He’d love to show her Piedmont Park and maybe even hit the little wine bar down the street. It would mean they’d get back to Whispering Bay late but she could sleep on the drive home. He understood, however, her desire to get back early so he did his best to hide his disappointment. “Sure, no problem. We can leave whenever you want.”
“Great. I’ll start packing my stuff.” He watched as she made her way back to the bedroom. The urge to follow her and tell her…tell her what? That he didn’t want to leave Atlanta yet? That he didn’t want to get back to real life?
They’d started off this relationship with no expectations except to have a few fun weeks together, but if he was being honest, his feelings for Sarah had morphed into something more serious than a fling. Julie was right, of course, as usual. He’d be an idiot if he let Sarah walk out of his life. Especially when there was absolutely no reason they couldn’t go on seeing one another. Once she bought her food truck, she’d want to go around to local festivals and take advantage of the business, but she had to have a home base, right? She could make Whispering Bay that home base.
His heart began to beat wildly. It made perfect sense. She loved his beach house, so why not let her move in permanently? She could do whatever she wanted with it. Hire a decorator, make it her own. Hell, he’d even let her reprogram his remote control.
When he wasn’t away on a project, he’d come visit and, of course, he could fly her up to Seattle or wherever he was working for the occasional weekend.
Should he tell her his plan now? No. He should do it right. He’d wait till some night this week, maybe after the
y’d just made love. Or maybe they’d go for a long walk on the beach. He should buy her a nice piece of jewelry. Maybe a necklace or a bracelet. Nothing too expensive because Sarah wasn’t the type, but something she could wear every day that would remind her of him. He’d tell her how much he wanted them to continue what they had.
He’d tell her that he wanted them to be a real couple.
Chapter Twenty-Four
Monday morning at The Bistro by the Beach was exceptionally busy. It seemed as if everyone in town was here and, although Sarah had only been gone from Whispering Bay for three days, according to the Gray Flamingos, a lot had happened. One of which was the rumor that Earl Handy’s daughter, Nora, had hired a hot shot attorney from Miami to contest his will.
“I hear he’s a member of that law firm Martinez and Martinez,” Betty Jean Collins said while Sarah refilled her coffee cup.
“The big personal injury guys?” Everyone in the state was familiar with Martinez and Martinez. Their scary-looking billboards threatening to sue the pants off everyone and their mother practically littered the Florida highways.
“That’s them.”
Viola and Gus shared a look. “Ben Harrison is the attorney handling the case,” Viola said. “Have you heard of him?”
“No,” Sarah said. “Should I have?”
“He’s in the south Florida papers all the time. A real shark with an even nastier reputation,” Gus said. “He never takes a case he can’t win.”
Viola’s forehead scrunched in worry. “Jenna says that all that beachfront property Earl left the community is in danger now that Nora is contesting the will.”
“I don’t envy Pilar and Jenna having to go up against that snake Ben Harrison, but knowing your niece, he’s going to have his work cut out for him,” Gus said.
Viola nodded thoughtfully, but there was still a hint of worry in her expression that puzzled Sarah.
The other big news was that Frida and Ed were on their way back to town. They’d called Lucy last night and told her they should be back before noon, a whole four days earlier than expected. Luckily, Tom and his crew had just finished the renovations on the upstairs apartment.
“I have to decide whether or not to buy The Bistro pretty soon,” Lucy said, “Before Frida puts it on the market.”
Sarah gave Lucy a long look. “Have you thought any more about accepting Will’s offer? He really wants to help you, Lucy, and he’s looking to invest his money right here in town.”
“Yeah, but where did he get that money? That’s what I want to know. I’ve known Will since we were all kids. His parents are still alive and, as far as I know, he hasn’t come into any inheritances.”
Sarah hesitated to bring it up, but since Lucy seemed so concerned… “You told me once that you can always tell if someone is lying. Have you come right out and asked Will where he got the money?”
“That’s the thing, he’s vague enough that I can’t get a good read. If he would just come out and say where he got the money, then I’d be able to figure out whether or not he’s telling the truth, but all he’ll say is, ‘Don’t worry, Shortcake, the money is all legit.’ Which, luckily, is the truth. Not that I would ever suspect Will of doing anything illegal.”
“Shortcake?”
Lucy rolled her eyes. “He’s called me that since I was five and he was ten. Apparently, Will Cunningham doesn’t realize that I’m all grown up now.”
“Oh, I don’t know,” Sarah said, “the fact that he wants to loan you the money to buy this place tells me he has a lot of confidence in you. It’s pretty awesome, really.”
Lucy mulled her words. “You’re right, of course. And I don’t want to seem ungrateful. I’d take Will’s money if I felt that I could keep The Bistro at the same level of quality that it enjoys now. Frida had Ed, and we’ve had each other all summer as backup, but I’ll be honest, I couldn’t imagine running this place without you. Is there any way you’d reconsider going in with me?”
And that was the million-dollar question. Of course, she’d thought about it. She’d been thinking about it all weekend. The food truck had been a goal for so long that it had been hard to think of anything else, but there was something to be said about the stability of staying in one place and having a partner like Lucy.