Chapter 29 #2
“Camryn, this is Wendy Belden. She’ll be interviewing you,” Felicity introduces the woman already seated on one side of the bistro table. I recognize her from a news program that follows restaurants and chefs.
I hold out my hand to her and she shakes it. “It’s a pleasure to meet you,” she says. “Shall we get started?”
I nod and sit down. After the three-person crew gets organized, we start the interview. She asks the same questions I’ve already heard from other press during our initial press tour a few weeks ago. I wonder why we were even doing this.
“And what are your plans moving forward now that you’ve won?” she asks as her questions begin to indicate that we are wrapping up the interview.
“Well, I’d love to expand a bit if the opportunity arises. And I have ideas for some new menu items; those are already in the works. I also have some new visual changes I’d like to make here at the café,” I answer as I give her my best fake smile which I’ve been perfecting.
“That’s wonderful,” she answers and then gives me a real smile. I’m not used to that, an interviewer giving me a genuine smile is unusual to say the least. “What if I told you we had a little surprise for you today?”
I raise my eyebrows. “Oh?”
She grins. “Mr. McDowell, would you like to join us?” she says loudly.
All of a sudden, the curtains that were stapled over the opening in my wall are ripped down and Fletcher is standing in what looks like giant double doors. He pushes them back and I realize the store next to mine that’s been under renovation is now connected to my café.
I frown. What in the actual hell is happening?
“Hey,” he says. “Sorry it took me so long to get back to you, but I’ve sort of been scrambling to get something done.”
I look around him at the store on the other side. It looks like the exact replica of what Drew and I dreamed up over drinks less than a week ago. How in the hell did he do that?
I’m baffled and speechless.
He walks over to me and offers me his hand. It takes me a moment but I hesitantly accept it. He pulls me to my feet and leans down a little so we are nose to nose.
“I’m not sorry Kasen sent you my texts, albeit I’m not pleased with his methods, but I would have told you myself eventually.
I just didn’t know how to explain that I’ve changed.
When you wouldn’t answer me, I may have ended up talking to Drew and some of your other friends.
I decided I needed really big actions not just words.
Remember a few weeks ago when we…were hanging out and you told me about your dreams for the café? ” he asks.
I nod a little, keeping my gaze on his. “Well, I decided I want to be part of your dream. I sold the McDowell’s property down the street to my chef friend.
He’s opening a sandwich shop there in a few weeks.
And I talked the owner of the building next door and perhaps Gregor into selling their buildings to me.
And with the second sale being official today, we can expand Cam’s Café just like you wanted.
I used all the information Drew sent me and we can finish this side now that I’ve got the other side done.
We’ll need to connect the kitchens, but this more than doubles your front space and nearly doubles your back space.
I want to be your silent partner, your silent minority partner.
You will maintain majority rule in the company.
I’m going to provide capital and assistance where you need it to make your café a success.
I think it’s a really good start,” he explains and pauses.
“If that’s alright with you, of course.”
“Really?” I ask because the words coming out of his mouth feel like a dream and not reality.
He nods and rubs his nose against mine. “There is one other small problem.”
I crinkle my nose. “What’s that?”
“I may need to move in with you,” he says, and my eyes widen further.
“I’m sorry, what?”
“I left McDowell’s. Well, I’m creating my own sub-company under the McDowell’s umbrella that partners with smaller cafés and bakeries and you’re my first partnership, I mean, if you accept,” he explains.
“I don’t understand,” I say.
“I forgive you and I’m sorry you saw those texts. I sold my condo to pay for these buildings because I wanted to do this on my own. I’m living upstairs in office space right now and I could really use a nicer place,” he says.
“What? Why would you do that?” I ask, pulling back a little. Everyone else in the room has faded away and right now all I see is Fletcher.
He licks his lips, and I can tell he’s nervous, but am not sure why.
“Because, Camryn Eliza Tanner, I’m in love with you and I want to do this with you, not against you, not competing with you, just…with you, you and me,” he says, pointing between us.
I freeze when he says my middle name. I’ve never told him that.
“How did you…why do you know my middle name?” I whisper.
Somewhere, deep, deep down I start to put pieces of a puzzle together and hope blooms in my chest. What if the two men I’ve adored for months are in fact the same person?
No, that can’t be. That’s crazy. Things like that don’t happen, not in the real world.
Those things happen in fiction, in the romance books across the street.
“Because, my middle name is Maxwell or…Max,” he says with a wink. “Not sure how you didn’t put that together before.”
“No,” I say. How did I not think about that? I do remember seeing his middle named when I stalked him on the internet, but I never imagined he would go by Max on a dating app.
He nods. “Yes.”
“No fucking way,” I state.
“Yes fucking way, Hollywood, or should I say Eliza?” he says with a slight smirk.
“It’s been you this whole time?” I ask.
He nods again. “I might have figured it out the night you told me about where you went on the date,” he admits.
I slap my forehead. “Oh my God! I’ve told you…like, so many personal things.” I lower my voice as I feel a blush creep across my cheeks. “Like really, really personal things.”
He grins. “You have. So you see, we may have just started dating about…” He looks down at his watch. “Six-ish weeks ago, but we’ve been talking for over six months.”
“I can’t believe this is happening,” I whisper.
“What do you say? Drew’s already down with it,” he adds, nodding his head to motion toward the window where Drew is holding up a sign that says, “Say Yes, Beotch.”
I giggle and bite my lip as I consider everything. I’m so overwhelmed.
As if sensing this, Fletcher cups my face in his hands. “You and me, we got this. We make the perfect team, E. Please give us a chance.”
I search his eyes and all I see is my future, our future. We’ll build a life together and it’ll be perfect. It’ll be everything I ever wanted and more.
“OK,” I whisper. “You win.”
He grins against my lips. “I win?”
I nod. “Yeah, are you going to close this deal with a kiss or what?”
He chuckles. “Always,” he whispers back as he presses his lips to mine.