Chapter 16 #2
Declan nearly laughed at the way Isaac zipped his lips and plopped back down on the edge of the couch while he listened to Grandma stick it to him straight.
And it wasn’t lost on Declan that perhaps Arnie was right—that his being here hadn’t been a coincidence after all. That there was a bigger purpose to it all.
He might have lost his chance to be with Lily, but he’d still be leaving a changed man.
One who did what was right in God’s eyes, even if everyone else called him a fool.
* * *
Her parents’ kitchen wasn’t as spacious as the fudge shop, but it would have to do.
With hands on her hips, Lily surveyed her working space.
Mom’s ice cream maker—which had appeared two nights ago on her doorstep, with a note from Declan that Lily had yet to open—took up nearly one third of the small kitchen island, and her ingredients, bowls, and kitchen tools crowded out the other two.
She flicked open the curtains on the kitchen window to find a bright Saturday morning shining its hope straight into her soul. A breeze rustled the treetops of the tall oaks in Mom and Dad’s backyard, and Lily smiled as she pulled her hair into a ponytail.
Yep. Her heart might still be sore, and there would be hard days ahead, but she had everything she needed right here.
“Morning.” Mom stepped through the front door dressed in her jogging pants and sweatshirt, a baseball cap pulled low over her head. Her cheeks were wind-chapped and red.
“Hi. Did you have a nice walk with Elise?”
“We did.” Mom tugged off her cap and smoothed down a few flyaways.
“She told me all about her cruise, and then she talked non-stop about Finn and Maggie, and I told her how much I wish Cody and Mia would hurry up and get married so I’d have grandkids.
” Mom froze and blinked at Lily. “Goodness, I’m sorry, honey. That was really insensitive of me.”
“It’s okay, Mom.” Lily grabbed her mixing bowl and started to measure milk into it. “If I can’t have my happy ending, then I’m glad someone else gets theirs. And I also can’t wait to be an auntie. Those kids are awesome.”
“They are that.” Mom approached and kissed Lily’s head, then she turned and tapped the yellow envelope held on the fridge with a years-old Hart Fishing Company magnet. “Have you read it yet?”
“No.”
“Why not?”
Shrugging, Lily measured out the sugar. “I don’t know.”
“Okay.” Mom grabbed a water bottle from the fridge, cracking it open and taking a drink. “But you know, maybe it’s an apology.”
“And maybe it’s a goodbye. Maybe it’s a lot of things.” Lily set the measuring cup down, sighing. “It’s dumb, I know, but opening that letter feels like an ending.”
“Or maybe it’s a new beginning.” Mom looked at Lily’s setup. “Speaking of, I’m so glad you’ve decided to try your hand at an ice cream company. You’ve gotten so many compliments on your flavors, I’m sure you’ll have lots of business in no time.”
She’d gotten the idea when the ice cream maker had appeared. If she couldn’t do fudge, then this just made sense. At least, for now. “I’m not sure it’ll be a success.”
“But remember…”
“I know. Success is subjective.”
“Exactly. And you are more than welcome to live here with me and Dad for as long as you need to while you get things going.”
“I’m going to pay rent.”
Mom waved her off. “Once you’re making an income, sure. But for now, just enjoy the process and don’t worry about the business part. Start small. Oh! Speaking of that, I told Elise what you were doing and she wants to hire you to cater an ice cream social at ladies’ Bible study next week.”
“Really?”
“Yes! You can text her for the details, but I thought it would be a perfect first gig for you.” Mom winked. “Although, really it’s more like a third gig after that wedding and the festival.”
“True.”
“I’m proud of you, you know. Pivoting like this. I know it isn’t fudge…”
“It’s actually okay. Fudge is in my blood, and it always will be. But I really like the ice cream too. It’s like a mini therapy session every time I make a new batch.” Lily grinned. “And I have a feeling I’ll need lots of therapy over the next little while.”
Mom opened her mouth to reply, but Lily’s phone started blaring.
Lily glanced at the screen and froze. Why was Declan calling her?
“Aren’t you going to answer that?”
“Um. I’m not sure.” Lily blinked at the phone, hands itching at her sides. By the time she finally stirred the courage to reach for the phone, the light blinked off. The music ended. Silence.
She took a breath, watched for a voicemail to pop up, but it didn’t. Instead a text message came through.
Declan
Are you coming?
“Coming where?” she murmured. She lifted the phone and replied with three question marks.
Declan
Did you read the note I left?
Lily swallowed.
Mom watched her. “Well?”
“He wants me to read the note.”
“Ah.” Mom took her water and gave Lily a hip bump. “I’ll support whatever you do. But maybe it would be good to hear him out. Don’t run this time. Face it head-on.”
“That’s kind of frightening.”
“All the hard things are. But often, they have the highest rewards too.” Then Mom left the room.
Lily stared at the envelope on the fridge door, her name written in Declan’s clean, crisp block letters. Then she strode forward, snatched it off, and opened it.
Lily,
I know I hurt you. Please give me a chance to make it right.
I’m hoping you’ll meet me on Saturday at nine in the morning, at the fudge shop.
Yours,
Declan
She clutched the letter to her chest. Somehow, despite the professional tone of the letter, this man still made her feel . Lily didn’t even think more about it. She had to go.
If she didn’t, she might just regret it forever.
She ran to her room, tugged on her favorite pair of leather leggings and a flowing tank top she tied at the bottom corner. Tossing on some lip gloss, she headed out the door and toward her bike.
A chill hung in the air, fog over the harbor as she rolled past the Grand Hotel and the Center for the Arts.
Ahead of her, Martha’s on Main already had a line waiting on the sidewalk, and Main Street itself had lots of foot traffic even though many of the shops wouldn’t open for another hour.
Lily might not have a shop anymore, but it was still thrilling to see her hometown coming back to life.
She approached the old Hart fudge shop—which she’d successfully avoided all week. She expected to see the Kelley name already plastered across the door and sign.
Instead, there hung a simple hand-painted white and yellow wooden sign with purple lettering. Squinting, Lily parked her bike on the porch and read it.
The Fudge Shop on the Corner.
She blinked at it. That was the name she’d created for her fudge shop. The one in her very simple, pitiful business proposal.
What was that all about? It seemed a bit cruel, but maybe Declan was trying to pay her some sort of homage?
A flash of white filled the window—and there he was, on the other side, staring at her.
An ache hit her chest. He looked as handsome as ever with his plain T-shirt, jeans. He even wore a bomber jacket.
Huh. Mr. Top Gun.
Declan opened the front door, where the sign was still flipped to Closed. “Hey.”
“Hey,” she croaked out.
“Thanks for coming.”
She couldn’t think of a response, so just moved through the space in the doorway he’d created. He closed it behind them, locking the door and facing her again. “Do you mind joining me in the kitchen?”
“I guess not.” Lily clutched her small cross-body purse to her side as she followed him through the newly painted door—it was now the same yellow color as the sign.
Wait. Hadn’t she proposed using that color in her business plan?
As Lily entered the kitchen, she gasped.
There was no longer any evidence of damage.
Every surface sparkled and gleamed—even the brand new, high-end stove, yellow cabinets, and stainless steel prep stations.
The only thing that remained of the old kitchen were the marble tables that had been used for generations by her family to make fudge.
“Wow.” She ran her fingers over a table’s cool surface.
“How did you get this all done so quickly?” It was no secret that renovation projects on Jonathon Island could be difficult, what with getting materials over on the ferry and finding contractors ever since Joe Barrett’s construction company no longer serviced the island.
Declan grabbed a file folder from one of the marble tables. “Liam hooked me up. He had some workers and materials that could be spared for a few days since some other project on the hotel was running behind. He also had some contacts to get the insurance adjustor out here in a matter of days.”
“That’s impressive.” What would it be like to create in this kitchen? It felt invigorating just being here, pulsing with the nostalgia of tradition mixed with the freshness of the new. “And the sign?”
“Mia painted it for me.”
“But…the name.”
“Oh yeah.” He scratched behind his ear. “I may have gotten a peek at your business plan a few weeks ago when you left it lying on the desk in our shared office.”
Shared…just like it never would be again.
“Oh. Okay.” Lily forced a smile. “Um, well, congrats. Everything looks great. Guess you can open up Monday, then. Unless you’re leaving?” He’d mentioned once that he might hire his cousin Olive to run the shop when he left for Chicago, but that had been before…
Now she had no clue what his plans were.
“I am planning to leave, yes.” He looked away, seemed to straighten as he blew out a breath. Then he faced her again. “But before I go, I wanted to say how sorry I am.”
“For what?”
He huffed. “For a lot of things. But mostly that I didn’t listen to you. That I didn’t see things from your perspective. That I chose my family over you—again.”
Now it was her turn to glance away, staring at the yellow and brown swirls in the granite countertop beside the sink.