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at the crossroads who was playing the fiddle. I've got nothing else."
    "You think you're funny."
    "I'm a little funny." He gestured to a chair in front of his desk.
    Polly dropped into it and leaned across. "I need to talk to you about lots of things this morning."
    "Do any of them include a raise?"
    "You must have had a good weekend."
    He shrugged and grinned. The running joke on his raise was one they were both quite comfortable with. Jeff was paid very well and they had already negotiated his yearly salary increases along with his bonuses. It seemed the joke was never going to grow old, though.
    "It was a good weekend. I had dinner with a friend last night."
    Polly perked up. "A friend or a good friend?"
    "I don't know," he smirked. "But her daughter loves her very much."
    "Oh," she said, slumping back down. "I thought it might be a date."
    "No. It's just a friend who needed a shoulder to cry on. So we ate expensive steak and I flirted with the waiter. He was adorable. Maybe a bit too young for me, but the flirting was fun."
    "You're a nut."
    "And you love me. What's happening in Polly-world?"
    "Before I stir Sylvie up, I want to know what you think about a coffee shop and bakery coming to downtown Bellingwood."
    He sat back and nodded slowly while he thought. "It's not a terrible idea. The Chamber would love to see a business like that. They're always looking to fill those empty buildings. Are you planning to buy and remodel down there?" Jeff glared at her. "Why don't you ever talk to me before you start doing these things?"
    "I'm talking to you now and no, it's not just me. Sal is buying the building across from Pizzazz. She wants to put a coffee shop in, but then we were brainstorming and before I knew it, I had an entire bakery to dream about while I slept. We don't have room for additional equipment and supplies here at Sycamore House."
    "Yes we do."
    "You're not helping."
    "Really. If Sylvie wanted to do it here, we could put ovens and racks on that back wall. We'd have to yank the table out, but mixers could sit on the counter back there and..."
    Polly waved her hand to stop him. "Sylvie started getting excited about putting a bakery in Sal's building."
    "She really wants to work out of two separate kitchens?"
    "I think she sees the potential for bringing on more employees. And we really don't have room in this kitchen. Besides, a bakery and coffee shop seem to go together, don't you think?"
    "So Sycamore House Bakery downtown?" he asked.
    "Sure. It expands our reach and both of those small businesses would be a draw for the other one."
    Jeff leaned forward on his desk and rubbed his forehead with both hands. Looking up from under his fingers, he sighed a deep sigh. "Why can't anyone just be satisfied with growing the businesses we already have?"
    "You can hardly blame Sylvie. She wants to use the heck out of what she learned. And you and I both know that she doesn't have room here to bake wedding cakes like she wants. Just think of all she could create. And think of all the people she could hire as the bakery grows."
    "What if it doesn't?"
    Polly curled her nose at him. "Who are you and what did you do with my Jeff? First of all, you'll be promoting the place..."
    "I will? Who said I'd do that?"
    "Don't make me pull out the boss card on you. And secondly, this is Sylvie. She's amazing in the kitchen. People already ask about her breads and pastries. And that's just what she does on a small scale for wedding receptions."
    "So, Sal's buying the building and putting a coffee shop in. I suppose Henry's doing the remodel."
    "Well, duh."
    "And you want me to tell you what about the idea of a bakery?"
    "I want you on board with this. I'm meeting everyone at one thirty, and then Henry and I are going to talk to Steve."
    Steve Cook was Polly's financial advisor. His firm had worked with her father and he'd been involved with her decisions since the day she decided to return to Iowa and buy an old schoolhouse. He had yet to