Early had come and gone though, and he still wasn’t here. Still, the hope that he’d arrive any second with flowers in his hand and a smile on his face was there.
But to my utter disappointment, Vic shook his head. “No, I’m sorry.”
I tried not to let it show. I didn’t want my shoulders to slump. Of course, Harry wasn’t coming. Wasn’t there a replay of one of his favorite games on today? Yeah, he’d set it to record, but he hated watching sports when they were recorded… even old games. I knew that about him. After more than 15 years of marriage, I knew everything about him.
So why did I think today would be any different? Why did I think his promise meant he’d be here? I almost laughed. And I’d imagined him arriving with a smile and flowers. Was I a complete fool? If Harry came, he’d do what he always did when he didn’t want to be somewhere. He’d sit in the corner silently, glaring, complaining under his breath, and absolutely destroying my mood in the process.
Which he’d pointed out time and time again was my problem. He said I was in charge of my own emotions, and if he showed up somewhere, I should just be grateful. I saw the logic in what he said, even if it still hurt.
Still, I forced a smile when I realized Vic was still staring at me, a little of the sparkle gone from his eyes. Vic didn’t need to know about the problems Harry and I were having. He deserved to just enjoy today without the complications that came from being an older lady with a grumpy partner.
“No problem, I guess he was busy,” I said and followed Vic toward the kitchen. “Let’s do this.”
“I’m sure he’ll be here.” Vic sounded so damn innocent that his words felt like a knife twisting in my gut. “I mean, he knows how important today is for you, and he’s your husband.”
I tried again to smile, but I’m pretty sure I failed. “It’s complicated.”
Vic shook his head, opened his mouth, and frowned. “Being there for someone who you love isn’t that complicated.”
It really isn’t. Is it?
But it was for Harry. For reasons I didn’t understand. The thing was that I couldn’t control him or his decisions, but I could control my reactions to him. So why had I expected Harry to come? And why in the world was I letting myself feel so utterly crushed by his lack of regard for such a monumental moment in my life?
Maybe because you know deep down this isn’t what you want in a marriage.The thought circled through my mind, and I shoved it away. No, not today. I didn’t have time to go down that dark path.
“It’s okay, really Vic. Let’s just focus on making this restaurant as awesome as I know we can make it!”
He studied me for a second, then nodded. “Right on!”
I plastered a big, fake smile on my face and walked through the swinging kitchen door—the one for walkinginto the kitchen, not out. They were distinctly different.
“Okay, guys. It’s go time. Does anyone have any questions?” A group of servers, bussers, and back of the house staff looked back at me with excited expressions on their faces. We were opening for a special, one-night invitation-only event. Everyone coming got their meal free tonight.
Normally, we’d only be open for breakfast and lunch, but this was our Grand Opening. Our chance to work out all the kinks of service, even though I was determined that there would be no kinks. Our two small town restaurant critics would be here, as would all the who's who of Mystic Hollow. They had all said it was okay if everything didn’t go perfectly, but I knew better. If people didn’t have a great first impression of this place, we’d be ruined before we even got started.
“One question,” a waitress said.
I held my breath.
“Do we get to eat more of your great cooking after we’re done?”
I laughed. “You bet!”
My group exploded into applause, hooting, and hollering, shouting the name of the café. “Deva’s Delights! Deva’s Delights!”
Laughing, I put Harry out of my mind for the moment and focused on enjoying this achievement. This was my biggest accomplishment, outside of my girls. And I should enjoy it!
I’d reallydone it. Opened my own restaurant. And I wasn’t about to let Harry ruin even a single moment of it.
Followed by all the front of the house, I marched out of the kitchen, across the dining room, and to the front door of my small café. People milled about on the other side of the frosted glass. Their silhouettes welcomed me as I took in one last shaky breath and opened the double doors. Stepping back, I spread my arms wide. “Welcome to Deva’s Delights!”
TWO
Deva
Humming to some GNR,I stirred the batter for another batch of blackberry pancakes. It was the third batch I’d had to make. So far, my grand opening had been a huge success. All the prep work we’d done beforehand had sold within an hour of opening, which was a shock to even my most experienced staff.
Thank goodness I’d put the entire staff on the clock tonight. I had a full prep crew making more, which was where I was currently helping out. “Need more blackberries, please.”
