“Well, I recognize that you’re coming up on your busy season, so I’m trying to consolidate this entire timeline into something that’s feasible, without rendering this place a complete construction zone.” Jack nods at the wall next to us. “I know your dream for the expansion was to have the opening run the length of the wall?—”
“But you’re gonna crush that dream, aren’t you?” Dom asks, a smile playing at his lips as he crosses his arms over his broad chest.
Jack shrugs and says, "The decision is yours. To be honest, it's a tradeoff. I could remove the wall, but it would mean shutting down the store for several days. Removing the wall would require installing a support beam along this area." He gestures towards the front corner of the store, where the door meets the wall. "Additionally, we'd need to upgrade the current external structure, which would not only extend the project's start while we obtain permits but also add time to the entire process."
Dom absentmindedly kicks at the floor with his boot— I can tell he doesn’t love that idea. “You said it was a tradeoff, right?” I ask, staring along the wall. “What’s the other option?”
“Glad you asked.” Jack flashes me a swoon-worthy smile before he pulls out a tablet, similar to the one I’ve seen Dom using. He swipes through a few images before turning the tablet to us. “This is another option. Instead of blowing out the entire wall, we create an opening here.” He points at a large section of the wall with a stylus. Jack glances at Dom as he says, “You laid out some gorgeous aesthetics for the bar in the expanded area. What if we really play up those vibes and make it into a speakeasy?”
Dominic and I are quiet for a moment, looking between Jack’s tablet and the wall as it currently is, with the largest shelf running the length of it.
“What do you think?” I whisper to Dom. It’s a bit awkward, Jack standing here, waiting for us to give him immediate feedback to an idea that he just laid out.
“Give me a minute,” Dom grunts, closing his eyes.
I give Jack a small smile as a few minutes pass. This is making me anxious, I feel like we need to say something, or I should?—
My internal anxiety-logue is interrupted by the tinkle of the bells aboveEver After’s doors. I spin around— I could have sworn we locked that door after Jack arrived? But there’s no one there. The door isn’t open and it isn’t on its way to being shut. The bells themselves aren’t even moving.
The hair on the back of my neck stands on end. Turning back to Jack, we share a look.
“Did you just hear…?” He trails off but I nod.
“I could have sworn…” Turning to Dominic, I see his eyes are open and he’s smiling. Warmth floods me at the sight, instantly relaxing whatever intense feeling arrived with the tinkling of the bells. Dom’s smiles, while always a rare occurrence, have been even more so since Gloria’s passing. It’s just within the last few weeks that he’s started sharing them with me again.
Dom clears his throat and points at Jack’s tablet. “That’s a great idea, Jack. Can you revise the plans and email them later tonight? I’ll sign off on everything and then you and your crew can get started.”
Jack beams, reaching a hand forward to shake Dominic’s. “That’s great, honestly. After spending some time in this space, and knowing what your goals are with the cocktails and all… it just felt right, you know?”
Dom nods and I swear his eyes are glassy with emotion. “Yeah, it does.”
“With this shift, what timeframe are we looking at for completion?” I ask cautiously.
Jack grimaces slightly. “I wish I could tell you it will be done before Christmas, but my honest estimate is sometime in early January.”
My heart falls a bit, anticipating the hassle of dealing with construction through the holidays— the dust, the loud noises, the irritated customers.
“That’s fine,” Dominic says, to my surprise. He looks at me before taking my hand in his. “We don’t want to rush this.” He turns to Jack and says, “You guys take the time you need. We’re in this for the long haul.”
My stomach flips at his words and I squeeze his hand, a silent acknowledgement of how much those words mean to me.
The meeting wraps up quickly after that and I’m excited to get back home, where Dom and I can discuss the slight shift in plans in private. Dom seems to have retreated into an internal, thoughtful mood, so I do my best not to chatter or prod him on our walk home. Which is why I’m so surprised he bursts out as soon as we enter the house.
“Did you hear the bells?” Dominic asks, his previously blank face replaced with an expression of eager joy.
He hadn’t acknowledged it in the shop, and while I didn’t think Jack and I had some sort of shared hallucination, a wave of relief washes over me, knowing that Dom heard it too.
“I did! But you didn’t?—”
“It was Gloria. I know it was.” Dom’s eyes fill with tears, something I haven’t seen in months, and I can feel the emotional lump ball-up in my throat as well. “She knew. I was standing there, overthinking shit like I always do, and she…”
“Gave you a sign.”
“Us,” Dom says with a fierceness as he steps toward me, cupping my face in his hands. “She gave us a sign, Pea.”
My hands come up to grasp his forearms, steadying myself. “She’s so proud of you, Dom. You know that, right?”
His face crumples with emotion and he inhales sharply. “I wish she could be here for this.”
