“That’s a lot of pressure, though.”
Brad nodded. “I’d rather have a regular paycheck myself.”
“It sounds like you have given your future some thought.”
“Sure. I have.”
Lindsay wanted to ask if his future involved a wife working at his side, but she didn’t want to know the answer. If he saw himself with a wife who wasn’t her, it would break her heart, not that she thought he’d say that directly.
“Was that what you wanted to ask?” he said. “What I thought about the future?”
“Yeah, basically. I was just curious.”
“Right.”
So, basically, they were still at an impasse. He didn’t trust that she wouldn’t freak out and dump him the next day. Lindsay did trust him, though. This time they’d spent together had shown her that Brad was worth trusting, and the reason things hadn’t worked out the first time was mostly on her. She’d pushed him away because of her own garbage. Now he was back and giving her a second chance she probably didn’t deserve. She wasn’t going to push him away this time, though. He’d proved himself to her. Now she’d have to prove herself to him.
Chapter 19
When Brad got ready to leave the café a few afternoons later, Diane breezed in.
Brad was standing near the front counter with Lauren, doing one last check that they had enough snacks for customers for the rest of the day.
“Serves them right,” said Diane, although her grouchy tone was somewhat belied by the sparkly purple headband that kept her hair away from her face and the wispy pink tunic she had on over capri jeans.
Brad hadn’t talked to Diane since theTimesinterview had imploded, though, and he looked around to see if there was any way he could hide his big frame behind the counter. Looked like he’d be out of luck.
“What’s going on?” asked Lauren.
Diane turned the scowl on her face into a wide smile, as if by magic. “Our real estate developers across the street seem to be struggling.”
“What?” asked Brad, not understanding Diane’s glee.
Lauren waved her hand as if it were nothing. “There’s a developer snatching up property in the neighborhood. He bought the building across the street. The first floor used to house this really great coffee shop, but he shut it down to get a higher-paying tenant. Hetriedto buy this building, but Diane wasn’t having it.”
“This building has been here for a hundred years, and it’s my retirement project,” said Diane. “No one is taking it from me.”
“Did something happen across the street, Diane?” asked Lauren.
“Well, our friend found a sucker in the form of a former boy-band singer to finance a restaurant. I guess you guys already know that. I saw Lindsay’s review. But this boy-band kid is an outsider who doesn’t know the neighborhood. So he opened this stupid restaurant that serves bland food, and of course it failed.”
“It failed?” asked Brad. “You mean, it’s closed permanently?”
“It sure looks like it has gone out of business to me,” said Diane.
Lauren frowned. “Already?”
“This neighborhood doesn’t want chain stores and restaurants, and it certainly doesn’t want novelty restaurants owned by celebrities that belong in Midtown, not Brooklyn.”
“I never ate there,” said Brad, mostly for something to say because his head was spinning.
“The chef didn’t seem to know what salt is,” said Lauren.
“Agreed,” said Diane. “I got some takeout from there. Totally flavorless.”
A few minutes later, Brad closed down the kitchen for the day, and when he came back out front to say goodbye, Diane and Lauren were still chatting.
“Brad, did you make any of those carrot muffins today?” Diane asked.
