Chapter 37
PARKER
What a day.
Everything that could have gone wrong on the job did.
The only bright spot was being able to see Delaney for dinner, but she’d been called into work.
We agreed to meet at O’Malley’s when she got off, so in the meantime I made myself useful around the inn, which was where I noticed a crack in one of the bathroom walls on the inn side of the building.
Hoping it didn’t lead to bigger issues, I inspected it with a putty knife to see if it was just superficial.
Unfortunately, it didn’t seem to be. My guess was moisture infiltration, which wasn’t going to make Mason very happy.
By the time I’d taken a shower and headed down the street, I was tired and starving.
Wishing Delaney wasn’t working until nine, I almost headed to the pharmacy instead, but having skipped lunch, I probably wouldn’t be the best of company.
Instead, I headed inside, surprised by how busy it was for a Thursday.
“Hey, cranky pants.”
Not in the mood for Beck’s antics, I sat down. “I didn’t say a word.”
“You have that look about you.”
“Beck, can I talk to you for a second?”
“Hi, Mr. O’Malley,” I said to Beck’s boss. He was a big guy who often said he spent too many years eating wings and not enough eating celery instead.
“Sure.” Beck slid me a beer and headed to the side of the bar. Watching Mr. O’Malley, I wondered what they could be talking about. He didn’t usually work late, the owner and his wife typically leaving late shifts to Beck and the bar’s other manager.
“What’s wrong?” Beck looked like he was ready to murder someone when he came back. “Beck?”
“Nothing.”
“Now who’s the cranky pants?” I said, throwing the ridiculous moniker back at him. “What?” I asked again.
“He asked if I minded working with Mae’s French fiancé when they come in. Apparently he’s a chef and is going to help elevate the menu. Whatever the fuck that means.”
Oh, shit. “Better buckle up, buttercup. It’s gonna be hard to avoid either of them.”
“Tell me about it. Elevate the menu. We’re a fucking Irish pub on the corner of one of the smallest towns on Keuka Lake. Is he serious?”
“Keep it down,” I warned him as Beck headed over to a customer. “He’s still at the bar.”
Mr. O’Malley was talking to one of the customers.
Beck, as usual, didn’t understand the word “caution” though.
It was unusual for Beck to talk poorly of his boss who he generally liked, having grown up next door to him.
But everything about Mae twisted Beck into knots; not that I could judge.
When Delaney and I had been on the outs, I couldn’t think straight.
“I thought you talked to Mae all the time,” I asked Beck when he came back. “Didn’t she tell you about this?”
“She might have mentioned meeting him ‘in the industry’ or something. I mostly change the subject when she talks about him.”
I wanted to ask if she was coming back for good or if it was a temporary thing. But changing the subject seemed prudent so I ordered a dozen wings. Just as I was finishing them up, a pair of hands covered my eyes from behind.
“Guess who?”
It was as if every shitty thing from the day melted away. Her voice soothed my soul.
“Is it a perky redheaded pharmacist?”
“Unfortunately, yes.”
I grabbed her hands and spun around on the stool. “Hey. What’s that supposed to mean?”
In response, Delaney kissed me and then said, “Crappy day at work.”
“That must be going around.”
We stared at each other. I knew where she stood with the studio. Despite the fact that everything seemed to be coming together, the idea of pulling the trigger still terrified her. Actually saying the words aloud. Telling her parents. Telling her boss. Committing to moving forward.
But I had a plan.
“I was going to wait until we were alone,” I said, pulling Delaney toward me so she stood between my legs. “But I’ve been thinking about it all day.”
“The usual?” Beck asked Delaney from behind me.
“Yes, please.”
I never took my eyes from her. Hair up in a pony, her cheeks flushed red from the cold still, she looked adorable. And tired.
“Thinking about what?”
It was a huge step. Agreeing to be exclusive was one thing. Saying “I love you” another. But this… it was a risk to ask. Just thinking about that night in Manhattan and the drive back to Cedar Falls, not knowing where we stood exactly, told me all I needed to know.
I loved her. Wanted to be with her. End of story.
“I know you’ll need room for storage and a workshop, in addition to the front room for classes, but there’s an upstairs to the wine bar building too.
If I had a room that could be turned into an office, a home base for the construction company, we could split the rent.
It’ll be less of a risk for you, especially as you build the business. ”
I managed to shock her. If it was in a good way, or a bad way, I couldn’t quite tell.
“Are you serious?”
“Very. I talked to Mason about it, and he agrees I’ll need a space. At first we talked about using a spare room at the inn, but that would be temporary anyway. This is a more permanent solution.”
“There are two back rooms on the ground floor. You could take the bigger one. I’d use the other as a workshop and upstairs for storage. Of course”—Delaney talked quickly, her hands animated—“you would only be taking one room, so you would only pay a portion of the lease.”
“No.”
“No?”
“Half or nothing.”
Delaney cocked her head to the side. “Now why would you pay half if you only took one room?”
“Because according to my new stepmother”—the word was getting easier to say, but still grated—“I’m a prime candidate for the size loan I need.
With one job, I’d be set for six months.
The profit margins with log cabin homes are insane.
It will all work out. I know it. Paying half of the lease will be a drop in the bucket. ”
A band started playing at the other end of the bar, exactly why I’d planned to wait until later to ask her. But I hadn’t been able to help it.
“You’d be seeing a lot of me.”
“Another good reason to do it.”
“You’re serious?” she asked, smiling from ear to ear. I loved seeing Delaney so happy.
“One hundred percent.”
“Then I am 100 percent in.”
Grabbing her, I pulled Delaney into me, kissing her. Holding her. Forgetting that we weren’t alone until Beck yelled to us, “Get a room, you two.”
Delaney immediately pulled back, laughing. We spun around, and I patted the stool next to me. She sat and pulled her vodka soda toward her.
“Are Mason and Pia coming tonight?” I asked Beck, not having talked to him.
“I’m not sure.”
“I haven’t talked to her,” Delaney said.
Pulling out my phone, I texted him. Two letters.
OM.
I wasn’t at all surprised when the two of them walked in a half hour later.
“Were you guys coming anyway?” I asked as Mason greeted us. Pia had made a beeline to the bathroom, something she seemed to do a lot of these days. As a matter of fact…
“Nope. What’s up?”
“We’re celebrating. Round of shots,” I said to Beck.
“What are we celebrating?” Mason asked.
Delaney and I exchanged a glance. We were celebrating a lot. The two of us finding each other, getting over our mutual fear of commitment. Her father making a full recovery. But this drink, this particular celebration, was for our futures as business owners.
Her eyes sparkled with excitement. “Go ahead,” I told her. “Say it out loud.”
Mason and Beck watched. Waited. Delaney looked for Pia, who was still gone. “I’ll tell her when she gets back. So, Parker and I are co-leasing the old wine bar building on Mechanic Street. He’s using it as an office for his new construction company and I’m…”
She took a deep breath. Looked at me.
I nodded.
“I’m leaving the pharmacy business behind to open an art studio.”
Her eyes shone with tears. It was as scary as it was exciting. I knew the feeling all too well. But Delaney’s talent and diligence would make her successful. She had everything to gain, and I couldn’t wait to see what she did with the place. To share in her journey.
“Holy shit,” Mason said. “Cheers to that.”
“Congratulations,” Beck said as he cheered and took a shot with us.
“I can’t believe I just said that.” Delaney did appear to be in a bit of shock.
“Said what?” Pia asked.
As she told Pia what was happening, Beck put his hands on the bar as he and Mason both looked at me.
“What?”
“Another one down,” Beck said. “This is why we said to never stay the night.”
“It was a good rule.” I shrugged. “Looks like it’s up to you and Cole now to keep the pact alive.”
“That we can do. With Mae being engaged, looks like we didn’t need rule number three.” Beck tried to keep his voice light, but I knew better.
“At least we can count on the two of you,” Mason said. “I saw you eying up that pretty blonde, but am fairly certain she isn’t long-term material.”
I glanced down the bar to the woman in question. She was, unsurprisingly, staring at Beck. “Being that she’s barely legal?”
“Hey,” Beck said. “She’s twenty-two.”
“You guessing or did you card her?” Mason asked.
Beck smiled. “What do you think?”
He would never change. No worries about him breaking a rule. Or Cole either, for that matter. I was almost nervous to tell him about the studio. He’d be happy for me, but there was a part of Cole that wanted all of us to really stay single with him, forever.
“I think you are a man-whore and will never change,” I said, to which Mason barked out a laugh. It was true enough, though, and both of them knew it.
More importantly…
I turned to Delaney. “Hey there, cupcake. Can I get you another drink?”
She leaned toward me, whispering into my ear. “You can get me, or do to me, anything you’d like.”
Just like that, the student became the teacher.