Chapter 30. It All Ended with a Grand Romantic Gesture
CHAPTER 30
It All Ended with a Grand Romantic Gesture
For the next few days, I ignored the envelope, giving it a permanent home inside my desk drawer instead. I avoided it as if it might trigger an unseen bomb, detonating and obliterating the bakery, the neighboring shops, and even the nearby Port Benedict Plaza.
Carmel got in touch to place a new order for Jacqui’s party. It was the same varieties and quantities as their first one, with a few hundred extra mini cupcakes to be boxed up as party favors. With only a week to finish the order, my new routine was leaving home at crack-of-dawn o’clock and coming back past midnight.
By some miracle, we managed to finish everything in time. It was an hour before I was supposed to deliver them to Jacqui’s mansion, and I had been rushing to load the boxes of baked goods in the CR-V when the door to Kim’s shop opened and she strolled out.
“Hey. You need any help?”
“Thanks, but I’m nearly done.” I stacked the last two boxes and closed the car door.
Kim raised her eyebrows at me. “Is that what you’re wearing?”
I glanced down at my pair of faded black jeans and old blue-and-white stripy top. “Yes. Something wrong with it?”
“Not if you’re going for a walk on the beach. But massively inappropriate if you’re a guest at a property tycoon’s party.”
“I’m not invited. Well, I was, but after all that’s happened, I’m sure she doesn’t really want me there. I’ll just deliver the cakes, find her to say hi, and then go.”
Kim wrinkled her nose. “Still. That’s not how you dress to go to a party of the rich and famous, even if you’re just delivering an order. You should know that, of all people. What if you run into Alec there?”
Hearing his name sliced my heart into tiny little pieces.
Kim must have noticed the look on my face, because she sighed. “Seriously? You still haven’t opened his envelope?”
“No.”
She gave me a shrewd look. “Because you don’t want to? Or because you’re afraid?”
“Afraid? What should I be afraid of?”
Kim folded her arms. “Oh, I don’t know. Maybe because you’re madly in love with him, and you’re afraid that whatever’s in that envelope will prove he isn’t the bad guy you’re making him out to be. Then you’ll have no choice but to find him, to kiss and make up. But of course, you’re terrified that he’s going to hurt you again.”
“Nope. Couldn’t be further from the truth.”
She gave me a smug smile. “Liar, liar, pants on fire.” Then her expression turned serious. “Ellie, I wouldn’t be saying this if you weren’t my friend. But for the love of all that is holy, open the envelope and give the man a call, will you? You’ve been so mopey and cranky, and I’m pretty sure it has nothing to do with your blood glucose levels.”
“How do you know? It might.” My tone was defensive.
She gave me a look that said, I wasn’t born yesterday .
“Fine. I’ll think about it. But no promises.”
“That’s what you said two days ago, and two days before that. I’m going to ask you again in another two days, and if you still haven’t done anything by then, I swear to God I’m going to rip the envelope open myself, then lock you in a room with it until you tell me you’ve read and memorized every single word.”
“Yes, ma’am.” I grinned and started back toward the bakery. “I have to run. See you when I get back.”
Kim only shouted at me, “Open the damn envelope!”
Glancing at my watch, I realized I only had forty-five minutes left before the agreed delivery time. I hurried inside, grabbing the paperwork I needed, and quickly rifled through it to make sure I had everything. Tugging my desk drawer open, I rummaged inside to find a pen and saw Alec’s white envelope.
Kim’s words echoed in my brain, egging me on.
I made a swift decision right then and there to read it, even if just to tell her I’d done what she’d asked me to do. Then his letter was going straight into the trash bin. I tore the envelope open and pulled out the folded pages.
My eyes bulged, nearly popping out of their sockets, as I read the contents. It was a copy of a recent sale and purchase agreement between Alec and Goodwin Property Group, stating that he’d sold the majority of his shares in Mackenzie Constructions to Jacqui.
I blinked. No. He would never do that. He’d worked so hard for that business, and it was his pride and joy, his whole life, so there was no way this was right.
But it was. I went over the pages several times, and they still read the same, even after the fifth time: that Goodwin Property Group was now the major shareholder of Mackenzie Constructions, holding 80 percent of the ownership. Rob still owned his 10 percent, and now, so did Alec.
And there was more. The last page was a copy of an electronic funds transfer receipt from Alec’s bank account to another account with a familiar name.
My mother’s name.
For the sum of three million dollars.
My breath caught in my throat.
Alec sold and gave up his business to return the bribe money to my mother.
For me.
There was only one thing left to do.
I only had thirty more minutes before I was due at Jacqui’s party. As I raced back outside and got into my car, I speed-dialed Alec, but it went straight to his voicemail. I probably broke every road rule and speed limit driving to Jacqui’s house, making it there in fifteen minutes.
Unloading the boxes of goodies from the car, I rushed to set everything up on the dessert table, assisted by Carmel, who was there with her trusty clipboard to make sure everything was perfectly in place. Once I was finished, I went back outside, whipping out my phone as I speed-walked back to my car.
Alec still hadn’t replied to any of my messages.
My heart sank. I didn’t know if he was still attending the party or not, given how things were between him and Jacqui. Maybe I should go over to his house. Or the Mackenzie Constructions office. Or call Rob. Rob would know where to find him.
As I stood on the side of the road, debating my next move, a familiar black SUV swung into an empty spot, a few cars behind mine. Alec got out, and my stomach lurched at the sight of him. He was dressed in a casual, light-blue Henley and dark jeans.
I took a deep breath, then shoved my phone into my back pocket as I approached him, hoping to look and sound casual.
“Hey. I’ve been looking for you. Um, I left you several messages just now.”
“My phone’s dead.” He took off his sunglasses, revealing the dark circles under his eyes, as if he hadn’t slept for a few nights. “Forgot to plug it into the charger last night.”
“Right. Uh, lucky I found you here, then.”
He frowned at me. “What’s wrong? You look flustered. Are you okay?”
That question broke me down. I was done trying to play it cool.
“I finally opened your envelope. Did you… Did you really do that? You gave up your business to pay my parents back?”
Something—maybe hope?—flickered in his eyes. “I did. Well, not everything, though. I still own ten percent.”
“But why? You’re giving up something you’ve worked so hard for. What about the people who work for you? Your family?”
He gave me a small smile. “It’s all good. Jacqui agreed to keep all the employees. Rob still owns his share. I’ll still be involved in the company, although in a much smaller role. And both my sisters are working, so they’re helping me support my mother. We’ll be fine.”
“Oh.” I swallowed. “Thank you. For giving up everything for—”
I trailed off. He’d never said that he sold his business and repaid my parents for me .
As if he knew what I was going to say, Alec replied, “I did it because I don’t want your parents to lord that money over my head for the rest of my life. I don’t want to owe them anything. Not even a single cent. But more importantly, I don’t want to keep any more secrets from you.”
I nodded. “No more secrets.”
He took a deep breath, composing himself, before continuing, “And I wanted to prove that you’re all that matters to me. That you are the most important thing in the world to me, more than anything. And I want to be there for you. Nothing else, no one else, but you. I was a fool for letting you go once. I won’t make that same mistake twice. If I had the business, and Jacqui’s investment, and all the money in the world, but not you, well, then I don’t really want that.”
I could only nod again, as my brain cheered and applauded his speech, while my heart swooned and melted into a puddle of goo.
He took a couple of steps forward, closing the gap between us. “So… if you’ve opened the envelope, and you’re here, does this mean you’ve forgiven me?”
I folded my arms and pretended to consider him. “Not yet. I’ll have to think about it.”
His mouth slowly curved into a smile. “Yeah?”
“Maybe I will forgive you. Just as long as you don’t lord this… sacrifice over my head for the rest of our lives.”
“I believe the correct term is a ‘grand romantic gesture.’ Like what the guy does at the end of a rom-com movie to win the girl back.” A twinkle lit up his eyes. “So? How did I do?”
“Well, let’s see. Grand romantic gesture, check. Big speech, check.” I gave him an approving nod. “I think as far as grand gestures go, this was pretty epic. Nine out of ten.”
He took my hands in his. “Only nine ? I was expecting a full ten. I don’t get any points for the customized cookies?”
“Maybe, if you’d baked them yourself. But you bought them.”
“Trust me, if I’d baked them myself, you wouldn’t want to eat them.”
“And might I add, from my bakery . I should take points off for that.”
His smile grew bigger. “It’s the thought that counts, Ellie. And the idea was all mine.”
I finally broke into a grin. “Fine, I’ll give you nine and a half. Happy now?”
“Not yet.” He pulled me closer. “Just in case the message wasn’t clear enough from those extremely thoughtful cookies, Ellie Pang, I’m in love with you.”
My heart felt like it was about to break free from behind my rib cage and bust into a happy dance. “Really? I must have missed that message.”
“Probably since the very first day we met.” He brushed a light kiss on my lips. “And as corny as this might sound, I won’t be happy until you tell me that you love me, too.”
“I’ll tell you, if you promise never to leave again.”
“Done. I’m not going anywhere,” he said, the smile in his eyes warming my entire universe. “I love you, Hello Kitty. You’re stuck with me. Forever, whether you like it or not.”
“I think I’ll take the risk,” I said, my grin splitting my face. “I love you too, Sir Grouchiness. You’re not so bad. I think I’ll keep you.”
As his lips found mine, I knew that this life I’d chosen, here in Port Benedict, running my dream business and being with him, had all been the right decision.
And I certainly didn’t need any pros and cons lists to tell me that.