“So it would seem to make sense to me, if we’re going to get married, that an actual O’Malley should be part-owner.”
Her eyes widened.
“Before you say anything, I’m hiring someone to do the books, thinking maybe an assistant manager so I can have someone else to open and close and run things when we’re away.”
“Will we be away a lot?”
One of the reasons Mae had never wanted the bar was because of how tied down to it her parents were. “Yes,” I said firmly. “That’ll be important to making this”—I gestured between us—“work. Time away from that place. Especially if you like this idea.”
I handed her the paper and held my breath, waiting.
It was a sketch Parker made for me last night. The top sheet was a sketched layout of the bar’s kitchen. On the right side, marked in pencil, was a separate workspace labeledPastry Prep.
“He can’t work on it for about a month, so you’d have to use your home kitchen in the meantime. But he said it’s totally doable. If,” I added quickly, “that’s something you want. If you want your own place, that’s fine too. I know how you feel about the bar…” I stopped and tried to remember what else I’d wanted to tell her.
“We talked about featuring some of your things on the menu and have had so many people asking about them since the festival. I just thought, if you wanted to do that too… but really, whatever role you wanted to take in the bar. Or none.”
She cut me off by reaching across the table for my hands.
“I love it.”
Honestly, I hadn’t expected that.
“You do?”
“I do, truly. I never wanted to own the bar, for all the reasons you already know. But co-own it? With my husband? My best friend? With a built-in place to run the pastry business? This is amazing. I’d been looking at options and… honestly, this couldn’t be more perfect. I don’t even know what to say.”
I squeezed her hands. “Yes?”
She broke into the widest grin. “Yes. A thousand percent yes.”
I almost asked if she had any hesitation at all. Going from “putting on the brakes” a few weeks ago to engaged and owning a business together… it was a lot. And quickly.
Yet it wasn’t. We knew each other inside and out.
No more doubting myself. Doubting us. I would take Mae at her word, trust her to make decisions for herself, and just be happy she’d said yes.
“But I do have one question.”
“Shoot.”
We pulled our hands back as the waiter cleared our lunch. “Thank you,” I said.
“Where did you get the money for the downpayment?”
“My dad,” I said simply.
She didn’t seem surprised. Maybe had already worked out the answer.
“Why didn’t you tell me?”
That was an easy one. “Because I didn’t want you to think I was buying your dad’s approval—or buyingyou. I just wanted to keep the bar in the family. Even if it meant going back to mine.”
“I can’t believe you did that. I can only imagine how hard it must have been.”
It was hard. But worth it.
“For you? I’d do it every day.”
