Page 75 of Temporarily in Love

“Brian and Kelsey can’t afford to buy it from you, but I can. So I want to buy the bar from you and keep it in the family.”

Dad rubbed a hand across his scruffy jaw and stared at me.

Time stood still as he stared at me, and I tapped my foot, waiting for him to give me an answer.

“I want it to go to someone who’ll be involved. Not someone who will go back to their life across the country and forget about it.”

I gulped. He wasn’t going to sell it to me. My dad wouldn’t sell to me because I didn’t live here.

“What if I moved back?” I blurted out.

What was I doing? Moving back to Drakesville? Did I really want that? Or did I only think I did because I wanted the bar to stay in the family?

Dad raised an eyebrow at me. “Is that what you want?”

I shrugged.

He held up a hand before I said something else. “I want the bar to stay in the family too, but I also want it with someone who’s going to be around. Someone who cares about this town and its people. It’s not just a bar, it’s a community gathering, and that’s what it’s always been.”

I swallowed the lump in my throat. I had a lot of things to think about. And I was running out of time. If I moved back, I didn’t have to let Declan go. I didn’t have to feel this ache in my chest. Because if I stayed, we could be together again.

“Think about it, honey. It’s not a decision you should take lightly.”

It certainly was not. I needed more time to consider if that was really what I wanted. If this town and the bar were what I wanted most out of my life. If Declan was what I wanted. I probably knew the answer when I kissed him again for the first time in sixteen years. But I needed to think about it before completely upending my life.

Chapter Twenty-Two

DECLAN

A smile spread across my face when I walked up to the Sullivans’ house and saw Lila standing at the front door waiting for me with Callie on her hip and Cora holding her hand. I adjusted the cape around my neck. I took a long time getting the vampire makeup right, but Lila didn’t seem mad that I was late. No, the sexy little witch and her two tiny witches looked giddy to see me.

“Uncle Declan!” Cora cheered and ran to me.

“Cora! What did we say about calling Declan your uncle?” Lila chastised.

“That he’s not,” she said. “Yet.” She muttered that last part under her breath and gave me a wink.

I picked her up and swung her around. “Who’s a little witch?” I teased her.

“Me!” she cheered.

Lila laughed. “Okay, my little witches, let’s go get your treats. Declan’s going to be our vampire escort tonight.”

I put Cora down and held out my hand to her. She took it and excitedly swung her pumpkin candy bucket in her other hand.

Lila let Callie down and took her hand. “Thanks for coming with me. I didn’t realize how hard it is to corral two kids.”

“No problem. I figured you could use the help. They both look too stinking cute.”

Lila beamed. “Thank you. They couldn’t decide, and Callie almost had a meltdown, but luckily I found witch hats for us all. So yay, Auntie Lila!”

“Such a good aunt,” I teased.

She rolled her eyes as we came up to the first house. I rang the bell and our neighbors, the Adams, fawned over the girls.

“Oh my, a visit by some witches!” Mrs. Adams fake gasped. She winked at me and Lila while she dropped fun-sized candy bars in the girls’ buckets.

“What do you say, girls?” Lila reminded them of their manners.