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I pulled up to the diner and shut off the car. In the quiet of the morning, I closed my eyes, finding a moment of peace in my surroundings. I knew that today would be a hectic one, as it always was. Minnie’s was an institution in the town of Woodward, and it belonged to my family since the first pioneers had explored this great land. It stood at the edge of the lakefront, with beautiful panoramic views of the surrounding mountains. I knew that I was blessed to be living in such a beautiful landscape.
    With one last deep breath, I got out of the car. I grabbed my apron from the backseat. I was technically the morning manager at Minnie’s, but in a place like this, everyone had to pitch in to keep all the mouths fed. We were the town’s main haunt, a place for everyone and anyone to sit and whittle away a Saturday morning.
    Suddenly I could hear the gravel crunching behind me. I frowned and turned around. Townsfolk knew that Minnie’s wouldn’t be open for at least another hour. But it wasn’t a local. The two shiny black BMWs that pulled up beside me belonged to Maxwell Lalune, and the sight of it stiffened my back. He was part of the nouveau riche that had moved into Woodward, attracted by the ski slopes and natural beauty to be found in the state. I couldn’t stand them to be honest. They drove up the prices in the surrounding area, making life difficult for us townsfolk.
    He was also a developer, and he had big plans for the land that Minnie stood on. Before he had shown up six months ago, there was a hardware store, a small corner shop, and an artisan woodworking store beside us. Now they were closed and sold. We were the last lot standing in the way of his multimillion yacht club.
    Truth be told, there was an awful lot of money being offered, but my parents and I agreed that Minnie’s just couldn’t be given up. It was all Woodward had left of itself, and we were a safe haven for the townsfolk who couldn’t afford to eat out for fifty bucks a plate in the fancy hotels and restaurants that had sprung up to cater to the rich.
    “Good morning Penny,” Max said, as his driver opened the door to let him out. An assistant followed behind, as well as several more in the other car. Did this guy ever go anywhere without his pack of employees?
    “That’s Ms. Archer to you,” I said curtly, crossing my arms. “And we’re not open yet.”
    “Yes I know that. It’s why we came this early. You’ve been avoiding my assistants.”
    “I can’t help that the diner is so busy.”
    “Well, now it’s not. So if I could take up a few minutes of your time…”
    “Five minutes.” I said, moving towards the front door. “And you’re going to have to talk while I work.”
    There were a million things to do before we could open, but I knew that Maxwell was nothing if not persistent. He was a natural born hunter, endlessly in pursuit of the next business deal. It’s clearly made him millions, though it’s no party being on the receiving end of his attention. Unfortunately, avoiding him hasn’t worked, so it was best to get this over with.
    I unlocked the door and stepped inside, not bothering to keep the door open for him. Manners were wasted on men like him. I quashed down the fact that my reaction was in part because I was attracted to him. This man was trying to take away my family’s livelihood, and he’d go for the jugular as soon as he found any weakness.
    I flicked on the lights, and started on the first task of the day: tallying supplies in stock for inventory orders. Max followed me inside, but thankfully his lackeys stayed by the car. I walked past the counter and into the back of the kitchen, giving him no chance to stop and talk.
    “Ms. Archer, please. If you would just listen to my proposal, I think you’ll find that both our parties can benefit from all this. The yacht club will bring many jobs to the town of Woodward.”
    I looked up at him. He leaned against the doorway, hands in the pockets of his