Chapter Twenty-Five
“How’s everything going?” Damon asked.
“So far so good,” said Dom.
He’d come over to meet his brother for their morning workout at the gym. It had been a busy week so far. Sadie’s minivan had broken down again, and it was sitting at Jake’s garage while he waited for parts to come in for it.
Dom had been driving Sadie around. She’d suggested that she should rent a car, but he didn’t see the point. He enjoyed playing chauffeur, it wasn’t exactly a hardship. He’d suggested that he could buy her a new vehicle, but she wasn’t comfortable with that. He kind of understood it, but he was hoping that with time she’d get used to the idea that they were a couple now, and he wanted to be able to take care of her. It wasn’t as though he didn’t have the money.
“Have you thought any more about building your own place?”
Dom shrugged. “I’d love to, it’s just that we seem to have so much else on our plate. There’ll be time for that.”
“True. Sorry. I’m just excited to have you guys down there as our neighbors.”
Dominic grasped his brother’s shoulder. “I love the idea – don’t think that I don’t.”
“You guys should come over and walk on the beach sometime soon.”
“That’s a good idea. I’ll talk to Sadie. She loves to walk on the beach, and with everything that’s been going on, we haven’t made the time.”
“Is she working with Jake today? Do you have time to come for a coffee with me?”
“Yeah, I’d love to. I’m picking her up from the garage at two. I’m just killing time till then.”
When they entered the bakery, April greeted them with a smile. “This is easy; I can’t get it wrong this time. Hey, Damon. Hey, Dom.”
They grinned at her and ordered their coffees before going to sit in one of the booths.
“You said you haven’t had time to walk the beach with everything that’s going on – what’s happening?” Damon asked
“I guess there’s not that much, it just feels like it. Sadie’s been talking to Leanne about how best to handle things. Leanne advised her to see if she can’t line up a buyer for the business before she makes any kind of agreement with Dale.”
Damon made a face. “From what Taryn said, he’s a real asshole. I wish you’d let me know, I would have been there with you. You were there for me when Jo had to deal with William.”
“Thanks. If he’s ever in town again, you can bet your ass that I’ll call you.”
Damon frowned.
“I used up all my restraint that first time,” Dom explained. “If I ever see him again, you’ll have to hold me back.”
“Right.” Damon chuckled. “Does it look like she’ll be able to find a buyer?”
“It sounds like the employees are interested, but whether they’ll be able to come up with an acceptable offer is a different matter.”
“Are you concerned that she’ll sell to them and lose out?”
He nodded. “I’m torn. She’s right when she says that this is the quickest and easiest way to put it all behind her. It’s not as though she needs to come away with a decent nest egg anyway – I can cover anything we might ever need.”
Damon opened his mouth to speak, but Dom shook his head. “I know, she needs her own money for her sake. And besides, from what she’s said, she wanted to take care of Josh with some of the money.”
“What’s he like?”
“Obviously I haven’t met him yet, but we’ve talked on the phone quite a bit – he’s a good kid. He keeps saying that he’s going to come and visit, it’s just finding the time. I know Sadie would love for him to move here, but we’ll have to see.”
“And Harvey? What does he think of it all?”
Dom had to laugh. “You know what he’s like – he’s kind of disappointed that we don’t get to take Dale down. Apparently, he’s hated him pretty much since Sadie met him.”
Damon laughed with him. “He’s a real character.”
“He is. I love that he and Jake get along so well, too.”
“Yeah, Jake talks about him a lot. Whenever he hangs out with Savannah, he makes sure to spend some time with Harvey, too. From what Jake’s told me, it sounds as though Harvey’s ready to sell the garden center.”
“He is, the only thing that’s holding him back is that he hasn’t figured out what he’s going to do with himself afterward.”
“Does he need to do anything?”
“He doesn’t need to – he wants to. Well, I guess you could say that he needs something to keep him going. You know, an interest.”
“You could build a greenhouse.”
“Come again?”
Damon laughed. “Don’t mind me, I’m trying to get you to hurry up and build and come be my neighbor. From what I know of Harvey, he enjoys growing things more than he enjoys dealing with the business and customers. Maybe if he had his own greenhouse…”
Dom grinned at him. “You might be onto something there. I like that idea. It’s funny, when I told him that he can have the guest house where we are now, he was kind of interested – he loves the place – but he kept talking about what he’d be able to do. He loves the view from there, but he wouldn’t want to sit on his ass all day looking at it.”
“You can’t blame him for that.”
“No. But maybe we could set him up with a greenhouse there in the meantime.”
“Sounds like it’d be worth investigating.”
“It does.”
“So, you’re happy?” Dom asked.
“I am.”
His brother stared pointedly at his left hand. “You never put it back on, did you?”
Dominic reached automatically for his wedding finger. “No.” He surprised himself when he was able to smile as he explained. “You noticed that I wasn’t wearing it after I first met Sadie. I didn’t deliberately take it off – I’d just forgotten to put it back on that day.” He shook his head. “For nine years after Polly, I put it back on after my shower every day. Within a couple of days of meeting Sadie, I forgot to do it. I told myself then that if the day came when I felt like I needed to put it back on, I would.” He shrugged. “That day never came, and now I know it won’t.”
Damon held his gaze. “And you’re okay?”
He smiled. “I’m more than okay. Thanks for checking, but I’m good.”
“I’m glad. I wish I’d known Polly; I know you guys were happy together. All I can tell you is that I do know Sadie and I can see how happy she makes you.”
“It’s all good. We’ve talked about it. Sadie understands. And the thing is, it’s like Harvey says, I still have some living left to do. I want to spend the rest of my life with Sadie.”
Damon grinned. “Are you going to ask her to marry you?”
He shook his head. “No, neither of us wants that. We don’t need it, either.”
“I can see that. It doesn’t have to be about marriage, does it?”
“No.” He chuckled. “I wasn’t sure if you’d get it – Taryn does.”
Damon laughed. “Oh, she’ll love it. I know she feels like she’s the only one around here who isn’t interested in getting married again.”
“Well, she’s not on her own anymore.”
“And neither are you,” said Damon. “And I love that for you. What do you want to do till two o’clock?”
“We can hang out if you’re not busy, but don’t feel like you need to entertain me. I have some phone calls to make.”
Damon cocked an eyebrow at him. “What are you up to?”
“I’m glad you asked; I was going to ask for your advice.”
“About?”
“An investment I’m thinking about making.”
“What kind of investment?”
He chuckled and looked around the bakery before leaning in to explain to his brother exactly what he was thinking.
~ ~ ~
Sadie looked up with a smile, ready to greet whatever new customer had just walked through the door. She was surprised to see that it wasn’t a customer – it was her dad.
“Hey, Dad, what are you doing here?”
He grinned. “Tilly and Parker have got things handled at the garden center. I thought I’d come see how two of my favorite people are doing.”
“I’m doing okay. You might have to wait a while if you want to talk to Jake, though.” She jerked her head toward the shop where Jake was busy working on a Jeep. “He gets in the zone when he’s working.”
“That’s alright. I wouldn’t want to disturb him. I’ll hang out with you for a while – if you’re not too busy.”
“I’m done for the day. All I have left to do is answer the phone if it rings. Take a seat, can I get you a coffee or anything?”
“Yeah, I’ll take a cup of coffee thanks, honey bun.”
She had to laugh when she came back with his drink and found him sitting in her chair behind the desk. She set the coffee down in front of him. “Make yourself at home, why don’t you?”
He chuckled. “I was thinking about doing just that.”
“What do you mean?”
“Have you set this place up the way I taught you?”
“I have.” She smiled. “I may have added a few tweaks of my own to your systems, but you taught me well. It’s how I ran the business, and it’s how Jake will run this place going forward.” She watched him sip his coffee. “Are you sure about selling to Tilly and Parker?”
He nodded happily. “I am. Don’t worry, honey bun. It’s time. And everything I said about not wanting to sit around on my ass waiting to die still stands true. I’ve given forty years to that business. I want to do a bit of something else while I still have the chance.”
“What kind of something else are you thinking?”
“You don’t need this job, do you?”
She laughed. “Not really. Now that Dale’s lawyer is playing nice with Leanne, we’ve come to a temporary agreement over the finances. I have access to whatever I need.” She glanced through the window into the shop at Jake. “I’m here to help him out.”
Her dad grinned. “And now I am.”
She gave him a puzzled smile. “What do you mean?”
“Exactly what I say.” He looked around the office. “You’ve set everything up the way I taught you, right?”
She nodded.
“Then, there’s no reason that I couldn’t come in here and take over from you, is there?”
“I suppose not, but…”
“But what?”
She laughed. “But nothing, I guess. If you want to help Jake out, I’m sure he’d be more than happy to have you. You guys get along so well.”
Her dad looked more serious as he asked, “Do you think so? Or do you think that he just humors me?”
“I think he genuinely enjoys your company and respects you. From what I’ve seen of Jake, he wouldn’t humor you.”
“I’ll go ahead and ask him then.”
“Are you sure that’s what you want to do?”
“I am. If he gets busier and needs someone full-time, then maybe I’ll have to step down. But I reckon we might do each other some good, him and me.”
Sadie nodded thoughtfully. “I have a feeling you might be right about that, Dad.”
He grinned. “I’m glad to hear it. You know I have my own way of going about things, but I hope you know that this is my way of showing that I respect your opinion and am asking for your advice.”
She reached across the table and gave his arm a squeeze. “Thanks, Dad.”
“And how’s the divorce coming along?”
She blew out a sigh. “I hope you respect my opinion on that one, too?”
He chuckled. “I do. It’s just that I’m a vindictive old bastard and I’d rather see Dom kick the crap out of him than see Dale get what he wants.”
She shrugged. “I know what you mean. I hate that he thinks he’s getting what he wants, but my only consolation – and I hope it can be yours too – is that him getting what he wants is only a side effect of me getting what I want. I want to be rid of him as soon as possible, and I want to make sure that the guys who worked for us all those years are taken care of.”
Her dad frowned. “I get that, but can they afford to pay you a fair price? Are you going to end up walking away with less money than Dale just because you’re a decent person?”
She shrugged. “They’re still putting their offer together. If they can manage close to the asking price, I’ll come out better than Dale. If I have to take less…” She shrugged. “It’ll be worth it to me.”
Her dad nodded. “I get it. You’re a good girl, Sadie.”
“There are more important things than money – you taught me that, Dad.”
“Exactly.” He took a big gulp of his coffee. “And that’s enough of that sentimental crap. As long as you’re okay, I’m okay.”
“And as long as you’re okay, I’m okay.”
He chuckled. “Then I guess we’re all okay.” He waved through the window when Jake spotted him. “What time’s Dom coming for you?”
“He should be here in a few minutes.”
“I’ll have my chat with Jake when you’re gone, then. One more quick question, though.”
“What?”
“You know Dom said I could move into that guesthouse place of yours – how would you feel about that?”
She was shocked. “You’d want to?”
“You wouldn’t want me to?”
She laughed. “I’d love it! Are you thinking about including the house in the sale with the garden center?”
He nodded. “I wouldn’t mind a fresh start of my own. I’ll be able to pay rent.”
She laughed. “You can talk to Dom about that; I’m not going to get involved. You know what my answer would be.”
He shrugged. “I expect his answer will be the same, but it makes no difference – you’ll get all my money when I’m gone.”
She made a face at him. “Or you could have fun spending it all on this new start of yours.”
He chuckled. “Now there’s an idea. Hey, Jakey!” He turned when Jake leaned in the doorway from the shop and greeted him with a grin.
“Hey, Harvey! It’s good to see you.”
“It’s good to see you, too. Look, here’s Dom. Let’s say goodbye to Sadie, then we can have a chat.”
A few minutes later, Sadie smiled to herself as Dom drove her away.
“What’s going on?” he asked. “What’s your dad up to?”
She laughed. “He’s after my job. He wants to work with Jake.”
Dom chuckled. “He’s serious about shaking things up, then?”
“Apparently.”
“How do you feel about it – about being ousted?”
She laughed. “I don’t mind. In fact, I think it might be good for both of them.”
Dom nodded happily. “I think you might be right. I think he’s still trying to play matchmaker, too.”
“You do? How?”
“Has he asked you about the guesthouse yet?”
She laughed. “He has – has he already asked you?”
“Yep – well, in theory. He was concerned about leaving Savannah behind. Then, he was asking about Damon’s place.”
“What about it?”
“If Damon might be interested in renting out my room now that I’m no longer there.”
“To Savannah?” she asked incredulously.
“Yeah, apparently, she might be taking a job at the resort for the season. She’ll make more in tips there than at the diner.”
Sadie shook her head with a smile. “He pulls all our strings, and most of the time we don’t even know it.”
“He does a good job. Anyway, how are you?” He reached across the console, and she placed her hand in his. “I’m happy, Dom. And it’s all because of you. Not so long ago, I thought my life was stuck in a rut that would only lead me to my grave. I wasn’t even looking forward to retirement. Now, I get to retire early, and I’m looking forward to spending lots of wonderful years with you.”
He squeezed her hand. “I feel the same way. I thought that I wanted to live out the rest of my life alone. I didn’t know I could be this happy.”
She grinned at him. “I’ll make you even happier when we get home.”
He laughed. “I’ll look forward to that, but there’s somewhere I want to stop before we go home.”
“Yeah? Where?”
“Want to walk on the beach?”
She nodded eagerly. “I’d love to.” She looked out the window. “But aren’t we headed in the wrong direction for that?”
“Nope. We’re going to Damon and Jo’s. They’re not home. We’re not going to see them. But I’d like to get started on the building process. Before we do that, I want to make sure that you love the place.” He shot her a quick grin. “I know how much you love the beach, if we build over here, we’ll have our own.”
He turned off at Damon and Jo’s house and she stared out the window all the way up the long driveway.
“Would we be right here next to them?” she asked.
“No.” He pointed. “The lot is over there; we can put in our own driveway. For now, this is the only way down to the beach.”
When they got out, he handed her his spare jacket with a smile. She watched him put his on before he came to help with her zipper. He tugged it all the way up to her chin, and then planted a kiss on her lips.
“Ready?”
“Ready. It seems like forever now since we first walked on the beach together.”
He nodded as he took her hand. “Doesn’t it?” He dug around in his pocket and pulled out a pretty pink stone. “I forgot to give you this; I found it when I was over here with Damon.”
“Wow! That looks like rose quartz.”
“I thought so – that’s why I saved it for you.”
“Thank you.”
She followed him eagerly down the path to the beach. When they reached the bottom, he laughed. “I was going to help you down, but you’re like a mountain goat.”
She laughed with him. “I’m in a hurry – there’s quartz down here.”
He wrapped his arm around her shoulders as they walked along the water’s edge. He pointed out the property line that divided Damon and Jo’s place from the empty lot.
“We’ll have to get surveys and everything, but what do you think – would you like the house there?”
All her breath caught in her chest as she nodded. “It’d be perfect.”
His eyes seemed to twinkle as he smiled down at her. “I thought so. It’ll be amazing to have a house right on the water like this, but what will make it perfect is sharing it with you.”
She rolled up on her tiptoes and wrapped her arms around his neck as she kissed him. When they finally broke apart, he kept his arms around her waist.
“Is this what you want?”
She nodded. “This – a house here – would be wonderful, but the most important part is what you said.” It had touched her so deeply when he said it, that she remembered it word for word. “I want to be with you – live with you. Go to bed with you every night and find you in my arms when morning comes around – every day for the rest of my life.”
He chuckled and dropped a kiss on the tip of her nose. “You stole my line.”
She shrugged happily. “It was too good not to.”
As he kissed her again, she could only hope that the rest of their lives would last a long, long time.