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She winked at me as she left.
I opened the freezer for Rae to put them inside on one of the shelves. “You made up, huh?”
Rae nodded. “What’s the point in being mad? I guess us sorting everything out taught me a lesson. I haven’t really been happy in a long time, but now I have the chance to be. Harboring anger toward my mom for a bad choice when I forgave you for yours…” She stopped and sighed, meeting my eyes. “I don’t want to feel that way anymore, and she doesn’t deserve my anger any more than you did.”
I drew her into me, hugging her tight. My chin rested on top of her head, and she wrapped her arms around my waist, taking a deep breath.
“I have something to tell you,” I whispered.
“What’s that?”
“I’m closing The Frozen Spoon.”
She jerked back from me, eyes wide with shock. “What? Why?”
“I don’t enjoy it. It was a mistake to ever open it, and with you reopening, I don’t want to be there to take anything away from you. I want you to have your dream, and I want you to have all of it.”
Her lips parted. “What are you going to do instead? Do you have another job?” She paused. “Do you want to work for me?”
Laughing, I touched my forehead to hers. “No, I don’t want to work for you, thank you. But if you wanted to give Marnie a few hours during the summer, I know she’d be happy to take them.”
“Done. I get the feeling I’ll need help if you’re closing.”
“That and your magic ice cream.” I kissed her nose and drew back. “No, I’m, uh. Keeping the store, actually.”
A frown marred her usually smooth forehead. “You are? For what?”
“Damn it, son, spit it out.” Sam came into the kitchen and chucked Rae under the chin. “We’re going into business together.”
“You’re doing what?”
“There’s no need to sound so shocked. We’re not a bad team, girl.” Sam’s eyes sparkled. “It’s gonna be a wood shop.”
Rae looked up at me then back at him. “What?”
“You know the garage full of stuff that’s sitting there doing nothing?” I asked.
She nodded.
“We’re gonna sell it. The birdhouses, the bug hotels, the tables—even commission work. We’ll do touristy stuff too. I’m gonna sell all my equipment and turn the back into a workshop so I can work on some stuff when there are no customers.”
“Yeah, well, you never had all the equipment anyway.” She sniffed.
Sam snorted.
“Hey!” I tickled her side, and she escaped my arms.
“I’m kidding!” She grinned, and the brightness in her brown eyes made me smile, too. “I’m happy for you both. I think it’s a great idea.”
“And, as a side bonus, technically speaking, you put him out of business,” Sam added. “So you got your revenge in the end.”
Rae blushed. “Right. This was the revenge I was going for.”
“Oh, yeah,” I said. “I knew she wanted to crush me. This will be nowhere near satisfying enough for her. She wanted to watch me burn.”
She laughed, meeting my eyes. “That’s a little dramatic.”
“But one hundred percent true,” Sam added, peering into the freezer. “You got any chocolate chip in here?”
“Yes, but I also have ice cream freezing in there, so get out.” Rae swatted at his arm. “I’ll bring it home for you tonight.”
Sam smacked a kiss on her cheek. “You’re my favorite granddaughter.”
“I’m your only granddaughter,” she replied dryly.
I hid a laugh behind my hand as he scooted out of the kitchen with a cackle.
She turned to me. “You’re really going into business together?”
I nodded. “Really really. So, you win. You put me out of the ice cream business.”
“It doesn’t count if you choose to leave it.” She walked to me and flattened her hands on my chest. “Besides, I don’t want revenge anymore.”
“Well,” I said, running my hands down her back and over her ass. “It counts if you’re the reason I’m choosing to leave it.”
She tilted her head to the side.
“Still don’t want revenge?”
“Eh,” she said. “Kinda, but I think I’ll pass on this being it. I want to keep you on your toes.”
“You do?”
“Well, yeah. Revenge is a dish best served cold. This isn’t exactly cold, is it? You warm it up a little when you choose to help me get it on you.”
I groaned. “Oh no.”
She grinned, the kind of grin that made her eyes shine brightly. “Oh yes.”
CHAPTER TWENTY-SIX – RAELYNN
I collapsed against the counter.
I did it.
I’d survived day one. And not only had I survived reopening day, but they’d cleaned out my unicorn ice cream, and I’d had to call Mom in to make some around lunchtime because I’d seen it coming.
I couldn’t run out of ice cream on my second day.
Even Chase had been cleaning tables and doing dishes for me. When Marnie had come in with her friends this afternoon, I’d just about hired her on the spot and begged her to start the next day. She’d agreed all too enthusiastically, and to say thanks, she and her friends had spent ten minutes buying ice cream just to Instagram it.
