CHAPTER 14
“Hey, I got the POS downstairs to do what you wanted,” Finley said.
“In the café?”
“Yeah,” Finley replied, walking into India’s office. “You wanted time-based pricing for employees and adding the customer side, right?”
“Yes. You did all that already?”
“The system has the time-based functionality included. I just had to set it up. And the customer pricing was just adding a button that opens another menu with the exact same info as the employee menu, but with our standard pricing. Not that hard.”
“You say that like I’d know how to fix it,” India replied.
“Well, I don’t know how to find new locations and sign leases.” Finley then thought for a moment and added, “Well, I do, but for apartments and stuff, not for businesses.”
“It’s not that hard,” India said with a sideways smile.
“So, anything else for down there?”
“I don’t think so,” she said. “I didn’t expect you to be done so quickly.”
“Like I said, it was pretty easy. Jules is still working on the new training schedule and printing signs and stuff for you, but I suspect she’ll be done by the end of the week.
When are we opening it to customers? I might need to do something to enhance the Wi-Fi if we have people hanging out down there.
We didn’t worry about that when we first built the place because most employees wouldn’t be there for too long. ”
“I don’t know, actually,” she said. “The whole idea was built around Maisie being able to use the café for Chapter you know that more than anyone.
But I’ve never been like him. I don’t understand why it’s so important to him to have this damn city council seat and win the mayor one next.
He’s always been like this. When he was little and his grade school decided to start up a student council, he campaigned for it.
He got his parents to make him the buttons and posters and give out popsicles at school.
He won the vice presidency.” She laughed a little.
“He ran for president, but the other kid won, so they gave Colter vice president. I think he’s been holding a grudge ever since and won’t let anyone stand in his way now, but threatening Maisie wasn’t okay. ”
“Did you tell him to leave her alone?”
“No, I hid in the bathroom,” she replied. “Until he was gone.”
“Really? India…”
“I know… But I don’t want her to know I’m related to that. She might think it’s in my blood to be an asshole.”
“You have your asshole moments, so she might not be wrong.”
“True, but not like that,” India replied.
“I’ve threatened a bad waiter with no tip a few times and the woman who stole my parking space at the opera once – I paid for that spot and my suite – but that’s it.
I’ve never threatened to ruin someone’s career, election, or possibly life.
That’s what the bookshop is to Maisie: it’s her life.
It’s her family’s legacy. Colter just wants to win.
He’s worried that she might actually have a chance and doesn’t want to risk it.
What’s worse, though, is that I suggested that he offer to get her the landmark status in exchange for dropping out. ”
“You did what?” Finley asked, leaning forward in the chair.
“I thought it would help Maisie get what she wanted, and Colter would get what he wanted, and that would be that.”
“She also wouldn’t be running against your horrible half-brother, India. I think you should acknowledge that it wasn’t just about Maisie getting what she wanted.”
“Okay. Sure, that would have been a nice side benefit. Maisie would have dropped out because she had gotten the status she’d wanted for the shop, Colter would’ve gone on to probably ruin the city by taking bribes and making deals, and I could go out with Maisie, and one day, it would come up that I have a brother named Colter.
And, oh, what a coincidence that it’s that Colter.
By then, we would have been on a bunch of dates, and it would’ve been something funny or just coincidental, or it wouldn’t have worked out at all, and maybe we would’ve salvaged a friendship, and it would have still been coincidental. ”
“You’ve got it all planned out, huh?”
“I thought I did. Now, I realize I was just being selfish. Maisie wants to win. It’s not just about the shop anymore. I worked with her and her friends last night, and I can see it. I could hear it in her voice, too, when she talked to potential voters.” India smiled. “She really cares, Finley.”
“That’s a good thing for a public servant, isn’t it?”
“Yes, it’s a great thing. But Colter is a sitting councilor with many connections. I just… I don’t want her to be disappointed, and I think she might be.”
“You can’t control the outcome of the election, India. I know how much that probably bugs you because you have this need to control things.”
“I do not,” she argued.
“Maisie asked you out, and you just had to change the date’s location.
The ski trip you wanted us to take one winter was scheduled down to the minute, and when I sprained my ankle and suggested we just go and enjoy the resort and you could ski without me, if you wanted, while I hung back, you had an almost meltdown because you’d booked everything for both of us. ”
“It wasn’t a meltdown.”
“You canceled the trip, India.” Finley gave her a small frown.
“We still could’ve had fun. I wasn’t even on crutches.
The doctor just told me to take it easy.
We could’ve gone, sat by the fire, made love, relaxed, and you canceled it instead.
You even bought me skis, India. They’re still in my closet.
I’ve never used them because you canceled the trip. ”
“I didn’t think you would have had a good time when you couldn’t actually ski on a ski trip, Fin.”
“It wasn’t about skiing,” Finley replied.
“It was never about skiing for me. It was about being with my girlfriend. It was about taking time off work, away from the city, going to a nice resort with her, and just being together. The skiing was something for us to do while we were there, yeah, but I wasn’t going to ski, India. I was going to be with you.”
“I messed us up, Finley. So many times. I’m sorry.”
“It’s not just on you. We did this whole back-and-forth thing for a while. We both played a part in that. I let you do those things. I pushed in the beginning, but eventually, I gave in. I started letting you get away with it.”
“And that made you unhappy,” she said, nodding.
“Yeah, it did. But it still took me a long time to finally end things between us.”
“And are you happy now?”
Finley smiled and said, “I am, yes. Molly and I are very new, but I know I love her. It hit me so fast. One day, I’m with you, and Molly’s hardly able to say a full sentence around me, and the next, I look at her, and it’s just so obvious that I like her.
I think it’s one of the reasons I even became friends with Juliet.
Weird, huh? I didn’t know that before, but I used to go over to their cubes all the time and use Jules as an excuse when, really, I wanted to talk to Molls.
I loved watching her look all flustered.
I didn’t know it was specifically about me back then, but it was just…
so cute, and I wanted to find out if there could be something there with us. ”
“And then, you moved your desk out there when you got promoted,” India said with a smile.
Finley laughed and replied, “Yeah, I wanted to be near her, even though I had no idea what it was all about at first. And I’m happy now, yes, but I want you to be happy, too.”
“So do I,” India said on a sigh.
“Good. We might not have worked out, but I like Maisie for you,” Finley said before she stood and added, “Honestly, given how she practically yanked you from that booth the other night and took you to that dive place, I’d imagine she won’t give up like I did.
I don’t see her letting you get away with stuff like I used to, which is a good thing. ”
“It wasn’t all bad, though, right? The whole thing wasn’t bad, Fin.”
“No,” Finley told her, shaking her head. “It was really good in the beginning.” Finley smiled. “And a few times in the middle, too.” She winked. “I loved you, India. I still do. It’s just different now.”
“Yeah, me too,” she said.