Worth the Risk Read Online Free PDF

lettuce,” Amber said.
    â€œTrue.”
    â€œIt also goes great with chicken,” she added.
    â€œI’m sure I can come up with something,” Brad said. “May I buy a box of red wave lettuce?” That would give him a dozen heads to use. If he created a luncheon special, he’d go through that much in a weekend.
    â€œYes, but there’s a limited supply,” Lexi responded.
    â€œGreat,” he said. He could use the exclusive aspect to promote the dish.
    â€œI’ll box it up for you.”
    â€œHow much per head?” Brad asked, and almost choked when she told him the price. The new salad would cost as much as a seafood salad.
    â€œI’m dying to see how you use our lettuce,” Amber said.
    Lexi was filling a wax-coated box with lettuce that she was pulling directly from the ground.
    â€œDo you have anything else that you think might work with it?” he asked.
    Lexi raised her head and looked at him, but it was Amber who answered.
    â€œWhat about beets? The yellow variety is incredibly sweet. Everyone loves them. They serve them as a side dish at Marché.”
    That got him. Marché was one of his chief competitors. Their food appealed to an upscale crowd that was willing to spend a lot of money dining out. “That’s a possibility. Could I try some?”
    â€œI’m not sure we have enough,” Lexi responded. “Marché buys almost all the specialty beets we grow.”
    â€œIs that right?”
    Again Amber answered for her sister. “Most of what we grow is already promised to restaurants who’ve been buying from us for years.”
    â€œI see.” Why hadn’t he known more about City Seeds? Obviously, letting his sous-chef buy all the produce had been a mistake. He’d lost touch with the local market.
    â€œWe do have an Asian type of baby squash that might work,” Lexi suggested.
    â€œReally?”
    â€œThey’re over here.” She left the half-full box of lettuce and walked across the yard to a small hothouse. “I grow them hydroponically.”
    Lexi plucked a small green squash the size of his little finger off a vine growing from a cylinder of water. At the top of the baby squash was a bright orange bubble-shaped blossom.
    Brad bit into the veggie and an unusual savory flavor filled his mouth, unlike any squash he’d ever had. “Wow! This is good.”
    â€œI thought you might like it,” Lexi said with the first smile he’d seen from her.
    â€œI’m going to go with them instead of the beets.”
    â€œAwesome!” squealed Amber. “I can hardly wait to taste your special.”
    The girl had more confidence than three kids her age, Brad decided. Lexi was more reserved, but Amber’s interest gave him an idea.
    â€œDo you two have plans for lunch on Saturday?” he asked. He really wanted to know about dinner, but decided anyone as attractive as Lexi would have plans for the evening.
    â€œNo, we don’t,” Amber answered.
    Lexi didn’t look half as pleased as her sister. She was about to say something, when a horn blared.
    â€œThat’s my ride.” Amber dashed toward the gate. “See you tonight, Lexi.” She stopped, hand on the gate, then spun around and called out to Brad, “I’m going to win your contest. Count on it!”
    Lexi waited until Amber slammed the gate shut. “I hope she doesn’t win.”
    Her reaction surprised him. “Really, why?”
    Lexi hesitated for a moment. “I want her to get a college education. I don’t want her slaving over a hot stove only to find out the job’s not as glamorous as she thinks.”
    â€œShe could do both,” Brad responded, a little shocked at the frustration he detected in her voice.
    â€œNot Amber. She’s got a one-track mind. Right now all she can think about is winning that contest and she’s neglecting her schoolwork. I want