“Sweetie, if you open a bakery, you should hire Riley as a co-owner. She knows what she’s doing,” Dad says matter-of-factly.
“Oh, she has no choice.” Riley smiles at me.
I smile back in annoyance and feel my phone vibrating in my pocket. When I see that it’s my ex-boss calling, my heart picks up speed.
I look at everyone before saying, “I need to take this.” I gesture to my phone and walk away from the festival and noise.
“Hello?”
“Ellie! I’ve received the menu and have gone over it with the team.”
My body stiffens, and I wait for her to continue talking.
“This is a fantastic menu, Ellie. Everyone is so excited for it. Even Chef Wilson is impressed with what you’ve come up with. And you know how much of a hard ass he is when it comes to the menu.”
I let out a breath and laugh. “Thank you. I’m glad you approve.”
“Ellie. You will be missed in this kitchen. I want you to know that. I look forward to seeing what you do next. Please let me know if you will be opening a bakery. I would really love to visit and see what you’ve come up with. Can you promise me that?”
I bite down on a cry and smile. “I promise.”
sixty-three
ROWAN
“And this is the beer garden.”I walk through the back of the brewery, Dad and Amy following me.
When I reached out to them, asking if they’d like to visit for the weekend, they did not hesitate when they said yes. The kid in me bounced up and down in excitement, knowing that my dad was coming to see me.
Sometimes I think that it’s too good to be true. All of it. My dad, Ellie, my confidence. The two people that I felt were missing from my life have filled the gaping hole that was in my heart, and I’ve never felt so full until now. I never want this feeling to go away.
There is still a part of me that’s hesitant and wary. It may be like that for a long time until I realize that he’s staying for good. I’ve talked to him a lot since I saw him for the first time. He mentioned that he went to therapy for a long time to recover from what he had done. He had to work on forgiving himself.
Since then, I’ve looked into going to therapy myself. I know there is still so much that I need to work on, and I’m looking forward to it.
Dad and Amy said they were going to stay in the town's hotel, but I insisted they stay in the guest room. I was relentless, and when they arrived, I personally took their bags and brought them into the house without question.
I was nervous about Milo meeting them because he’s my best friend, and who he likes and doesn’t like determines everything. Yes, I let Milo take charge of this friendship. If he doesn’t like someone, it must be for a good reason. Right?
Then again, Milo likes everyone.
“This took me and James some time to put together. This wasn’t here initially when we opened the brewery. We knew it was something we wanted to do; we just had the pick the right time.”
I look at my dad, focusing all my attention on him, and watch every facial expression he shows. His dark blue-gray eyes round, and I feel like I see a spark of amazement in them. He places his hands on his hips and slowly walks in a circle to take everything in.
“You did this all yourself?” Dad asks.
“Yeah.” I place my hands on my hips, mimicking him like a child wanting to be just like his dad. “James and I built everything. With the help of Beau and August, of course.” I chuckle before saying, “Actually, if you look right over there, you’ll see our initials from when we poured the concrete.” I point toward the bottom of the entrance.
James and I put our initials on one side of the large sliding doors and Beau and August put theirs on the opposite side. When we walk through the entrance, we are always reminded that we did this together. We celebrated after the final completion with tacos and beer around the campfire.
Hailey, Riley, and Addie were with us. But it still felt empty without Ellie, despite me calling her and video chatting with everyone in the background. I still remember her reaction when she first saw the setup. She was in her chef’s coat, her cheeks red, and her hair wrapped tightly in a sleek bun.
Holy crap, you guys did all that? That’s amazing, Rowan. Ugh, I wish I could just fly out there now and be with you guys. I miss you all so much. Especially you.
I remember my heart tugging at that, and I gave her a lopsided smile.
I wish you were here too. It doesn’t feel the same without you.
