Queenie's Cafe by SUE FINEMAN Page B

up when he smiled. Laura liked Jay already. She hoped he knew his business, since he’d be the one doing the work if she decided to go ahead with this partnership and remodel project.
    Did she really want a partner?
    Did she have any choice?

Chapter Six
    L uke met with Jay and Laura at the café the next afternoon to talk about the motel project. Laura dropped into a chair.
    “Tired?” asked Jay.
    “Exhausted. Running your own business isn’t easy.”
    Luke felt a stab of guilt when he realized why Laura was so tired. “You’re not trying to do three meals a day, are you?”
    “How else am I going to pay my bills?”
    “Damn it, Laura. I didn’t mean for you to work yourself to death. Hire some help.”
    “With what? I have to make money before I can hire anyone.”
    “What about Ivy?”
    “She helps at the motel and cleans the bathrooms and floors here every night after I close. She’s earning her keep.”
    “Hire some help. I’ll give you the money.”
    She met his gaze with eyes of steel. “You mean loan me the money?
    “Okay, loan you the money.”
    “No thanks. I owe you enough already.”
    Jay grinned. “Still sassy.”
    “And smart, too.”
    “Shall we look at Jay’s figures?” asked Luke.
    “We can look, but no promises.”
    Luke gazed into Laura’s smoky gray eyes. Jay was right, she was sassy, but that stubborn determination was there, too. In some ways, he admired it, but she went way beyond what was sensible. No one could work this many hours every day without consequences. He didn’t want her to burn out, and he didn’t want her to destroy her health just to pay for the new flooring.
    They sat and talked about options and costs for the remodeling project on the motel. Laura asked Jay about the roof.
    “I got estimates on several different products from three roofing companies, but you’ll have to decide what you want before I can pin down the cost. It’s all right here.” He handed her a paper with the roofing information. “I got samples in the back of the truck.”
    Laura glanced at the paper and handed it to Luke. She probably didn’t know anything about construction or roofing.
    “What’s next?” she asked.
    “An appraisal to establish current value,” said Luke.
    “Do you want me to find an appraiser?”
    “If you want, but I know someone in the business.”
    “Then you take care of it.” She walked toward the back.
    Jay breathed deeply. “Somethin’ sure smells good in here.”
    She turned to face Jay. “Are you going to mooch another meal off me?”
    “I don’t know. Am I?” he asked, eyebrows raised in a questioning look.
    She pointed at him. “Don’t push it.”
    “Yes, ma’am.”
    Luke shook his head. “Are you giving away all the profits already?”
    “They’re my profits and I’ll give them away if I want.”
    “Some partner you’re going to make,” he muttered. This project got more interesting every day. It wasn’t just the food that brought customers into this place. She’d already won Jay over, as she had everyone else who came to Queenie’s Café.
    She lifted her chin. “I didn’t say I’d be your partner, did I?”
    Jay laughed. “You two sound like an old married couple.”
    “Too bad you’re too old to marry, Jay. You’d make a wonderful husband. At least you know who’s in charge.”
    “My ex-wife wouldn’t agree with that.”
    “What does she know.”
    “Honey, if you’re proposin’, the answer’s yes,” Jay said with a big grin.
    “I’m not proposing to anyone. I’m staying single. I don’t want anyone telling me what to do.”
    Luke lifted his chin. “Not even a partner?”
    “Especially not a partner. Isn’t this where that silent part is supposed to come in?”
    “That depends on what percent I own.”
    She crossed her arms. “Then I won’t take less than fifty-one percent. That way I’ll always have the final say.”
    Jay looked at Luke and motioned with his head at Laura. “She’s gonna be a