“I am,” I admitted, a smile tugging at my lips. “Landon worked hard on this.”
“It’s impressive,” she said while surveying the room. “I guess I’ve finally been convinced that he’s good enough for you.”
“That took a lot of convincing.”
Britney laughed, tilting her glass toward me. “I’m stubborn, okay? Just don’t forget about me when you’re a super famous artist with a successful boyfriend, while I’m still making coffee and barely surviving law school.”
I grabbed her hand. “Are you serious? I’d never forget you. I couldn’t if I tried.”
She held my gaze for a second before giving me a small smile.
“Who knows, you’ll probably be an even more famouslawyer with an even more successful lawyer boyfriend. Maybe he’s in this room right now.”
Although I was pretty sure the only lawyer in the room was Carter. I was surprised to see him trail in, though he stood solemnly near the back, but I supposed he put a lot of work into getting the diner up and running.
Britney scoffed. “I’m just focusing on the first part right now. Boyfriends take up way more time than I have.”
“That’s fair.” Most of her days were full of studying anyways.
“I’m sticking to a casual thing with good-looking people for now.” She paused. “Speaking of good-looking…too bad the only person Nathan has eyes for is Ariadne.” She craned her head over the sea of people in front of us. “There are at least a few other attractive men here, though.”
Nathan is here?
I didn’t think he cared about helping the local community. Or anyone, really. At least not without something in return.
After a few more glances, I spotted him sitting in a corner booth near the guitarist. Nathan watched patiently, glass in hand. We made eye contact for a moment, and I turned away quickly. Something about him intimidated me. I much preferred his cousin Noah.
Wait.
“Eyes for Ariadne?” I whispered, confused.
Britney shrugged. “I’m good at reading people. Their actions, words, things they do when they think no one else is looking.”
“Huh,” was all I said as the lights dimmed slightly.
“All right, all right,” Landon’s mom called from the counter, tapping a spoon against a glass. “We wanted to thank all of you for attending the grand opening of Mason’s Diner tonight. Now my boy Landon says he doesn’t want to make a speech, but I told him it’s a grand opening and that he needs to listen to his mother. You don’t get to skip the sentimental stuff.”
Everyone laughed and turned toward Landon, who groaned but stepped forward anyway, wiping his hands on a towel tucked into his waistband.
“Thanks, Mom,” he said, eyes twinkling. “Hi, everyone. I’ll keep it short. I promise. This place has been a dream for a long time. My dad used to say that a good diner feels like home, even if it’s your first visit. That’s what we wanted this place to be. Not just a business, but a place where people show up, can catch up over coffee, and have their pick of pies.”
A few chuckles came from the crowd.
He glanced over at me, and I could tell he was a little nervous, but then his shoulders dropped, and his voice softened.
“We couldn’t have done this without help. Family, of course. My friends. And especially Kira.” His eyes met mine again, and warmth bloomed in my chest. “You came in during the chaos and stayed. Believed in me even when I forgot how.”
I blinked fast, trying not to turn into a puddle in front of a crowd.
“So yeah,” Landon finished. “Thanks for being here. For making this place feel like home already. Eat everything, drink a lot of coffee, and please don’t judge me too hard on the new pie flavors.”
He got a round of cheers and claps and a few whoops from the back. The guitar picked up again, and the energy of the room buzzed back to life.
“You go get your man.” Britney pushed me forward. “I’m going to go peruse the free food.”
I wove through the crowd, past a table where Josh was enthusiastically digging into a chicken pot pie.
By the time I reached Landon, he was accepting a firm handshake from a stranger, nodding along to something I couldn’t hear.
