He nods, a small smile crossing his lips. Accommodating someone’s dietary restriction is no big deal, and I hate that he expects it to be.
So far, he’s handled every single one of her questions with a steady confidence. He doesn’t oversell himself or try too hard. He just answers honestly and meets her protective older sister energy with respectful patience.
It’s been surprisingly… nice.
And that’s a problem. It’s making it hard for me to remember that although he introduced himself as my boyfriend, heisn’t. This isfake. A few months of pretending, of playing house, of telling myself the butterflies in my stomach are good at acting.
The truly pathetic part? The more time we spend together, the more I catch myself forgetting it’s not real.
I take a deep breath and let it out slowly. I don’t have the bandwidth to stress out about a fake relationship that feels a little too realandtelling my sister about Crumb & Co. While I’ve been participating in the conversation around me throughout brunch, paying extra special attention to the details of the called-off wedding, my mind keeps circling back to the idea of telling Amelia about my new space. I could go for it. See how it goes. This could be a trial run. It’ll give me an idea of how the rest of my family will react. She won’t yell at me for making a dumb financial decision in public, right? And if she tries, Cameron will go postal. That’s not ideal, but it would save me a lecture.
I take a deep breath, willing the nervous flutter in my stomach to abate. There’s no time like the present, I suppose. Besides, if I don’t say it now, I’ll spend the rest of brunch spiraling.
Cameron drags his thumb against my skin, slow and steady, his touch calming me, draining away some of the anxiety.
I can do this. It’s just Amelia. She’s always had my back, even when we’ve butted heads. There’s no reason to think she won’t now. And Cameron’s right here.
“I signed a three-year lease on a commercial pastry kitchen to expand Crumb & Co.,” I blurt, the words running together.
The admission hangs in the air for a beat.
Leo takes a sip of his coffee, looking at Amelia, but her focus is fixed on me. She’s analyzing my words like they’re data on an excel sheet. “You what?”
I swallow past the lump in my throat and force myself to keep going before I lose my nerve. “I tried to get a business loan first—did all the paperwork, put together a whole presentation. You’d actually be really proud.” A nervous laugh bubbles out of me. “But the bank rejected me because of my credit score.” The admission makes my cheeks burn, but I power through. “So Cameron invested instead and—sorry, let me clarify that I’m not fucking him in return for the investment. They’re unrelated?—”
Cameron chokes on a bite of pancake, his eyes bugging out as he coughs.
I hand him his water but don’t get a thank you.Fair enough.
“What Kennedy is saying in an extremely untactful way,” he says when he can speak again, “is that I see the value in what she’s building. I think—no, Iknow—she’s a good bet. My business decision is unrelated to our personal relationship.”
Amelia opens her mouth and closes it again like she’s trying to find the right words, but it’s Leo who speaks up. “That’s amazing, Kennedy. Congrats. When does the lease start?”
“It started a few months ago actually,” I admit, fidgeting with my earring as heat creeps up my neck.
“A few months?” Amelia squeaks out, eyes wider than a cartoon character’s.
“I should’ve told you sooner, I just—” I nibble on my lower lip, ducking. “I didn’t want you to think I was being impulsive or reckless or that I hadn’t thought it through. I didn’t want you to think I was making a mistake.”
The silence at the table is deafening. So much so that even Hope has stopped shoveling her eggs into her mouth and is looking from one adult to the next.
“Her business plan is good. Really fu—freaking good,” Cameron says, voice even. He for sure gets brownie points for not swearing in front of Hope. “Not being approved for a loan through a traditional lender doesn’t mean she’s not capable of running a successful business. She pivoted and found alternative financing, which is what entrepreneurs do. She?—”
“Cameron, while it’s very sweet that you’re defending, Kennedy,” Amelia says, her words staccato, “you don’t need to.”
His face stays a hard mask. “You’re pissed, and I won’t let your feelings ruin what Ken?—”
“I’m very pissed, but not for the reasons you think.” She holds up her hand, cutting him off but focusing on me. “I’mpissedthat you signed a lease on a pastry kitchen and felt like you had to keep it a secret because you thought I’d tell you it was a mistake. I’mpissedthat I’ve watched you work your butt off in that home kitchen of yours, turning out cake after cake, building an incredible business, and yet I made you feel like you couldn’t tell me this huge, exciting news. I made you feel like I wouldn’t be proud of you.”
A tear crests her lashes, but she bats it away.
“I’m pissed that I haven’t ever told you what I thought you already knew. That you’re so brave. That I’m proud of you forchasing your dreams. It wasalwaysthe right choice.” Her voice cracks slightly. “So yes, I’m pissed, but at myself. You? I’m nothing but amazed by you, Kenn.”
My throat burns, and tears come fast and hot, blurring my vision, making Amelia’s face swim in front of me.
She’s amazed by me.
The me who couldn’t get a bank loan. The me with the law school debt and no corner office or impressive title. The me who measures her success in dozens of cupcakes and five-star reviews from strangers on the internet.
