Someone was rubbing my back.
I finally pulled my hands away and said a throaty, “Thank you,” to Tex. I then turned to Tito and said, “Really, thank you so much.”
“You’re gonna make us buckets of bread, which means I’m gonna be able to buy my Nancy that wine fridge she wants. So don’t thank us,” Tex said.
Maybe.
Maybe my desserts on the menu and more treats in the case and their percentage of my business (and we hadn’t even negotiated that yet!) would make them a little more money.
But they were taking a chance on me. They were giving me my dream.
And lest we forget what just happened…
They’d bought me a big-ass decal and put it in the window.
So Tex could be as casual as he wanted because he wasn’t big on showing emotion.
But, worth a repeat, they were making my dream come true.
As such, it was safe to say, I was grateful.
I turned to Tito and hugged him.
He patted my back while he returned the hug.
“Really, thank you,” I whispered in his ear, wishing I had more words, ones that would share even a hint of what I was feeling.
“Should have done it a while ago.” He pulled slightly away. “But I’m glad we’re doing it now.”
I didn’t know what to say so I just sniffed.
I sensed he got me as he let me go and patted my shoulder.
I looked to Tex. “Can I hug you?”
“Fuck no,” he replied.
As suspected.
I gave my girls a happy smile and noted they were already smiling that way at me.
Then I took my phone out of my apron, went outside, snapped a few snaps and sent them first, to Gabe, then to Mom and Robbie.
My text was, I’m official.
Mom sent about fifty intermingled sobbing and smiley emojis. Robbie dropped a thumbs up on the picture.
And Gabe replied, Fucking awesome.
He was so right.
We all got back to work.
Later, after my shift was over, I was working in the kitchen with Lucia, all the cupcakes were done and boxed and awaiting delivery so I could assemble the towers at the site, and I was closing in on finishing decorating the cookies for the baby shower the next day…
That was when Mom sashayed into the kitchen.
“So this is where the magic happens,” she said.
