37. Poppy
Poppy
“ I ’ll get that paid next week,” I assure the secretary of Bates Construction.
“This should be enough to tide them over until your next due date. But, dear, that one will surely need to be paid in full.”
She’s a kind woman, but I don’t miss the certainty in her tone. I have one month until this all closes in on me. My hand pulls at my lip as she reviews the amount due. The hollowness in my chest manages to bottom out even further as she rattles off numbers.
“Understood, thank you again,” I tell her, ending the call.
I flip the sign on my door to ‘closed’ as a heavy sigh escapes me. It won’t be long until I will have to keep it turned this way permanently.
I spent every spare moment today looking through my finances.
At the rate it will take to pay off my past due renovation bills, I would have to be working three times harder than I currently am.
Or, at least I have to bring in three times the profit.
Maybe if I had someone else to keep it opened for longer hours, seven days a week.
Or if I had time to seek out more standing orders like I have with Café Around the Corner.
A single tear slips down my cheek as I lean against the door and take in the space.
I wish my grandmother was here to see that I accomplished our dream, even if it was short lived.
She’d be so proud, gently patting her hands together, not quiet in a clap—like she used to do when excited.
And the way the corner of her eyes would crinkle when she smiled at me, what I wouldn’t give to see that look right now.
I’d love to ask her for advice too. She would have guidance on how to handle this whole situation.
But I don’t have Nana Annette. And soon I won’t have this bakery. What could I even do after this? Maybe Wren can get me hired as the pastry chef at the inn. I would get free reign on the menu there, I assume.
My heart doesn’t lift at the idea because free reign on the menu or not, it still won’t be mine .
Taking my apron off, I wipe a finger across my cheek and catch the second tear that escapes. I feel stupid, thinking the hardest part was over once I opened this place. I worked so hard, for so long. I dedicated all my energy to save up and land this building.
Hayden should have kept it for himself, now neither of us get it.
A gentle rap sounds on the glass behind my head. Spinning, I find Hayden standing on the other side of the door. “I thought I was coming to your house for dinner,” I say as I open it for him.
“Hey, come here.” He tucks a large envelope under his arm and pulls me towards him. With concern etched on his face, he swipes at my tears.
“I’m fine,” I whisper, dipping my head. He doesn’t allow my face to drop though, catching my chin with his finger and lifting it back up to him.
“Talk to me.”
He leads me over to the counter and sets me up on it. There’s a softness to his touch as he cups my face. And maybe if I keep staring into his deep blue eyes, my worries will wash away.
“Poppy?” he prompts again.
“Any news on the papers Tara served me?” I ask instead.
A small smile catches the corner of his lip, it’s tender, and I want to bottle up the feeling it stirs in me. “Everything is handled, a done deal.”
“Just like that?” It seems too simple.
“Her lawyers don’t come close to mine.” The confidence in his tone stirs something in me too. “She’s used to crushing small businesses with no connections, so as soon as Walters showed up on the scene—she folded.”
Despite everything else overwhelming me today, the idea of Tara realizing she’s not the big dog is gratifying. “She assumed I wouldn’t want to pull your company into things, she was banking on my pride being my downfall.”
He drops a light kiss to the tip of my nose. “Good thing she didn’t take the time to get to know you at all. It’s your stubbornness she should have capitalized on.”
A snort escapes me.
“Speaking of that stubbornness… how long are you going to make me wait to find out why you were crying?”
My hands rest on his chest, and I curl one finger to trace the air sea logo over his heart.
I can feel him watching me, waiting. With a sigh, I admit, “I talked to the construction company. I was trying to see about extending my payment plan. But I’m already behind, and I’ve gone over all my numbers again and again.
There is no way I can make it be enough. ”
“Then I have great timing,” he says, reaching for the envelope he tucked under his arm. I had forgotten it was there.
“What is this?”
“Just hear me out, baby,” he murmurs.
I open it and slide a stack of papers out. My eyes scan the first paragraph before snapping back up to Hayden in shock. “What is this?” I repeat.
“Consider it that IOU we discussed at the start of all this. I’d like to cash it in.”
“Hayden, this isn’t an IOU. It’s a contract.
And you’d better start explaining,” I demand, jumping down off the counter and pressing the papers against his chest. He smiles calmly back at me and takes the contract from my hand.
Setting it aside, he wraps his arms around my waist and leans in to kiss my forehead.
His lips linger, as if trying to store the moment away for later.
“Okay.” Hayden nods as he slowly pulls back to look into my eyes. “To summarize, I want to buy half of Seaside Bakehouse from you. Actually, I want to buy forty-nine percent, not half. That still leaves you as the partner in charge. And I think I’m offering a fair number for the shares I want.”
“You want to be business partners?” My brain is short circuiting in its attempt to make sense of what he’s saying. “You want to what—work together permanently? Be tied to each other through this even though most of the time we don’t get along?”
He stares into my eyes earnestly, his face still dipped low to be nearer to me.
“I don’t want to just work together; I want to be together.
I want all of it. Partners in life, partners in the bakery.
And we get along great. We’re passionate together, that just comes out in different ways.
Sometimes it might be bickering, sure, but for the right reasons.
Baby, please, let me give you what you need. ”
“Hayden”—my voice trembles—“I just need you.”
“You’ve got me. You always have. And supporting one another, that’s what you do when you love someone.”
I take a step back, my eyes widening. “Did you just say that you love me?”
He doesn’t hesitate; he doesn’t even seem surprised that the words left his lips. No, he doesn’t try to back pedal at all. Instead, he steps towards me once again with confidence in his declaration, taking my hand in his.
“I’ve loved you through every fight, every moment I thought maybe you hated me.
I’ve just been waiting for you to be ready to hear it, my stubborn, brilliant, beautiful woman.
I’ll remain a silent partner no matter how you feel towards me, that’s not what this is about.
But I hope you stay with me, Poppy. Always. ”
Tears spring anew in my eyes as I shake my head in disbelief. “You don’t think that’s clouding your judgment? Shouldn’t business deals have emotion left out of them?”
“That’s one nice thing about being a Thompson. I know a good investment when I see it.”
He scoops me up into his arms again and kisses my temple. For a moment, I allow myself to imagine how it would feel to say yes right now. To let him save me like this. And it feels overwhelmingly good. But this is too big, I need to think without these strong arms and tender lips distracting me.
“You really love me?” I whisper, my face tucked in against his neck.
“I really love you, with everything I am.”
My heart feels as if it is going to explode in my chest. To hear those words from him, I can’t imagine anything better. But that’s all the more reason to think about this without him standing before me.
“Then would you let me have some time to think about this?” I ask gently.
Hayden swallows, worry swimming in his gaze. “Of course,” he says, his voice scratchy. “Call me when you’re ready. I’ll be at home.”
“Thank you, Hayden,” I murmur, brushing a kiss across his cheek.
He smiles sadly as he takes a step back. “We’ve come a long way; I remember when you would have never thanked me for anything.” And then he steps out onto the wharf.
I watch him until he disappears into the parking lot, then I turn to find the contract sitting on the counter. Picking it up, I take a deep breath and read through what he’s offering.