Chapter 86
CHAPTER 86
“ N o, he’s not selling it. It’s not for sale. There’s been a mistake.”
Gemma ran towards the pair, leaving Wilf standing on the pavement.
“Gemma?” Kent’s eyes widened as he turned to look at her. “What are you doing here?”
Gemma’s heart was beating so fast it felt like she had run all the way from Maldon, not just up the path.
“I’m stopping you from making a terrible mistake,” she said. “You can’t sell it. You can’t.”
As Gemma stood there, hearing her pulse pounding against her ribs, Kent took a step towards her. The way his eyes were focused on hers made it feel as if they were the only two people in the entire world.
“Gem, you didn’t need to come here,” Kent said as he took her hands. “I told you I’ll come back, and the coffee shop will be fine. I’m putting things right.”
“No, no, you’re not,” Gemma said, her voice cracking with tears. “You can’t do this. Bringing up a family here is your dream.”
A smile lifted his lips. “It’s hardly a dream if I don’t have the person I want to be my family here with me, is it?”
His hand reached up to cup her cheeks, and at that moment, as Gemma’s eyes fell closed, she wanted nothing more than to disappear alone with him and forget that the last two days had ever happened. But she couldn’t.
“I messed up, Gem,” Kent carried on. “I didn’t tell you about Harrison because I was searching for a way out of it. I was trying to see if there was some other way I could raise the money to do up the house and keep the coffee shop. But there isn’t. And that’s okay. This is just bricks and mortar.”
“So’s the coffee shop,” Gemma said, only for Kent to shake his head.
“No, it’s not. It’s not at all. The coffee shop has a heart. People need it. That’s what matters, Gem.”
She could feel tears dripping down her cheeks and she wasn’t sure why. Why was she crying?
“I don’t want you to give up your dream for me,” she whispered, but rather than replying, Kent leant forward and kissed her gently on the lips.
“You are my dream, you fool.”