I turned back to the microphone, Ruby tucked against my side. Emotion hit hard.
"You all know Ruby Flynn." My words came out rougher than I'd intended. Had to clear my throat. "Know what her family built here. What they meant to this community."
The room fell quiet, listening.
"Know what it meant when she lost the lodge six months ago." I paused. "What it meant to watch that legacy change hands."
Ruby's hand tightened on mine.
"When I bought Flynn's Lodge and transformed it into The Pinnacle, I wanted to honor what the Flynns built while creating something sustainable for the future."
I had to stop, swallow hard. My carefully prepared business speech evaporated. This wasn't about property value or market positioning. This was about making things right.
"But something was missing. Someone who understood what hospitality really means. What it means to make people feel like family, not just customers."
I looked at Ruby now, met those green eyes, and the words came easier.
"Ruby will be executive chef and full partner at The Pinnacle's new restaurant opening this summer."
Murmurs of approval rippled through the audience.
"She'll have creative control, profit-sharing, real partnership." I paused. "And the restaurant will be called Flynn's Table."
Ruby pressed both hands to her chest, eyes going wide. She hadn't known—I'd been waiting for this moment to tell her.
My voice was barely steady. "She has the talent—Le Cordon Bleu training, years in professional kitchens, the passion for food that her parents taught her."
Had to stop again. Breathe.
"And The Pinnacle will have that Flynn spirit again. Through her kitchen. Through her vision."
I looked out at the crowd, found Danny again.
"Ruby's coming home."
The response was immediate—applause, some people rising to their feet. Several longtime residents wiping their eyes.
"And personally..." I looked only at her now, let the rest fade. My tone dropped, went rough. "I fell for her about five seconds after she started talking about food in my kitchen Friday night."
Pause. The emotion was almost too much.
"Took me the rest of the weekend to realize it, but yeah. This is real."
Ruby's tears spilled over even as she smiled and laughed.
I pulled her against me and kissed her—not chaste, not tentative. My hand slid into her hair, her mouth opening under mine, claiming her in front of the whole town. Let them see. Let them know she was mine.
The ballroom erupted. Applause, whistles, cheers, people on their feet.
When I pulled back, Ruby was crying and laughing at the same time.
"Flynn's Table," she whispered. "You're really naming it Flynn's Table?"
"Honors your family while making it yours."
"It's perfect. You're perfect."
Then movement—Danny pushing through the crowd, his face wet with tears.
