“I’d love to take you somewhere tropical. Snorkel, swim, hike, and play. Not have to worry about the weather.”
“I changed my mind. Let’s do that.”
With a chuckle, I pull her in for a deep kiss. “We’ll make it happen, baby. Now, get some sleep.”
“Okay.” She yawns and curls up around me, as if we’ve been doing this all of our lives. As if the past fifteen years never happened, and she’s been here the whole time. And for the first time in all of those years, I don’t have a pit in my stomach. I feel complete, like my missing piece is finally here.
Because she is.
And it’s the best feeling ever.
Chapter Twenty-One
JULIET
“The thing is, he has an incredible dick.” Tandy’s voice carries loudly in the restaurant today because it’s still empty. I have my crew here helping me get ready for our reopening in just two days. Tandy’s across the dining room, mopping the brand-new floor in the corner so we can bring new tables and chairs in here first thing tomorrow. “Like, we’re talking a huge, make tears roll down my face, cry for my mother cock that I can’t seem to give up.”
Is it TMI? For sure. But poor Tandy has been in an on-again, off-again relationship with some guy named Matt for a couple of months now, and it seems right now is an off season.
She’s definitely feeling some kind of way about it.
“Should she be talking to a therapist about this?” Christy asks in a low voice, making me snort. She’s emptying the dishwasher in the next room, but she can hear Tandy, loud and clear.
“I get it,” Erica joins in as she scrubs out the cooler that will hold the grab-and-go meals. “Anthony waspacking. But despite his impressive dick, hewasa dick.And sometimes it’s not worth trying to mend a relationship with someone who isn’t nice to you, Tandy. I’ve been telling you this forweeks.”
I kind of love that my staff are friends outside of work. They have a fun camaraderie that always makes me smile.
I had the rest of the staff here earlier, the newer hires, and they helped with a ton of stuff, but now it’s just the four of us, making sure everything is sterilized and ready for the food that’ll be delivered tomorrow, and then I can roll up my sleeves and get back to work baking and cooking.
I’m so freaking excited.
“I get it,” Tandy says with a sigh, her shoulders dropping. “I just wish I could keep the bottom half of him and send his attitude packing.”
“Someone else with a talented dick will come along who isn’t a class A jerk,” Christy calls out. “You’re too good to settle, Tan. No way.”
“I hope you’re right,” Tandy says as she mops in our direction. “This floor is so pretty, Jules. I love the pattern of it.”
I grin as I gaze out at the room. It’s a white oak in a herringbone pattern that really is stunning. The tables and chairs will be black, and I’ll change the linens out with the seasons. Since it’s fall, I’ll cover the tables in cream cloths with orange and yellow napkins.
“I have your T-shirts,” I inform the girls. “Five each, and they’resopretty. I got new aprons with the logo, too.”
“Everything is gorgeous, Jules,” Christy gushes. “I love the new signage out front, too. You really went all out and took this place from amazing to unbelievable.”
“The vibe is the same, but I wanted to brighten it up, since I was starting from scratch and could change everything. The new logo is fun, and I think it looks great on the new shirts and aprons. They’re green, by the way.”
“Like lime green or Christmas green?” Erica asks.
“Sage green,” I reply with a chuckle. “I’ll grab them for you before you go.”
“Okay, I’m going to address the giant elephant in the room that no one else is brave enough to talk about,” Tandy says as she sets the mop in the bucket and then comes to stand at the counter. “Tell us about Brooks. You told us that you got married, but we need some details because just before the flood, you two werenotin a let’s-get-hitched kind of place, my friend.”
“I know.” I sigh and drop my used rag with the others in a trash bag. “I admit, once we decided, it happened fast.”
I tell them about the house, and how Brooks and I were together many years ago.
“So you rekindled the feelings that were simmering from years ago,” Erica says with a sigh, clearly finding the whole situation romantic.
“I mean, Brooks is hot,” Tandy adds. “And I’m sure the man has talents that none of us will ever discover now.”
