41. Chloe
forty-one
Iknow what he”s doing, and it’s not that I don’t like it. I do. But if he thinks I need reassurance, doesn’t that mean there’s something to reassure me about?
Am I overthinking this?
I’m totally overthinking this.
I focus back on the meeting.
“Understated chic, with natural elements pulled in,” Autumn is saying while Lucas jots down measurements and Thalia examines details, takes photos, and writes notes.
I chime in, “Our target market is people coming in for a special occasion—an anniversary, a first date, a proposal—”
Thalia points to a table. “Lucas did an almost proposal to me right here.”
“An almost proposal?” Autumn asks.
“Long story,” Thalia says, looking lovingly at Lucas. “Anyway, I can’t tell you how happy I am to be working on this project. It’s perfect timing for us. We’re in between projects at the resort with a lot of time on our hands.” She climbs on a stepladder Lucas brought with them. “You know, ever since we had dinner here months ago, I’ve been thinking how gorgeous this place could be with maybe very little work.” She pushes a ceiling tile in and gets on her toes to take a peek, her head disappearing in the ceiling. “Honey,” she says excitedly to Lucas, her voice muffled. “Come here. I knew it.”
“This looks good,” I say to Autumn.
“These two are on fire. I can’t wait to see what they come up with.”
Thalia gets off the stepladder and starts drawing. Lucas climbs up, peeks over the ceiling, then sits next to her and starts adding numbers on his phone.
I call Millie to order some Chills, Easy Monday’s version of a Frappuccino. “Dazzle us,” I say when she asks what we want. “There’s a bunch of us. Autumn, Lucas, and Thalia are here, Alex is coming any minute, which means Grace will probably pop in, and then of course there’s my team.” Somehow Haley also made it to the restaurant. “Just throw in a couple more, will ya?”
A half-hour later, Millie delivers the drinks herself, Alex enters bearing quiches made by her baker boyfriend, and as I suspected, Grace follows in her footsteps.
Thalia is scraping the wall paint with her fingernail, and tapping the floor with her foot, taking pictures and more measurements.
“How soon can you start?” Scott approved the financing for the dining room renovation this morning. Compared to the price of the restaurant, it’s not a big expense, and he had authority to do that. I want to get on it asap.
Thalia glances at Lucas. “We could start demo tomorrow…”
Excitement courses through my veins at the idea of getting started so soon. “Tomorrow we have a private event I’d hate to cancel. They booked a while ago. And Saturday, we already have a lot of reservations.”
Thalia thumbs through her phone. “Monday?”
“Monday is great. How long do you think it’ll be until we can reopen?” I glance at Shoshana, who’s already behind her station, no doubt going through our upcoming reservations.
“If we work around the clock, we should be able to complete the project by the end of the week.” She glances at Justin with a smile. “Provided your immediate neighbors don’t mind the noise going until late at night. Honestly, the place doesn’t need the structural changes that tend to lead to surprises and delays. We’re looking at creating a wow factor. Demo will be done by midday Monday—I’ll order a dumpster right away. Believe it or not, that’s often the hardest thing to line up around here,” she grumbles. “We could use the extra day to get things organized.” Then she holds up her sketchbook, her eyes darting between Autumn and me. “What do you think?”
I leave the warmth of Justin’s arm around my waist to pull up a chair next to Thalia. Her drawings show exquisite natural elements—tree bark, birch branches, antlers—mixed with subtle copper accents and plaid details. The walls are natural stone, with barn wood incorporated.
“I know where to get those,” Autumn says, pointing at some elements on the sketch pad.
“It’s just a direction for now,” Thalia says. “But what do you think?”
“I love it. I just want to make sure it’s not too stuffy.”
“It won’t be. It’ll be more on the dreamy side,” Autumn says. “We could add fairy lights to the birch.”
“I can have a team of painters and tilers lined up for next week, no problem,” Lucas confirms. “I’m gonna head out and make some calls” he adds, grabbing a Chill. “Thanks for the drink!” he tells me while he leans over to give Thalia a kiss.
“Of course! Thank you for coming by so quickly.”
Justin kisses my temple tenderly. “Same, babe. Gotta run. You okay?”
“Course. Go!”
He lingers. “Your place is going to look awesome,” he whispers in my ear. “You look awesome.” He squeezes my waist. “I love you.”
Our eyes meet. “Love you too,” I whisper back.
I catch Haley looking at us dreamily, and focus my attention on Alex, who’s taking photos of Thalia’s sketches. “Just for a making of,” she mumbles.
“I have everything I need,” Thalia says after a few more minutes, pocketing her sketch pad. “I’ll be in touch with an estimate tonight or first thing tomorrow. And more defined sketches.”
Once she’s gone, Alex turns to me. “Ohmygod, that’s going to look fab!”
I hope fab is in my budget. I’m about to catch up with Thalia, make sure she doesn’t get too carried away, when Gisele struts into the dining room, conversations instantly dying at her arrival.
I bet she gets that a lot.
I step next to her. “Everyone, this is Gisele. Gisele is—”
“Justin’s baby mama,” she interrupts me.
I register the shock on my friends’ faces. I take a beat, then pick back up. “Right. Gisele, this is Justin’s sister Haley,” I say, pointing to a tight-lipped, narrowed-eyed Haley; “Grace,” with her mouth agape; “Alex,” her eyes to Gisele’s belly; “Kiara,” her eyes narrowed on me; “Shoshana, Abby, and Corine,” all three wide-eyed at me. “And finally, this is Millie, who makes the best coffee in town.” Millie is squinting, her gaze darting between the two of us.
You could hear a pin drop.
“It’s cool, guys,” I say as I motion with my hands for them to get unfrozen and say some welcome words to Gisele.
They all wave, there are a few, “Welcome to Emerald Creek,” then Grace stands to let Gisele sit down.
Gisele stays put. “Um, I was just looking for Justin,” she says to no one in particular.
“He’s—he’s not here. Did you try the pub?”
She rolls her eyes and finally looks at me. “Um. Yeah?”
“Kay, well did you try calling him?”
She huffs. “This is useless,” she says and leaves.
I pull my phone out.
Me
Gisele is looking for you
Justin
What does she want
I don’t know.
Why doesn’t she call me
You ask her.
Oh shit
What
I think I blocked her. Laughing emoji>
This isn’t funny. She’s the mother of your child.
You’re telling me
Love you
Love you more
“What was that?” Haley asks.
I pocket my phone. “Sorry, didn’t have time to warn you. She got here this morning.”
“But what was that,” Haley repeats.
I look to where Gisele walked out. “I don’t know what to tell you, sweetheart. It’s—what you see is what you get. She claims she’s having Justin’s baby, Justin isn’t saying it’s not possible, so they’re doing a paternity test, and in the meantime, we’re going with the assumption it’s his just so that we don’t burn bridges. And we’re all going to work like mature adults to give this child a fantastic life surrounded by loving, mature adults.”
“Wow,” Grace says. “You seem really cool with all that.”
Not cool. Not cool at all. But I don’t have a choice. “Justin is going to need me. I can’t let him down now. I hope you guys see that. We need to make Gisele feel welcome here, so they can co-parent in the best way possible for their child.”
There are some muffled wows, a man, and one respect.
Haley mutters, “I don’t buy it. He’s not the father. She’s not his style.”
Kiara turns to her. “Honey, did you look at her? She’s everybody’s style. Guy like Justin who didn’t want to commit, he still had needs. We all know he just got them taken care of out of town, and he was out of town a lot. She’s all tits and ass and legs and her hair is fabulous. I know you’re his sister, but even you must know the guy is sex on wheels. Of course they did it.” Then she turns to me. “No offense, boss girl.”
I feel like I’m dying inside. “None taken.”
To further soften her blow, she explains, “Sex is only sex. Makes babies. Doesn’t make a man happy more’n few minutes. You make Justin deeply happy. You’re at another level. He’s in love with you, boss girl.”
“I know,” I whisper back. Still, it’s hard.
“You got nothing to worry about.”
“I know,” I whisper again.
“He’s yours.”
“I know.”
“Now, can we talk about the dessert menu?”
“Yes,” I whisper even softer. “Thank you.”
“Good.” She shows me pictures with descriptions and pricing while I nod absentmindedly, replaying in my head what just happened. Am I going to be able to follow through on what I said? Can I even be the mature adult I’m talking about? It might be partially a Fake it ’til you make it situation.
“Each delivery, I’ll bring extra for your servers so they know what they’re selling,” Kiara says.
I nod. Okay, Chloe, back in the game. “Appreciate that.”
“Make sure they sell.”
“Yup, none of that ready for the bill? business.” I’ve already trained my staff to upsell, and as if on cue, Abby comes up to us, plops her fist on her hip with an attitude directed at Kiara, and says, “For dessert, we have our three-tiered chocolate cake, which is to die for (rolls eyes), comes with a side of homemade whipped cream. Or a traditional apple pie with apples from the Chandler’s orchard, a flaky crust, touch of cinnamon, served a la mode with ice cream made at King’s Farm with milk from their Jersey cows. Our pastry chef also made her pear and ginger souffle served lukewarm with a cardamom custard cream. You will not believe your taste buds if you order this one. She’s won an award in France with that souffle. So what will it be? My favorite is the chocolate cake, but I’m always partial to chocolate. Yesterday we almost had a riot when we ran out of the pie. I can also ask the kitchen to do a sampling plate for you, if you think you’re full, but honestly, I know you’re going to want to go for more. So, what will it be?” she finishes by mimicking taking out her waiter’s pad.
I laugh and clap at Abby’s spiel. “You go, girl, that’s the spirit. Don’t give them an option not to have dessert.”
“Holy cow, Abby! I didn’t know I’d won an award,” Kiara says, visibly pleased as well.
Abby flips her hair. “That was just filler text, obviously. I’ll need a full prompt.”
“Will do.” Kiara says. “We’ll go over those when we do the tastings each week.”
Later that day, showered and dressed for evening service, I take a look at our guest list for the evening. “Lynn and Craig are coming?” I ask Shoshana.
She nods. “They’re pass holders.”
I missed that. Too much has happened, with Gisele, the meeting at the bank this morning which got the ball rolling on the renos—not to mention Samuel giving me weird vibes—I haven’t taken a moment to go over the list and know who in the community has been my primary supporters. “Thanks for pointing that out,” I tell Shoshana. “Table eleven, good call too. Great. Thank you. Their drinks will be on the house.”
“Of course,” Shoshana says, making a note on their reservation.
“They’re coming late, second service. Good.” That means I’ll be less rushed. I’ll have time to chat and apologize for missing dinner at their home the other night.
Lynn is the opposite of Mom. She hugs the staff (she knows them, of course) and makes everyone feel comfortable. She’s smiling and laughing at Craig’s jokes and clearly having an awesome time overall, her good vibes radiating through the entire restaurant.
Lynn and Craig are also obviously very-well respected in the community. People stop to say hello and talk with them. Their presence, I understand immediately, is a stamp of approval for the restaurant, and that is going to be another huge help in our midweek traffic.
Alex came in, took pictures of the dishes, of some patrons who waved at her, and tag notifications are starting to flow on my phone. I’ll respond later. Lynn and Craig are wrapping up their dinner. I want to go and thank them properly.
“This was lovely, darlin’,” Craig tells me, and it hits me how his use of the moniker is entirely genuine, the opposite of when Mom calls me dahling. “Gave me a reason to take my wife out. Can’t pass on an excuse to save money and make Lynn happy. Double win.” He smiles at me and taps my forearm. “Well done, Chloe. Very proud of our son’s girlfriend. He did good.”
He winks at me and stands. “Ladies, if you’ll excuse me, I’m going to go have a nightcap at my son’s establishment.” He leans toward me and stage whispers, “I hear he got himself into a situation and needs emotional support. That boy always had to do and have more’n the others.”
Lynn rolls her eyes at her husband’s last remark and taps the place left vacant in front of her. “Sit for a moment?” The dining room is empty, save for the two ladies who were at Easy Monday the other morning. We chatted briefly earlier, and it warmed my heart at how happy they were to be here. They’re sitting at the opposite side of the dining room, out of earshot.
“Ah,” I sigh. “It’s good to be off my feet. How was dinner?” I lean in and add, “Honestly.”
“It was perfect, honey. Honestly.” She gives me a warm smile, but her gaze seems to be evaluating me.
“Thank you,” I say, returning her smile. “You’re not staying to give me feedback about the food, are you?” Shoshana brings me a glass of water and I thank her.
“No,” Lynn says once she’s gone. “I’m here about… what’s happening with Justin and…”
“Gisele.”
“Right. Gisele.” She sighs. “How are you holding up? Honestly.”
“Honestly? I don’t know. It’s so new, I feel I still need to process it. I… I freaked out at the beginning. But I…” I look at her tentatively, “I love Justin. I’m in love with him, and I want to be here for him all the way.” Her face softens at my confession. “In any way I can. I don’t know what that’s going to look like, but I’m guessing, new parents figure stuff out as it happens. I mean, man plans and god laughs, right? I’m thinking, stepparents should just figure it out as it happens too.”
I take a sip of water. “But I’m happy to take advice.” I give her a small smile. Do I even know how she feels about me? Are they traditional, and do they think Justin should marry Gisele? Ohmygod, is that why they came, to talk me into doing the right thing and retreating into the shadows? And what will I do if that’s what they think is right for Justin?
“I feel exactly the way you do. I want to meet this… Gisele myself before I pass judgment, but let me tell you, Haley gave a full-blown account of her this evening right as we were getting ready to come, and she is. Not. A. Fan.” Lynn raises her eyebrows, tilts her chin, and takes a sip of wine. “Now of course, you’re as good as a King to us. You’re Justin’s girlfriend, and you need to know—this means the world to us.” She reaches for my hand. “You’re like a second daughter for me, Chloe, and I want to get to know you as well as I know my own if I’m going to love you as my own, which I already do. So first order of business is, we schedule time alone, just you and me, and Haley sometimes, to do stuff together. Second order of business is, if anything is wrong and you need to talk to someone, a shoulder to cry on, you come to Mom,” she says, pointing her finger at her chest.
My eyes well up. Mom?
She continues. “Things you need to know about Justin. He’s loyal to a fault. Competitive like you wouldn’t believe it. And he has more willpower than anyone I know.”
“I’ve seen all this in one form or another.”
“I know you have. That’s why you love him.” She pauses, looking for her words. “The thing you need to understand, these qualities are also his flaws. What put him in the impossible situations he finds himself in.”
She takes another break, her mind going somewhere dark. “The accident changed the course of his life entirely. But it didn’t break him. It made him a better version of him. He used to be so competitive with Ethan, and he never stood a chance. Ethan was a natural at sports, and three years older than him. Didn’t matter. Justin always wanted to be better than him. Jump from a higher rock in the river. Pitch faster. Run faster. I watched him fail miserably for eighteen years. And then after the accident, Ethan was gone, and I watched Justin compete against himself and become…what he is now. And I’m so proud of him.”
The last clients are gone, and Shoshana is folding napkins at her station, too far to hear us.
“I asked Justin to bring Gisele to the farm once the paternity test clears,” Lynn says. My heart clenches. This is what my life is going to be now. “I wanted you to know that, and I also wanted to tell you, sweetheart, when that happens, I want you there too. When Justin is ready for us to meet her, you should be by his side. You are Justin’s love. No one else.”
My eyes well up, and I’m the one reaching for her hand now. “Thank you,” I whisper.
“This is going to be hard. I need you to be strong for our son. Can you be that?”
“Of course,” I assure her, praying I’ll eventually become that person Justin needs.
“And always remember, you’re feeling blue, you’re feeling like it’s too much, you need someone to talk to, you come to me.”
That night, I call Justin on my way out. “I’m going to be working on my business plan tonight,” I tell him. “I don’t want to delay sending it, and I just don’t know when I’ll have time during the day. D’you want to sleep over at the cottage or…?” I have most of my notes at the cottage, and I prefer working from my laptop than on Uncle Kevin’s antiquated computer.
Justin’s silence on the phone, however short it is, eats at me. “I—I’m leaving early for Burlington tomorrow. Maybe it’s best I stay here. If you’re going to be pulling another all-nighter?”
Part of me feels like I’m falling inside. “I’m sorry, baby. I have to.”
His response comes immediately this time. “I know. Don’t be sorry. I’m proud of you. We’ll get through this. Together.”
“Kay.” I hang up before my voice betrays me and he knows I’m holding back tears.
I spend the night working on the business plan and send it in the morning. Then I catch some sleep right around the time when I suppose Justin is hitting the road with Gisele.
It hurts, and I know my insecurities are to blame.
I also know it’s just the beginning.