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Sophie swayed toward him as if there was a gravitational pull between them.
“Is now a good time to talk?” Startled, I turned to see the reporter I spoke to all those months ago.
I reluctantly switched my attention from Sophie and the mysterious man to Alisha Roberts. I chatted with Alisha and a news anchor from the local station, speaking briefly on camera about the break-in and the plans for Market Tavern.
By the end of the night, my feet hurt, and I was ready to be alone with Ben.
Gia pushed us out the door with promises to handle cleanup, and I left without a fuss because I had my own plans for the evening.
Ben drove me home and unlocked the door to his house. “I thought that went well.”
I slipped off my shoes and set my wristlet on the counter. “It was more than I hoped for. It seemed like everyone came out.”
Ben nodded, moving toward me. “Even one of my high school teachers.”
“Yeah, it was nice to catch up with everyone. I missed talking to my customers each morning.” A few still promised to come by in the mornings for coffee, but more were excited about stopping by for dinner or drinks.
He leaned a hip against the counter, his hand on my shoulder. “I think you’re going to have to hire more staff soon.”
I smiled, exhaustion threatening to pull me under in the car, but now that we were home, I was eager to put my plan into motion. “That’s a good position to be in.”
“You amaze me, Brooke. You could have stayed with the coffee shop, and we could have split our customers. But what you did was so brave.”
It was the perfect segue. “I realized I was afraid to take risks. The coffee shop was safe. I hadn’t done anything new or innovative since I opened. I was stuck.”
He brushed a strand of hair out of my face. “You had a solid business plan. You didn’t need to take risks.”
“Not until you showed up.”
He raised his brow but didn’t interrupt.
“You’ve always pushed me to be a better person. To challenge myself when it was necessary.”
“I like to think we challenge each other.”
“We do. I know you said you’d wait for me to be ready. That you’d be happy with just living together with Cammie, but I want more.”
His hand stilled where it was poised to sift through my hair. “What are you saying?”
“I want to marry you.” My heart was beating fast; my palms were sweaty, but if I didn’t get it out, I’d go crazy.
It was like I’d released something inside him. His lips crashed down on mine, and his hand tangled in my hair. Then he pulled back just as abruptly, searching my face. “You want to get married?”
I nodded, tears stinging my eyes.
He interlaced his fingers with mine and tugged me down the hall.
I lifted my skirt so I could follow him without tripping. “Where are we going?”
“I have something I want to show you.”
I was a little irritated because I’d expected him to lift me into his arms and take me against the wall, or even to bed, but I wasn’t sure why he was taking me to his office.
He dropped my hand to flip on the lamp on his desk, then unlocked the bottom drawer.
I stepped into the room. “Ben, what are you—”
Then I saw the black velvet box cradled in his hand. He strode toward me, his face overcome with emotion. He took my hand in his and sank to his knee. “I wasn’t expecting you to be ready this soon.”
