18. Chapter Eighteen
Chapter Eighteen
Rafe
Waking up to a family meeting message has become commonplace in the Thomas family, but this time none of us can figure out why Dad sent the urgent text telling us to get our rear ends to Sweet and Salty.
I’m not sure at what age a man gets to tell his parents he doesn’t feel like getting out of bed to tackle some family drama, but evidently, I have not reached it, and neither have any of my elder brothers…
not even the ones who live in different towns.
“I can’t figure out what this is about. They know about Lev and Emma.
Ezra can’t get time off yet. Silas hasn’t proposed yet, and you said it’s not about you,” Beck says when we approach the front door together.
I’m not sure why he and Vivien were at the town house this morning, but then again, I did sleep in, thanks to jet-lag.
They were probably just visiting, but I didn’t get to ask before we got the all-points bulletin that there is a problem to be solved.
“Yeah, it’s weird, but I assume we’ll find out when we, you know, go inside,” Silas says, rolling his eyes as he opens the door for his girlfriend.
Leave it to Mom and Dad to decide these meetings must also extend to our poor significant others.
Except Luna, since she’s dealing with work stuff and I haven’t had a chance to update my parents about our relationship just yet.
Ella heads in with Emma beside her, already chatting. With Ezra and Lorelai still at his new duty station, we’ll be down two anyway.
Vivien and Beck fall into their usual booth seat while the rest of us—the other eight sons, a smattering of girlfriends and wives, Aunt Tress and Uncle Dominic, and our three cousins crowd around the front room.
It’s not just a Thomas meeting. It’s a Thomas/Merry meeting, and that spells something really big.
Rose locks the door behind us, which absolutely cannot be good.
Now that everyone is seated, you could hear a pin drop from the back room. Mom takes a deep breath and glances at Aunt Tress. “I know you’re all wondering why we called this meeting. As of late, it’s been about weddings and the like, but this is about the shop.”
She tucks a strand of her hair behind her ear, a surefire way to know our mother is nervous, perhaps even upset, but for the life of me, I can’t figure out what would bother her enough to call us all together this fine Saturday morning.
It’s only now that I realize the shop is closed on one of the busiest days of the week.
“What’s going on?” Case asks. He seems beat as well, but thanks to his profession as a personal trainer and boxer, he keeps pretty late hours at his gym.
“Probably best to rip off the Band-Aid,” Uncle Dominic says.
Mom licks her lips and presses her hands over her apron. “We’ve decided it’s time to let go of Sweet and Salty. We’re going to put the business up for sale.”
A round of gasps has Mom flinching.
“We know it comes as a shock and seemingly out of nowhere,” Aunt Tress says. “We have put a lot of thought into this, and with most of you out of the house, we’d like to start doing new things.”
“If you need a vacation, I can always take over for the short-term,” Wilder offers.
“Honey, that’s sweet, but you have your hands full as it is getting that warehouse renovated for the restaurant. It’s too much for you, and besides, this is something we’ve been thinking about for a while,” Mom says.
“But…it’s…Sweet and Salty!” Vivien says, holding back tears. Beck squeezes her to his chest, comforting his wife.
It’s a blow, but for the life of me, I can’t help thinking God is playing some kind of trick on me. I try to tell myself there is no such thing as coincidence, that my family deciding to sell their bakery mere days after Luna has a meltdown over the possibility is uncanny. Or maybe it’s not.
Shoot. Now I have to buy a bakery.
“Can I ask what brought this on?” I ask.
Dad shrugs. “We’re sick of cinnamon rolls.”
Everyone laughs, easing the tension in the room.
“In all honesty, I’ve been restless for a while.
Your aunt and uncle mentioned something similar a few months ago, shortly after Christmas, and it feels like time.
I’m positive we can find someone who will carry on the tradition that Coldstone Creek has come to know and love.
” Mom’s voice shakes, indicating that while she might want to do this, it still hurts her.
It’s still hard. It’s letting go of a piece of herself, something that brought our parents together.
This was not part of my plan. In fact, I’m not even sure it’s a good idea, but I made a promise to Luna, however ill-conceived, and I intend to keep it.
Geez…I’m about to buy a stinking bakery because I love my girlfriend too much to see her cry over it being owned by someone else.
Probably a super sweet person who already lives in Coldstone Creek and wouldn’t change a thing about it.
“We don’t take this lightly. Not at all,” Aunt Tress adds.
“And we won’t sell to just anyone. In fact, we’ve had Mr. Glassman write up a purchase contract that will maintain the integrity of the shop, and besides, the Kilmers own this half of shops on Main.
” She shrugs as if that says it all. In many ways, it does.
There is no chance the Kilmers will allow anyone to take over this bakery that doesn’t intend to keep it running as one of Coldstone’s finest establishments.
After some more discussion and tears, most everyone leaves the shop. Beck and Vivien stay behind to have some cinnamon rolls, while Wilder and Griffin, whose personal strife seems to be growing with each passing day, thanks to a frustrating ex-girlfriend, chat in the opposite corner.
Mom and Dad, along with Aunt Tress and Uncle Dominic, head to the back.
Miss Rose arranges items in the display, occasionally wiping her tears.
This place is more than just memories. It’s a lifetime of love and friendship, soft landings and new beginnings, a place where people come together and share good times and bad.
Whether Luna wants this place or not, I can’t let it leave our family. It’s…part of being a Thomas.
“Dad, Mom? Can I talk to you?” I follow them into the rear, ready to state my case, but Dad holds up his hands in defense.
“We know it’ll take some time for you kids to get used to the idea of this place not being a Thomas family establishment, but I promise you—”
“N-no, I think you misunderstand. I want to buy it.” I scratch the back of my neck, so out of my element it’s not even funny.
I might know how to run everything around here, but that doesn’t mean I’d be good at running it full-time in my own name.
It’ll probably crash and burn, but I want this. I need it.
“You what? Rafe, sweetheart, it’s kind of you to want to hang on to this, but you’re a game and app developer.” Mom glances at Dad.
“Yeah, I know, but the thing is, you won’t believe this but…okay, so—”
“Rafe, take a breath and spit it out, kiddo,” Uncle Dominic says with a chuckle.
“Right. While we were in Ireland, Luna had this moment where she was thinking about all of our memories here. One thing led to another, and she had a sobbing breakdown over the very idea that one day, it might go away. That Sweet and Salty will fade out of existence, and I said…here’s where things get crazy…
that I’d buy it for her before I’d let it go to someone else. And so…here we are.”
Mom blinks a few times and glances at Dad. “Uh…well…honey, that’s interesting, but are you two even together again? I’m not sure I understand what is happening right now.”
Dad winces, and this is the moment I realize that my mother had no clue that I wasn’t in Ireland alone. It’s a lot to unpack right now, but since I have nowhere else to be, there’s no reason not to dive in.
“You know the trip I took to Ireland? Well, I wasn’t exactly alone. Luna was in a cottage next door, and we spent the time rekindling what we had. I think. It’s still a little shaky, but I’m almost positive we’re going to be fine.”
Mom’s eyes go wider with each word until finally, she smacks my father’s arm…repeatedly. “Why. Didn’t. You. Tell. Me. That?”
“Because it’s none of our business,” he whimpers and rubs his now sore arm.
She huffs and refocuses her attention on me. “Still, that’s a flimsy reason to want to buy a whole business, Rafe. What if it doesn’t work out with Luna? You’re stuck with a bakery you can’t run.”
I shrug. “Veronica is pulling the heavy lifting on this app at the moment. I have time to figure it out.” My awesome partner, Veronica Reynolds, lives and works in Denver.
The game we’re developing together has been a lot of fun, but I’m glad this portion of it is in her hands.
It gives me a solid month to figure out my life.
My family members look at each other like I’ve grown a lizard tail and they don’t know which one should tell me it’s there. Finally, Dad speaks up. “Can we have a moment?”
I scratch the back of my neck again, nervous. “Sure. I need to go check on the house, anyway. I haven’t been by in a while, so I need to make sure it’s still standing.”
“Okay. I’ll call you in a little while. This isn’t exactly what we planned, so we need to discuss it and see what we can work out,” Dad says.
It’s fair, so I grab my keys and nod on my way out the back door.
“Talk soon,” I say, hoping it doesn’t take them long to discuss it.
I’m not sure what there is to discuss, but since I have some free time, I jump in my car and head over to the house.
I’m sure it needs dusting, and maybe I should think about what I want to do with it if Luna decides she isn’t interested in it anymore.