I grab the extra clothes I packed this morning—a black top and my favorite jeans—as well as my makeup bag. My stomach is a ball of nerves as I change. Noah should be arriving soon, Kara and Nan only about thirty minutes behind him. My hair is a lost cause—tangled and sweat soaked— so I opt to pull it into a top knot. After a swipe of mascara and some lip balm, I look tired but presentable.
When I step out of the bathrooms and tuck my clothes away in the boxes of supplies stashed in the hallway, my chest warms at the sound of people greeting and gathering around the corner. With a deep breath, I step out to find about half a dozen more people have arrived—all of them having ignored the invitation's mention of us providing the food.
I’m arranging the casserole dishes and bowls of fruit salad when the bell above the door chimes again. Noah, with golden sunset rays at his back, stands in the doorway and I nearly melt into a puddle. The massive bouquet clutched in his hand is even more absurd than it looked in the picture, but I’m already lost in the grin on his face. His eyes sweep the space, his smile deepening further and he crosses the floor in a few long strides, setting the flowers on the counter and kissing me lightly on the cheek.
“Look at you! Look at what you’ve done.”
I am beaming, pure joy thrumming under my skin. Noah is here and he likes the diner. Whatever happens tomorrow, ornext week, or next month; none of it will be able to diminish the glow of this moment.
“Just wait till you see what I have planned.”
“It’s incredible, Lottie. Perfect. You did great. And hosting Nan’s party here was the perfect cover. Although I should confess, Laura spoiled part of the surprise. She sent me the listing and the proposed offer just before I called you the other night.”
Confusion sweeps through me into my toes. Offer? Why would Laura have sent Noah my offer? Aside from listing him as my employer on my application with the bank, his name shouldn’t have been anywhere near it.
“I’m sorry, what?”
“The space. It’s perfect. The location, the big windows. A few weeks of renovations and it will be even better than the original spot. I can’t wait to see your ideas. I don’t know how you did it, or how you kept it quiet, but I am impressed. Thoroughly and utterly blown away.”
“What are you talking about? Why would Laura have sent you my offer?”
Noah frowns. “I mean, I don’t mean to pull rank here, but it would be a little unorthodox for an account manager to sign the paperwork when purchasing real estate. That’s sort of my job.”
I step back, light headed and a little sick. What is he talking about?
“Noah, this is Nan’s Diner. This isn’t a location for Flourish. The surprise is me buying it and revamping it. I spent the last two days scrubbing the fucking floors and buffing the windows.That’sthe surprise. Laura must have . . .”
How the fuck did she get this confused? How did this happen? What is even happening?
“What are you talking about?”
I stutter. “What am I talking about? What the hell are you talking about? You can’t have this.”
My cheeks are hot, my voice growing in volume and pulling attention from a few other people. In an effort to save face, I grab Noah’s arm and tug him back into the kitchen. It’s disgusting back here, given how our cleaning stayed in the front of the building but I barely notice, shock blinding me to everything except the pursuit of an answer. Spinning to face him I keep my voice low, but emotion rolls through each word.
“I don’t understand what is happening.”
Noah stands there, his brow pinched in confusion. “You didn’t scout this location for Flourish?”
“No. I didn’t. This is the diner I grew up in. My childhood house is like four blocks from here. This is Nan’s old place.”
He runs his hands over his face. “Shit, Lottie. I had no idea.”
“God, how did Laura get this so fucked up?”
“I promise I am going to do everything I can to help you find a new place. I swear it.”
I stop cold, my confusion twisting into sharp anger. “I’m not finding a new place. This is it. Thisisthe place.”
“The papers are already signed.”
“What fucking papers? What are you talking about?”
“This morning. Laura sent me the contracts and the closing documents. She said you had the keys. I signed them, Lottie. Bryant signed them. Matt fucking signed them. Flourish owns this building.”
“Then unfucking sign them. Take it back. Call her right now. Where’s my phone?”
I move to step past him, reaching for an actionable thing. Something I candoto bring some logic to whatever the hell this is. Noah grabs my arm.
