“Getting warmer,” he said as he went through the freshly turned green light.
I scooted back in my seat and scrunched my nose. “Well, we aren’t eating flowers, are we?”
“No,” he said laughing. He turned the wheel and slowed down, stopping outside a bistro that I had yet to notice.
“A bistro?” I faced him as he popped off his seatbelt.
“What do you think?”
I opened the car door and stepped out, and Daniel did the same. Nestled between the florist and a new age gem store sat a decent-sized bistro with dark woodwork and gray metal accents on the front. It felt alluring and warm just looking at it. I could smell fresh garlic and almost taste the lemon-blueberry scones from where I stood.
“I think I’m in love.”
At my side, Daniel leaned into me, and I got to my toes for a kiss. Then I heard a car pull up behind us. “Oh, hey,” I greeted the twins.
Damien hurried around from the driver’s side to give me a hug. “Well?”
“I love the smells. Can we eat?”
Dax stepped up next to Daniel, smiling coyly as that boyish charm of his started to emerge.
“Is something going on?” I asked Daniel. My eyes danced over all their faces as they each began to smile like children. “What?” I nudged Daniel as I laughed.
“We’re not just having lunch, Parvati,” he said to me. He took my hand in his and led me to the doors. “We’re introducing you to your new restaurant.”
I stopped dead in my tracks. It was like the world stood still. My hand slid free from Daniel’s, and he turned and looked me over with a concerned gaze. “Parvati?”
I swallowed hard; tears filled my eyes as I tried to form words. Still, nothing felt real. They couldn’t be serious. My own bistro? The very thing I’d been working toward since my first day at culinary school a few years ago? “I, um… I just…”
“I think she’s stunned,” Dax said with a chuckle. I felt his hand warm the small of my back, and it gave me just the comfort I needed to make sense of my thoughts.
“I can’t accept this,” I mumbled.
Damien was quick to shoot that down. “Nope. It’s yours, and you can’t give it back.”
“But I can’t possibly pay you back for this.”
“We don’t need money,” Dax joked. “We just want you.”
My shoulders dropped. Was I really that deserving? All I’d done was show them love, and even that didn't come easy at first.
“You’ve worked hard to get to where you are, and now you’re being rewarded.” Daniel was sweet, but this gesture was certainly over the top.
Damien came and laced his arm in mine, saying, “Stop fighting it. Just go inside and check it out.”
I sighed through a half-smile. “If you insist.”
“Oh, I do.” He took me to the doors as Dax opened one for us.
“It’s beautiful,” I whispered.
Behind me, I heard Dax tell Daniel, “I knew she’d love it.”
He replied with, “Much better than the seafood place, right?”
“Oh, yeah.”
We walked up to the hostess station, and a young woman with frizzy strawberry-blonde hair greeted us. “Hello. Four today?”
“Yes, please,” Daniel said to her. She looked over the things in front of her, then she counted out the menus and asked us to follow her. The place was just as welcoming and cozy as it appeared to be from the outside. Despite everything being dark and a bit private, the place had ample amount of natural sunlight coming through the windows. As we followed the hostess, I realized there were vining plants along the far wall where the bar was. Beyond that, it looked like the kitchen.
“Here we are,” the hostess said to us. She had brought us to a booth with leather seats and a small golden light overhead. Damien thanked her, then we all sat down and reviewed the menu.
I couldn’t help myself but to keep looking around the room and taking in the sights. “I can’t believe I’ve never been here before.”
Reviewing the menu, Dax said, “From what I can tell, it looks like all the same kinds of food that you cook across town.”
Damien nudged him in the side. “That’s why we chose this place, remember?”
“So, does she know any of you?”
“Who, the hostess?” Damien asked. I gave a nod as I leaned across the table and folded my hands together.
“Would you be jealous if I said yes?” I had to laugh at his words, but Daniel, always the serious one, wasn’t playing around.
“She meant because of the purchase.”
“I know what she meant.” Damien’s eyes drifted over to mine as he brought back his smile. “Probably not. We only met with the previous owners and the brokers at the bank.”
Folding his menu together, Daniel explained, “Before we sign the final paperwork, we wanted you to take a look at everything to be sure that it’s something you would like to own.”