Worth the Risk

interested in?”
    Brad shrugged. “I’m not sure. I’m creating several new dishes for the summer menu.”
    “This way,” Lexi said as she walked by him.
    They headed down the front steps then followed a stone path around the old Victorian. Amber trailed behind them. He watched Lexi move and decided she was one of those women who could be provocative without trying. Something he found extremely appealing.
    Lexi unlocked a metal gate then swung it open to reveal a lush backyard full of plants and vines. There didn’t seem to be an inch that wasn’t under cultivation. Rows and rows of plants covered the ground. Long containers were set on stepped racks that lined the fence, creating space where there was very little. Ingenious, he thought.
    “We grow a lot of unusual lettuce,” Amber told him.
    “I can see that,” Brad replied, a little ashamed he didn’t recognize the varieties.
    “Some of these greens are native to Asia,” Lexi said.
    “Really?” Brad was impressed. Houston had a sizable population of Asians. He had been experimenting with some Chinese and Thai dishes in his spare time.
    “You should taste this.” Lexi picked a curly red leaf off a plant and handed it to him. Brad didn’t particularly like lettuce. He wasn’t a salad kind of guy, but he took it anyway. He popped it into his mouth and chewed thoughtfully.
    “Good, really good,” he said, and he meant it. The lettuce had a slight taste of nuts.
    “You could design a special summer salad with red wave lettuce,” Amber said.
    “True.”
    “It also goes great with chicken,” she added.
    “I’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.
    “Yes, but there’s a limited supply,” Lexi responded.
    “Great,” he said. He could use the exclusive aspect to promote the dish.
    “I’ll box it up for you.”
    “How 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.
    “I’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.
    “Do 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.
    “What 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?”
    “I’m not sure we have enough,” Lexi responded. “Marché buys almost all the specialty beets we grow.”
    “Is 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.”
    “I 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.
    “We do have an Asian type of baby squash that might work,” Lexi suggested.
    “Really?”
    “They’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.”
    “I thought you might like it,” Lexi said with the first smile he’d seen from her.
    “I’m going to go with them instead of the beets.”
    “Awesome!” 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.
    “Do 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.
    “No, 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.
    “That’s my ride.” Amber dashed toward the