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I fold my arms impatiently.
“Right. I know you don’t like being told what to do. That’s why you’re a chef. But that’s also a part of why I’m here. What if you could work in a top restaurant right here on the island? What if it belonged to you?”
Okay. Time to interject, because now I’m lost. “What are you talking about, Cormac? There aren’t any restaurants like that in Somerset Harbor. That’s why I had to go to Manhattan in the first place. That kind of thing doesn’t exist outside of the city.”
“But it could,” he says in a way that makes his eyes light up. Whatever he is thinking, he’s excited about it, and that makes me nervous. He goes on, “Beau—that’s my brother—said I needed to think outside the box when it came to you. He’s right. You’re not like anyone else I’ve been with, so I’ve been brainstorming, trying to come up with something that makes everything fit. I think I have. But if you hate the idea, we can come up with something else that will work for you. Forus.”
I like hearingus. But we are miles from okay. “What idea?”
He explains, “I want to open a high-end restaurant here. Not just in Somerset Harbor, but here in your parents’ bed-and-breakfast.”
I laugh once. “How? Every space here is spoken for. We cannot sacrifice the bedrooms for a kitchen. Even if you could—
“We will build an addition for the restaurant. That’ll make cooking for the B&B guests easier, right? Your parents were practically on top of each other, just cooking for us. They could use a proper kitchen. There is plenty of parking, and I know the permitting process after dealing with it for the resort. We can secure the financing easily enough and anything that you would need.”
He’s really thought all the basics through. “But the resort will have restaurants, right? Wouldn’t that put us in even more competition with you?”
“It would be a way to differentiate the B&B from the resort. A high-end place that uses local ingredients to celebrate all that Somerset Harbor offers. You have been cooking amazing food from Gifford’s, and almost all they sell is local, so I know you have more than enough skill to pull it off.”
I blink back tears. If this is a real offer, it’s more than I could have hoped for. If it isn’t, I’ll kill him. “Is this a joke?”
“Not at all.”
“Is this just a business proposition?”
He gulps uncertainly, and it’s cute as hell. “Do you want it to be just a business proposition?”
Now, it’s my turn to gulp. “No.”
He smiles, and the glimmer of hope in his eyes sets my soul on fire. “Good.”
Still, my inner skeptic is loud. “Why would you do this?”
“As much as I’d like to say, it’s all for you, it’s not entirely. I was serious when I said the resort won’t have what this place has. We don’t have the local history or the ambience or the soul, and many people want those things when they travel. It would boost the hell out of the B&B, and we can also send people from the resort who are interested in tasting local fare. You could be the one setting up the menu and doing everything else. Run it how you see fit, and help your parents at the same time. If I do that for you and for your family, would you stay?”
I can’t help myself anymore. The tears spill down my cheeks. “Yes.”
He smiles, but his muscles strain under his shirt. He’s holding himself back from kissing me. Even now, even after all of this, he’s worried I’ll reject him. “Really?”
I lasso my arms around his neck and kiss him, and it’s all I can do not to ravish him at the door. When his tongue brushes against mine, I go boneless and melt against him. He holds me tight. I pray he won’t let go of me ever again.
But then a flash of panic makes me pull back. Not out of his arms. Just enough to be able to speak. “On one condition.”
“Name it.”
“I’ll handle the insurance. Forever.”
He grins. “Done.”
I kiss him again, and my world comes back together, piece by piece. I don’t know what the future will hold. But as long as I’m holding Cormac, nothing else matters.
39
Lily
I’m still smiling as I close Cormac’s door behind Abigail. Smiling out of shock, that is. The kids have gone to play in the living room after their mom left, so me and Cormac sit at the dining room table and talk. “I can’t believe it.”
He shrugs. “I did say she’s a reasonable person, but even I’m surprised she made this turnaround as fast as she has.”
