“So you’re just going to be a chef and open a restaurant?” she asks, taken aback by all of this new information.
“Yes.”
She rushes past me, and under her breath, I hear her say, “Of course. Just open a restaurant. Fucking rich people.”
“Are you annoyed?”
“I don’t know what I am, Henry. You’re telling me I’m the reason you’re blowing up your life, and that’s a lot of pressure. Are you sure you even know what you’re getting into? I mean, we had sex a bunch of times. Does that mean you should upheaval your life? It sounds—”
But I cut her off before she can say anything more. “What, G? What does it sound like? Romantic? Stupid?” I take a breath because I’m going to try not to get too worked up at her freakout. “It’s necessary. I want to be with you, and the life I have, the role in my family’s business, is one of the reasons I can’t be. So, I’m making adjustments so that I can get what I want. It was also time for me to find something that would make me happy again. The business wasn’t doing that for me any longer, and life is too short to stay working in something you don’t enjoy if you can change it.”
“What makes you so sure that I’m what you want? That you’ll feel the same way in a couple of years?”
I smile at that and realize she’s not annoyed. She’s nervous this isn’t what I truly want. She still doesn’t get it.
“Pixie, you’re it for me. There’s not a single thing I wouldn’t do to make you mine.” I pull her closer to where I’m sitting now. She stands in between my legs, and I grip her chin, bringing her closer to my face. I want to make sure she hears this, loud and clear. “You take whatever time you need to let all of this sink in, but I’m going to do everything in my power to make this work for us, you hear me?”
She nods. Then the door to the shop chimes again.
She tries to look at who came in, but I don’t let her chin go. I can see there’s so much she needs to say and work out as she looks into my eyes, but now’s not the right time. “I hear you,” she says, and then turns around to greet my brother Michael at the door.
“You guys need me to come back?”
G walks closer and smiles back at me. “Nope. I’m all yours. Hanky was just leaving.”
* * *
“Benny, will you make me one of those Earl Gray drinks that G likes before you head out?”
“You bet, boss.”
Telling G about my plans of building a pop-up dinner spot at Brews & Books was just a piece of the puzzle. In truth, my life needed to adjust if I wanted G to be a real part of it. But couple that with how I’ve been feeling restless at work, and it all made more sense than I ever thought it could. Now, I’m starting something new. Something that’s for me. We made a lot of great things happen at Riggs Outdoor, but all of it was expanding on something for which my father had already laid the groundwork. It wasn’t mine. This is mine, whether it succeeds or not. When I saw that Kathryn had been overwhelmed with the long hours of the coffee shop and I was already toying with the idea of an exclusive dining concept, it was just about moving forward and not overthinking. Now I’m working every moment I can to bring this restaurant to fruition. It also doesn’t hurt that the spot is right next door to Hideaway Ink. Closer to my girl.
Michael
There’s a 50/50 chance I end up with a dick on my thigh instead of a mountain.
She seem off? Maybe pissed too?
I don’t want to know what the hell you two are doing, but next time, can you make sure I’m not on the books for a tattoo before you have a huge relationship conversation?
You’re her last appointment. Make sure she gets back to her loft when you guys are done.
Yeah, no problem.
“Henry, you’ve got a delivery. Here’s the Earl Gray latte. You want me to bring it to her?” Benny shouts from the back door of the store, moving toward the kitchen.
“Thanks, Ben. I’ll do it.” I make my way to the back and meet the delivery driver, signing for the meat and vegetables that have come from Wyoming, and then start prepping for this weekend’s first tasting group.
I’ve decided that I’ll use this time to perfect my menu for spring and reward my friends and the business owners who own shops all along Main Street. If the next two weekends go well, and I can work out any issues, then the place will be ready to start taking reservations. If it’s good enough, it’ll build buzz. I want the place to have a speakeasy, exclusive vibe. Booked out reservations for tourists, and walk-ins only for Strutt’s Peak residents.
“Henry! You back there?” Jack shouts as he makes his way toward the kitchen.
“Hey, man, what are you doing here?”
“I’ve got a few business partners, some colleagues too, who are going to be coming through over the next few months to check out some mountain sports. Michael is trying to build out his summer excursions. We thought it would be cool to set up some exclusive dinners. Give them a real taste of the full Riggs experience.” He leans against the industrial sink, canvasing the spread of goods that were just delivered.
Jack joined the board for Riggs Outdoor when he married into the family. He’s already made some smart connections between his artist gallery patrons and the small companies that service outdoor sports accessories. When Everly stepped away to do her own thing, Jack stepped in. He and my dad are making smart moves.