Penny grabbed her hand. “Oh, no. I don’t want him to feel that way. I realize I lost my mom but he saved a lot of lives. In a way, he saved my life too. My father lost it that day. For all we know, he might have come for me afterward. He might have shot those little kids. Mr. Zorn can’t punish himself. I thank God every night that he was there to stop my dad. He’s my hero.”
Michael appeared quietly at the table, his face strained. “Hi, Penny.”
The girl jumped up from her seat and threw her arms around his neck. “I’m so glad you’re here. Thank you.”
Michael’s gaze met Emily’s over Penny’s shoulder. He patted the young woman on the back, awkward at first, but then gave in and hugged her tight. “I’m glad you’re here too.”
When Emily heard the catch in his voice, she had to blink back a tear. She stood and tapped their shoulders. “You guys catch up. I’m going to order some very strong coffees.”
As she walked up to the counter, she looked back. Michael and Penny still hadn’t let go of each other.
She smiled at the barista. “Three extra-large coffees, please. Take your time.”
***
“We’re ready for the reveal.” Michael nodded at Eli and Nick as they did their final inspection of Emily’s new store. “You guys good?”
“Yeah,” said Eli. “Although it was a bitch trying to hide the new signage from Emily. That woman is a snoop. I know for a fact I saw her drive by earlier, hoping for a peek.”
“Sounds like her.” Michael chuckled. “She’s persistent.”
“You sure you know what you’re getting yourself in for with that one, bro?” Nick elbowed him.
“I’m quite happy withthat one, thank you very much.”
“Wait until she sees her deck,” Nick crowed.
Michael knew Emily would be impressed. Although the deck had originally been planned as a break area for store staff, Nick had pulled out all the stops. The space was so nice Emily would be able to have customer events there if she ever chose to do so.
They’d done a good job, one of their best, truth be told. He couldn’t wait to go home to her and tease her about not being able to see the results until the reveal tomorrow. Lacey would film them showing it off to Emily and thenFrom Scratchwould finally have a home.
He could almost envision Nonna Olivia giving him a salute.
“Michael, can I see you for a minute?” Lacey held a piece of paper in her hands.
Eli and Nick retreated to give them some space.
Michael hadn’t spoken to Lacey very much lately, other than to acknowledge her work-related questions. When he looked at her, he thought of Jacob, and when he thought of Jacob, he ended up thinking about what he did to Trent. In general, he tried hard not to ponder his fight with Trent. One day, he’d apologize. Although Trent wasn’t his favorite person, Michael could acknowledge the man had become a trigger for him. Jeff was helping him see that, but he knew he still had work to do.
“What’s up?”
“I wanted to give you an update. I’ve spoken with the producers. We’re not going to pursue a show featuring the families from the daycare.”
Just like that, a boulder-sized knot of worry fell from his shoulders. “Why not? I thought it was signed, sealed, and delivered. I thought you said my job might on the line if I didn’t cooperate.”
“I can see how that might not have been my best moment.” She gnawed on the inside of her cheek. “Look, Michael, I’ve made a lot of mistakes, with you, with Jacob.”
“How’s the kid, anyway?” Jacob hadn’t returned to the job since the brick incident. Lacey had apparently talked the producers out of pressing charges. The police had let him off with a stern warning.
“Last I heard, he got a job at the Cartoon Network. I don’t know for sure what he’s doing there but I hope he’s happy. I’m not allowed to talk to him. If I do, his mother said she’ll ‘bitch slap’ me.”
Michael stifled a grin. “Okay, but the show?”
“You’re off the hook. We’ll continue doing what we’re doing and see if we can’t snag HGTV some other way.”
Lacey chose her next words, her eyebrows coming to a furrow. Michael realized she wasn’t wearing any makeup, not even lip gloss. She always wore makeup and never appeared in public looking anything less than polished and glittery. Her pale face made her seem younger and her eyes were dark with remorse.
“I am sorry, Michael. My methods haven’t always been the greatest, but I want you to know I’ve always been rooting for you. In doing the show with the daycare families, I hoped it would be a way for you to come to terms with what happened last year. Some tough love. I just wanted to bring you some closure, but my ego may have gotten in the way here and there.”
