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“Yeah, that’s what I was thinking. Do you want me to pick you up?”
“No, thanks. I’ll meet you there. I might go to the office for a few hours afterward.”
“Okay. How long do you need?”
“I’ll see you there in about thirty minutes?”
“Great, be as quick as you can. I’m hungry.”
Cameron was already there when she got to Molly’s. He’d claimed a corner table on the little terrace outside and was sipping his coffee.
“Don’t be mad at me, but I already ordered,” he said as she sat down opposite him.
“I’m not mad, as long as you ordered for me, too?”
He grinned. “You bet.”
Chelsea grinned back at him. Breakfast at Molly’s had been a thing for them since her junior year of high school. Cam had been back from college, and she’d been having boyfriend troubles. He’d taken her out for breakfast to talk about it away from prying parent ears.
Molly appeared with a pot of coffee and a smile. “I just love that you two are still so close.”
Cameron grinned at her. “I just love that you took this place over and we can still get the same great breakfast.”
Molly laughed. “It was my destiny to take this place over. My dad named it after me. I can’t imagine ever having gone anywhere else or done anything else. Just like you couldn’t imagine not working at Hamilton-Groves.” She refilled his cup and poured one for Chelsea. “I’m not so sure about you, though, Chels. Are you going to stick around and make Zosca your own, or are you going to leave us and go out into the world?”
Chelsea smiled. “I’m going to stick around. I think it’s time I made the commitment to Zosca and to myself. It’s time for me to grow up and get on with it.”
Cameron raised an eyebrow at her, and she nodded.
“I’ll go check on your order,” said Molly.
“You’re going to buy it?” asked Cameron when she’d gone.
Chelsea nodded. She couldn’t help the smile that spread across her face. “I am. It’s time. I’ve talked about going out on my own for a while now. Zosca was supposed to be a training ground for me and a project that Dad and I could share. I think I’ve learned enough, and one of the things I’ve learned is that Dad and I don’t see eye to eye enough to share.”
Cameron laughed. “I could have saved you both a lot of stress and told you that before you started.”
She laughed with him. “I think we all knew it, but I’m still glad I did it.”
“Good. I worried for a while that it might cause a rift between the two of you.”
“No. I’d never let it do that. Dad wouldn’t either. I was hurt and angry at him when he told me he was bringing someone in. I didn’t talk to him all weekend, but I don’t know, maybe it’s because of everything that happened with Smoke, but I won’t ever let anything come between us. Family’s more important than business.”
“It really is, but that’s easy for me to say. I guess, out of the three of us, I was the lucky one in that I naturally tend to see eye to eye with him on most things.”
“You’re just the good son, that’s all.”
He laughed. “I’m not. At least I don’t do it intentionally. It’s just that I tend to think like Dad does.”
“I’m glad you do, for everyone’s sake; you’re like the peacekeeper.” She smiled. “You’re the only one of the three of us who’s living the life they wanted for us. You’re running the business, settling down with a wonderful girl and getting married, doing everything right.”
Cameron smiled. “I’m just doing what’s right for me, and I’m lucky that it falls in line with what the folks think is right. It’s not as though you’re doing anything wrong, though. You just see the world a little differently.”
“I care too much; that’s my only problem. It’s not like I’m not smart enough. I could do everything Dad wants. I could run it his way, and it would probably be easier, but I don’t want to. Maybe I’m greedy. I don’t just want Zosca to be a financial success—I want it to be more than that. I want to make great wines, and I want it to be a great thing for the people who work there.”
“I know. I think you’re wise to go out on your own. I know you’ll be successful, whatever you do.”
“Aww, thanks, Cam. That means the world to me.”
