sitting closed in the middle of the elaborate, corporate desk. She remembered when he’d bought it and how proud her father had been. It’d taken five men from the pub to haul it inside, as heavy as it was. There was little of her in the room other than a few books of no significance on a shelf. Karie moved to open the laptop and waited for it to go out of sleep mode. “It’s a small screen so if you wouldn’t mind, you’ll have to look over my shoulder.” The very thought of having this man close to her, as she settled into her rolling chair, made her bite the inside her her cheek to keep her in reality. That damn dream.