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Main Street has changed much since Pap was a kid, other than the names on the storefronts. Really, the Center is the perfect place for a wedding reception. We’ve got the large lawn behind us, and it’s a short walk down the trail to the falls. I can’t imagine a prettier place for photos. I—”
    He interrupted her. “I don’t have time to invest in growing the Center’s potential. Pap said he’s not interested in running it. He also said you’ve been doing a lot of the management. Has he compensated you?”
    She shrugged. “I helped out, that’s all. But I want to talk to you about Pap’s retirement. I know you’re busy in Pittsburgh and can’t put the time and effort that the Center needs into it. So I think you should sell it. If you look at the last page, there’s a breakdown on how much the updates will run and what the current market value of the property is.”
    He glanced at the last page. “You had someone appraise the building?”
    She could see him bristle at the thought, so she hastily assured him, “With Pap’s permission. You see, I’d like to buy the place. There are a lot of—”
    Malcolm frowned. “You’ve got the flower shop.”
    Kennedy wanted to snap thank you, Captain Obvious but bit her tongue and simply said, “I do have the flower shop. And I’ve expanded my inventory. We do gift baskets and fruit baskets now, too. But I want to be sure I have an adequate, steady income in plac e . . . ” She let the sentence fade. She’d been about to say for the baby , but she didn’t want to remind Mal about the baby. She wanted him to agree to sell her the Center and then leave and go back to Pittsburgh. After all, he had big-city law to return to. And he’d barely visited his grandfather, so he wasn’t exactly what she’d call father material.
    “I’ve spoken to the bank, and using the Cupid’s Bowquet as collateral, I won’t have any problem paying you a fair market price.”
    She waited for his response. Malcolm sat there, staring at her for a long moment that stretched into an uncomfortable long moment. She felt a surge of disappointment. He was going to say no.
    Well, she’d tried. “Never mind. I can imagine that it would be hard to let go of the place. You’re the third-generation owner. I imagine you have so many happy memories here.”
    Malcolm was still silent, and that silence had now gone from uncomfortable to plain old rude.
    She’d said her piece, and he obviously wasn’t impressed. If he’d argued or asked questions, she could have countered his concern, but she had nothing to throw at his silence, so she reverted to all business. “That file I opened is in your document section. There’s a file for the schedule, and there are files for the specific events. And the other document you really need to keep an eye on is the to-do list. I broke down each event and listed what Pap or I needed to do for it and when. I’ve included all vendors’ numbers and info. If you follow it step by step, you should be fine.”
    He glanced at the folder again but still said nothing.
    Kennedy moved toward the door. “I should probably go.”
    “Are you hungry?” he finally asked.
    Kennedy turned. “Pardon?”
    “Have you had dinner?” Malcolm asked slowly, as if he was afraid she hadn’t understood him.
    She shook her head. “Not yet. I came here right after I closed up the shop and dropped off Jenny’s kids.”
    “You must be starved.” He stood. “I noticed you didn’t eat much at lunch, between running your meeting and entertaining Ivy.”
    “I—”
    He didn’t let her finish her sentence. “I thought I’d pick up a pizza. We could go back to your place and you could lay out your proposal while we eat dinner.”
    She wanted to tell him that she didn’t need someone watching over her. She was an adult. She ate when she was hungry. And she didn’t want him in her house. He was staying at Pap’s place, right next door, and that was close enough.