38. Epilogue Bryan
Six months later…
Amelia and I waited by the SUV in front of Wentworth Academy. The students had been dismissed a few days earlier, but the teachers had to complete a few end of year tasks. I glanced at my watch. Nova had said noon. It was half past.
“When is she gonna be done?” Amelia whined. She held my hand as I leaned against the car. The bouquet of flowers I had stood there holding for at least ten minutes were now lying on the passenger seat.
“I don’t know, sweetheart. Soon.”
The teachers began leaving. I stood up and pulled the flowers out of the car. At first there were only one or two, and then a mass of them left the building all at once.
“Did you see her?” I asked.
“No, where is she?”
And then, like a breath of fresh air, Nova appeared. She had a tote bag in one hand and was dancing her way out of the building. When she saw us, she raised her arms over her head and cheered before running to us. Amelia met her halfway, and they hugged.
I stayed put, holding the flowers. I swept Nova into a one-armed embrace and kissed her as soon as she was close enough.
“You seem rather pleased with yourself,” I said.
“I am so done with that place. Oh, are these for me?” She took the flowers and buried her face into the blooms. “They smell so good!”
“Happy for the school year to be over?”
“As happy, if not happier than, the kids. I am ready for the next chapter of my life,” she said.
“Oh, yeah, and what’s that?” I teased, knowing full well what Nova was referring to.
“Daddy!” Amelia chastised me, mortified.
As if I could forget.
“I can’t believe the wedding is in two weeks. Two weeks, Bryan! I have a million things to get done between now and then.”
“Good thing your mother is arriving in another day,” I said.
“More things to worry about,” Nova said.
I lifted Amelia into the back, where she buckled herself into her car seat. Nova climbed into the passenger seat, and I got behind the wheel.
“I need to make a quick stop before heading home. Is that okay?”
Nova nodded. “Of course.”
I drove into town and stopped in front of an empty storefront.
“What’s this?” Nova asked as I hopped out of the car.
“Come on.” I opened the back seat and gestured at Amelia to unbuckle and get out of the SUV.
Nova unbuckled and was waiting for us on the sidewalk before Amelia was done.
“Bryan, what are you doing?” Nova scampered after me as I strode across the walk and opened the door. I swept my hand in front of me, indicating that they should step inside.
“Should we be in here?” Nova asked.
“Why not?”
“What are you up to?” She narrowed her eyes at me before turning around and casting her gaze around the empty space. “How did you get the key? A place like this would be locked up.”
“I know the owner,” I said.
Amelia dashed deeper into the storefront.
“Watch it back there!” I called out after her.
“I thought this looked like a good place for your cooking school.”
Nova’s expression practically melted. I was afraid she was going to cry as her smile faded and her eyes went wide. She crossed her hands over her breasts and blinked at me. Her lower lip quivered.
“You’re the sweetest, kindest, most wonderful man I’ve ever met. And you’re right, this would be a wonderful location.” She pressed her fingers against her eyes. “I’m not ready. I don’t have the money for a deposit, and I don’t have time to figure out what I would need to do to get a deposit. Maybe if I wasn’t doing anything, but, Bryan, we’re getting married in two weeks, and then?—”
“Italy,” I finished for her.
She nodded. “Italy, the Amalfi Coast, Rome, Florence, Tuscany, Venice, it’s a dream trip come true. Will this place even be available by the time we get back? It’s right downtown, prime real estate.”
“Like I said, I know the owner,” I repeated.
“Do you think the owner is going to sit on any offers that come in while we’re traveling?”
I nodded.
“Wow, they must be a really great friend.”
“Well, they will be spending the summer traveling as well. This place could be up and running by the time the new school year opens.”
Nova shook her head. “I doubt the necessary construction could be done that fast. This entire place needs to be transformed into a commercial grade kitchen. It’s a lot of work.”
She sighed and began wandering around the space.
“There’s another room back here!” Amelia said as she appeared from the back of the shop.
“Probably the office. Let’s go see.” Nova followed Amelia back into the back room.
I already knew the layout. Every time Nova would daydream about her cooking school, I paid attention. She wanted multiple rooms for more than one class. She would need office space and storage. This place had it all. And there was a smaller, occupied store next door in the building. If they ever vacated, Nova could expand into that space as well. The second story had office spaces. Nova could easily move the school’s office up there. There were currently two tenants, a bookkeeper and a therapist.
I waited while the two of them explored. It didn’t take too long to check out the remaining rooms.
“Do you really know the owner?” Nova asked.
I could tell by her expression that the gears in her head were turning. She wanted this place.
“Could you maybe offer him a deposit or something to hold it until we get back?”
I nodded my head from side to side in a noncommittal move.
Nova bit her lip. “Please?”
“I can do you one better. I said I know the owner.” I reached into my pocket and pulled out the key. It lay across my palm, tied with a sage green and silver bow. I held it out to her.
Nova’s brow furrowed, and she looked at the key in my hand and back to my face.
“Those are the wedding colors.”
“Uh-huh.”
She reached out for the key and touched the ribbons. “Why is it tied up with the wedding colors? I don’t understand.”
I dropped the key, pinching the ribbons in time so that it hung from my fingers. With my other hand, I took Nova’s hand and turned it palm up. I slowly placed the key in her palm.
“I know the owner, and she will be traveling over the summer. This is yours.”
Her eyes flashed up to meet mine. The hand with the key began shaking. She clapped her other hand over her mouth, and tears spilled from her eyes.
“The building is yours. It’s one of your wedding presents.”
“It’s mine?” Her voice was so small.
I pulled her to my chest and stroked her hair. “I love you. Did you really think I was going to tease you with this place right before the wedding? I knew it was perfect as soon as I saw it. It’s all yours. In your name and everything.”
“It’s mine?” she asked again.
I nodded.
And then she exploded. She started cheering and jumping. “It’s mine! It’s mine!” She laughed.
Amelia joined her, and the two of them danced around in joyous exuberance.
Nova grabbed my face. The key was still in her hand, and it pressed awkwardly into my cheek, but I didn’t care. My girl was happy. When she pressed her lips to mine, I felt her joy surge through my body.
“I don’t have time to draw up plans before we leave, do I?” Nova said. “Never mind, I can get ideas when we’re in Italy, and then when we get back, I can start doing the renovations. I’ll have to hire construction, but I should be able to paint. I’m still going to need money for all of that. I guess I can get a job.”
“Nova, honey.” I had to disrupt her thinking before she frantically took herself down the wrong path. “You own the building. You have three tenants who pay you rent. You have income.”
She stared at me and pointed at the floor. “But won’t I need that to pay the mortgage?”
I shook my head. No mortgage. “You own it outright.”
“Bryan, you didn’t.” She was laughing and kissing me again.
“My mom is going to freak!”
“Is Nana Deb freaking a good thing or a bad thing? Cause whenever you say my grandmother is going to freak, it’s always bad,” Amelia pointed out.
“You’re right. Your grandmother freaking out is a bad thing, but with my mom, it could go either way.”
Amelia nodded.
“I think it’s a good thing. Nana Deb isn’t much like Grandmother that way. You don’t have to worry. You’ll have fun with her this summer,” I told Amelia.
Nova and I were scheduled to leave for Italy through Atlanta. We would travel with Amelia to Nova’s parents’ before leaving the country. Amelia would spend the six weeks we were away getting to know her grandparents.
“Okay, that’s good,” she said right before running off to explore some more.
“If you go upstairs, do not open any of the doors. Those offices belong to other people,” I yelled after her.
“You are amazing,” Nova said as she wiggled into my personal space and wrapped her arms around me.
I looked down at my future wife. “You’re the amazing one. I probably should have waited. I know your mind is full of too many things you still need to do, but I couldn’t wait. You like it?”
“I love it. I love you. You aren’t kidding about too much to do. I haven’t had time to go shopping for the trip. They kept me so busy this last month at school. I swear they were doing it on purpose.”
“You don’t have to pack anything fancy for the trip.”
“Are you kidding me, Bryan? It’s Italy. It’s our honeymoon. I want to look amazing for you every day. I don’t have a proper trousseau of clothes for a multi-week trip with my current wardrobe.”
“That’s not a problem. I don’t plan on letting you out of bed. You don’t need clothes.” I smirked at her.
“You are incorrigible.”
“Yeah, but you love me. How about this? You pack what you need for a few days, and I’ll take you shopping in Italy.”
“I take it all back. You aren’t incorrigible. You’re the best. Simply the best. I love you.”
When she kissed me, I couldn’t help but think she was the best too.