“Grey?” Mimi prompts.
I shake my head. “There’s someone here who…hurt me. And I thought—”
I cut myself off with a sigh.
Liking it here was never part of the plan.
But I do.
I like it entirely more than I feel like I deserve.
“You thought destroying something of his the same way he destroyed something of yours would be justice?” Zen prompts. “But then you found out you’d be hurting a lot of other innocent people along the way?”
I meet their gaze. My college years aren’t something we’ve ever discussed. All I said about buying Chandler’s café wasI’m looking forward to seeing how it feels when the shoe’s on the other foot.
But I get the feeling they know more of the story, if notmostof the story.
“Knowledge is power,” they say quietly. “Sometimes it’s all the power you have.”
“Am I understanding this right?” Mimi says. “You bought a café and saved a man from financial ruin to…get revenge?”
“I paid him less than what it’s worth,” I mutter.
“Face it, Uncle Grey.” Zen pops a bite of eggs benedict into their mouth. “You’re not built for being a bloodthirsty man of vengeance.”
I’m not.
Especially when following through with my plan will hurt Sabrina.
She says she’ll adapt, that she wanted me last night more than she wanted her café, but it doesn’t feel right.
Not because I think she lied.
I think she was being completely honest.
It’s more that Bean & Nugget isn’t broken.
It’s beautiful.
It’s beautiful becausesheruns it.
She belongs to Snaggletooth Creek, and Snaggletooth Creek belongs to her.
Same for Bean & Nugget.
“It’s never too late to turn something ugly into something beautiful,” Mimi says.
I cut a glance at her too, knowing she’s right, and starting to finally understand what I need to do to find the peace I came here for. “You’ve been cagey about what you and Harry Sullivan talked about last night.”
“Bah. I’m not cagey. I just can’t remember.”
“She doesn’t want to tell you that they’re getting married,” Zen pipes up.
“Zenbow.”
“Full-name me all you want. I know that’s where this thing is going.”
“I amtoo oldto get married.”
