Page 52 of Too Fast To Fall
“Nothing fancy. I bake dog treats. Did he tell you that part?” Piper replied.
“He said they’re very good. He said Gus loves them.”
“Gus also loves drinking out of mud puddles, so he might not be the best judge.”
“What about the dogs in the neighborhood?” Emilio interjected. “That’s how you make your dog friends, so you know they’regreat.”
Piper nodded. “You’re right. My target audience enjoys them.”
“I think they’re better than good,” Emilio added. “They’re fantastic.”
“Are we talking about something else here? Did I miss something?” Piper slid a glance in his direction, her eyes more difficultto read now the sun had almost set and the only light was from the licks of flame from the fire. Damn if she wasn’t beautiful.Dammit if he didn’t look at her and see someone he wanted more time with.
“I told him you should do something with them. Start a company,” his abuela said.
“I tried selling them at my local farmers’ market. They did okay, but that was two years ago.” She glanced at Emilio. “A fewthings happened, and the venture got disrupted. I haven’t picked it back up.”
“So start again,” his grandmother pressed.
“Piper, I want to point out this is coming from a woman who is a winemaker and presses her own olive oil and was an art historyprofessor.”
“I was also an expert bartender when I was young, and I know how to bind books. What’s your point?”
A breathy laugh left Emilio’s lips. His grandmother did have her fiery moments.
“I only think you could be more, Piper.” His abuela tilted her head to one side, nodding slowly. “I see a spark in you. Myquestion is, do you have a dream?”
“No one has ever asked me that.” Piper sat back in her chair and stuck out her lower lip. “I don’t know. I love my job. Ihave an amazing family. Do I need aspirations that go beyond simply having a happy life?”
Emilio took a beat. The answer to her question was no, but he’d never taken the time to think about it. Not everyone had tohave lofty dreams. Some dreams were smaller than others and that was okay. But he lived in a world where achievements werelarger than life and big dreams were the things that made them happen. Maybe he’d lost sight of the little things becausehe’d been so focused on things that made headlines.
“Actually, I take that back.” Piper sat up a little straighter. “I have a dream of living in a nicer place. Where I can havemy own dog. Or three.” She laughed as she peered into the fire. “I do dream of not struggling. So maybe I should try to expandthe dog treats business. Maybe that’s my chance to earn a better living. Unfortunately, I have no clue where to start.”
The earnestness in her voice and on her face made Emilio’s chest feel tight. “Lean into what makes you unique. They’re all-natural,healthy dog treats,” Emilio said. “It would be a woman-run company. Those are selling points. I think it would do well. Ithinkyouwould do well.” It wasn’t so much about the dog treats as it was about wanting Piper to see more in herself. She’d told himof her struggles, and he wanted to help her find a way out of it.
“I don’t know anyone in the industry,” Piper said. “I have zero connections.”
“Maybe we don’t need connections. I could bankroll the whole thing.”
A nervous laugh escaped Piper’s lips. “Now you’re being ridiculous.”
“Am I?” Emilio countered.
A few moments of silence played out, during which Emilio dared to confront Piper with his eyes. He wanted her to know howserious he was. She’d helped make his life better. He wanted to do the same for her.
“I’m afraid I must go to bed.” His grandmother rose from her chair. “Thank you both for a lovely day. It was so nice havingyou here.”
Emilio stood to give her a hug. “I’m so glad we could come visit. Te amo.”
“She’s wonderful. I approve,” she muttered into his ear.
Of course, with Piper within earshot, Emilio couldn’t say a thing. He couldn’t point out there was nothing to approve of—heand Piper were friends. Boss and employee. Only twenty-four hours into being lovers and she was leaving soon.
“Good night, Mama Ximena.” Piper hugged his grandmother. “You’ve been such an incredible host. Today has been like somethingout of a movie.”
“You’re welcome any time, Piper. I’ll see you both in the morning. Bright and early, right?”
“Yes,” Emilio answered. “We need to leave by seven at the latest.”
