Prosecco and Peonies

by SJ McCoy

Grady smiled warmly at Marcos and held his hand out. “Marcos. It’s good to finally meet you. I’m Grady. Molly’s second in command.”

  Molly was relieved when Marcos smiled warmly back at him. “It’s good to finally meet you, too.”

  She smiled at them. “Okay. I need to get back to my tables.” She reached up and kissed Marcos’ cheek. I’ll come to check on you when I can.”

  ~ ~ ~

  Marcos sat down and smiled up at Grady. He’d decided before he arrived that the best approach would be to make friends with the guy. He was a big part—and an important part—of Molly’s everyday life. He had no reason to be jealous, he knew that.

  Grady smiled back at him. “What can I get you?”

  “I’ll have a glass of prosecco and what do you recommend to eat?” He smiled. “I’m working my way through the menu. So far I’ve had the filet, the lasagna, and the stuffed chicken breast. What do you like best? I’ll try that tonight.”

  Grady smiled. “You’re making an effort, aren’t you?”

  Marcos held his gaze for a moment, wondering if he was being antagonistic. He wasn’t. He seemed pleased, so Marcos nodded. “I am, yes.” He gave him a rueful smiled. “If I’m honest, I didn’t want to, but I’m in my thirties now, not my teens.”

  Grady laughed. “Molly told me I wasn’t to act like a kindergartener.”

  Marcos had to laugh with him. “She won’t stand for any shit, that’s for sure—from either of us.”

  Grady nodded. “I don’t plan to give her any, and as long as you don’t, then I think we’re good.”

  Marcos’ hackles rose a little at that. Who was this guy to tell him not to give Molly any shit? Marcos forced himself to calm down. Grady was her friend, and not only did that gave him the right to look out for her, but it also made Marcos appreciate him—if not completely like him yet. “All I plan on giving her is a long and happy life together.”

  Grady smiled. “Good. Then we won’t have any problems.”

  Marcos nodded. He wanted to be mad. He felt like Grady had come out on top of that conversation, when he should have been the one asserting his authority, as her boyfriend and hopefully soon-to-be fiancé and then husband. He couldn’t be mad, though. He was grateful that the guy was looking out for Molly. She was the one who mattered in all of this—not his ego.

  “I’ll go and get you that prosecco—and if you like the sound of it, I’d suggest the salmon.”

  “That sounds great.” He watched Grady go back into the kitchen, then spotted Molly watching him from the servers’ station and winked. He hoped she’d be proud of him.

  Grady was back with his drink in a matter of minutes. “There you are. Enjoy, and your salmon should be out soon.”

  “Thanks.” Marcos wanted to strike up a conversation, but he knew Grady was busy with other tables—maybe later when it had quieted down. He looked around the restaurant. It was the usual mix of tourists and a few locals, some dressed to the nines, some looking as though they’d just finished work. He’d only been in here a few times since Molly had taken it over. Her dad still ran it when he lived here, and he hadn’t felt right coming in whenever he was back visiting. He’d avoided it, except for the few occasions when him staying away would have been more awkward than coming in with his family and friends.

  Grady reappeared at his table with bread rolls. “I’m sorry. I forgot to bring these out.”

  “Thanks. That’s okay.”

  Grady stood there longer than he needed to, and Marcos looked up at him. “Something to say?”

  Grady smiled. “It just occurred to me to ask. If you two work things out, you don’t plan to take her away, do you—back to Italy?”

  Marcos almost bit his tongue. He wasn’t sure if Grady knew and was having a dig at him, or if he had no idea how dumb his question was. He knew he had to react as if it were the latter. “No. There’s no question of that at all. If she’ll have me, it’ll be on her terms, right here.”

  Grady looked puzzled. “I sense there’s a reason for that?”

  Marcos had to chuckle. “You can say that again.” For some reason, he was pleased that Grady didn’t know his history with Molly. Maybe it meant that she wasn’t all that close to Grady. Maybe it meant she hadn’t deemed Marcos important enough to talk about. Or maybe he was relieved that this guy didn’t know how foolish he’d been.

  “Okay, that’s good to know.”

  “Why did you ask?”

  “Selfish reasons. It just dawned on me that this place might not be around forever—in which case, neither would my job and I’ve been thinking of this as long term.”

  Marcos smiled. “There’s nothing for you to worry about in that respect. This place is Molly’s life. It’s more important to her than anything else. She’d never close it down or leave.”

  They both turned at the sound of Molly’s voice. “One salmon filet coming through.” She edged Grady out of the way and set the plate in front of Marcos.

  “Are you two all right?”

  “Yes.” They both answered at once.

  She eyed them suspiciously—first Grady, then Marcos.

  Marcos smiled at her. “We’re good, we’re getting along. I was just reassuring Grady that you and this place will be here forever.”

  She narrowed her eyes at him.

  “This place is your purpose in life, your destiny.” He smiled at her, but she didn’t smile back.

  “I need to get to my tables.” She turned on her heel and left.

  Grady gave Marcos a puzzled look.

  Marcos shrugged. He’d thought he was letting her know that he understood how important Molly’s was to her, but somehow, he seemed to have pissed her off instead.

  She stayed busy with her own tables for the rest of the evening and only stopped by to check on him a couple of times. She smiled and seemed okay, but she was different. He didn’t know what he’d said wrong, but he knew something was wrong.

  Grady was great, coming back to check his salmon was good, topping up his water whenever it needed it. He even came over to stand by his booth when he had a quiet minute. “I’m sorry for whatever happened.”

  Marcos smiled. “Don’t be. I don’t think you did anything wrong. I think it was me, but I don’t know what it was.”

  Grady chuckled. “It’s funny if you think about it. She was worried about us not getting along, and now we’re teaming up in the face of her getting mad about something.”

  Marcos gave a half-hearted laugh. He could see the irony, but he couldn’t wait for the evening to be over, so he could take her home and find out what was wrong.

  By the time the last customers had left, it was almost eleven. Marcos had moved to a seat at the bar. He’d tried to make himself useful the first night he was here, but Molly ran a tight ship. Everyone knew what they had to do and got on with it. Having an amateur bumbling around only slowed them down.

  Molly gave him a smile as she went behind the bar and started cashing out. Grady came up behind her and winked at Marcos before he spoke. “If you want to take care of the cash, I can handle everything else. Why don’t the two of you get out of here, and I’ll close up.”

  She turned to look at him, then at Marcos. “Okay, thanks.”

  Marcos wasn’t sure if he was glad Grady had offered. He knew he was only trying to help, but he also knew he was about to find out what Molly’s problem had been this evening.

  “Do you want to leave your car here?” he asked as they walked out into the small staff parking lot around back. “I can drop you off in the morning.”

  “Okay.”

  Once they were in the car, he turned to look at her before he started the engine. “Whatever I did wrong, I’m sorry.”

  She sighed and then smiled at him. “You shouldn’t have to be. I’m sorry. I shouldn’t have been off with you all evening. What you said just caught me wrong.”

  “What? What did I say?”

  “Y
ou told Grady that this place is more important to me than anything else.”

  He frowned. “I honestly thought that you’d be pleased that I understand that.”

  She sighed again. “I’m not pleased. I’m kind of upset, and I’m kind of mad at myself—and none of it’s your fault.”

  Now he was really confused.

  She reached across and touched his cheek. “I know you don’t get it. Let me explain. When you wanted to go back to Sicily, you asked me to go with you. I stupidly convinced myself that you didn’t really want me to go—and you knew that I wouldn’t because I wouldn’t leave Molly’s. I’ve been mad at you all these years because you left me to go back and take care of your family business. Why should I be mad at you when I put my family business ahead of us too?”

  He stared at her, still not understanding what she was getting at.

  “When I heard you tell Grady tonight that Molly’s is more important to me than anything else, I realized that it was, back then. Even if I thought you really wanted me to go with you, I wouldn’t have been able to leave it. But I realize now that I’ve changed, just like you have. I want us. I want the life we thought we were going to live, and if I had to give up the restaurant in order to have that life, then I would.”

  He stared at her for a long moment.

  She smiled. “I know you thought I was mad at you tonight. I wasn’t. I was mad at myself. I couldn’t explain how I feel quickly between taking orders. I had to wait until now. But, Marcos, I need you to know. I love you. I do trust you. And I’m prepared to do whatever it takes to be with you.”

  A warm wave of happiness bubbled up in his chest, and he leaned across to wrap his arms around her.

  She hugged him tight and buried her face in his neck. “You’ve been so patient with me, and I’ve been blind. I don’t want to wait any longer. Will you come back to my place with me tonight—and stay, move in with me. Let’s make it our place, or if you don’t want to, we can look for something else.”

  He slid his fingers into her hair and tilted her head back, so she was looking up into his eyes. “Yes, I’ll move in with you. Nothing would make me happier. Let’s make your place our place—for now, at least.”

  She nodded happily. “You never know, it might grow on you.”

  He chuckled. “If you want to stay there, we will. I meant what I said. I don’t care where we live as long as it’s together.”

  Chapter Twelve

  The next few weeks went by in a blur. Marcos moved into the house with her, and it felt natural. It felt like this was where they were always supposed to have been.

  They fell into an easy routine. He got up before she did and made breakfast. They ate together before he drove her to work. He usually came into the restaurant at lunchtime, and she ate with him on her break. He came back in the evening. He didn’t always stay for dinner; sometimes he sat at the bar and waited to take her home. She enjoyed seeing him with Grady. They chatted and laughed, and she was glad for both of them that they had another man’s company since most of her staff was female.

  She felt bad that he’d only stayed in the house he’d rented for such a short time, but he assured her it wasn’t a problem. He seemed to be comfortable at her house. They’d turned one of the spare rooms into an office for him, and he spent most of his days in there, working whatever magic he worked with cryptocurrencies and all the trading stuff that made no sense to her.

  So far, they’d stayed home, content to enjoy each other’s company on her days off, but this week, they’d agreed to meet up with the others. They hadn’t seen Cam and Piper since they came back from their honeymoon, and Chelsea had threatened that if they didn’t come out soon, she was going to invite everyone over to Molly’s house for a barbecue.

  She was sitting out on her little patio, enjoying her coffee while Marcos checked his numbers. She didn’t understand how it all worked. He’d tried to show her a couple of times, but her mind didn’t work like that. She did understand what all those zeroes meant, though. She’d had no idea that he was making that kind of money. She knew he’d made a lot, but in her world, a lot meant clearing six figures a year—not seven figures in just a few weeks, which was what Marcos had done—several times over.

  She looked up at the sound of the patio door opening. He leaned in the doorway and smiled at her. “I thought I might find you here.”

  “It’s my happy place.”

  He came and sat down beside her. “This is mine.”

  She smiled and leaned her head against his shoulder. “We’re there, aren’t we? We’ve made it. We’re back together.”

  He nodded happily. “I believe so. I hope so with all my heart.”

  “I’m sure we’ll hit roadblocks, but we’ll work around them—or through them.”

  He laughed. “Or over them or under them or whatever it takes. I’m not giving you up again.”

  “Good. You’re stuck with me now.”

  He looked so hopeful as he looked into her eyes. “Forever?”

  She knew what he meant. Was she ready to marry him? “Forever,” she answered with a smile. They’d only been back together for a couple of months, but it was right. She’d waited her whole life to be with him; she didn’t see the point in waiting any longer when they both knew it was right. It wouldn’t be smooth sailing, she knew that, but she didn’t believe there was anything now that could make her not want to be with him. Her only hesitation about them getting back together had been that he might leave her and break her heart all over again. She was as certain as a person could ever be about their partner that he wouldn’t do that. And it didn’t matter anyway. The thought of them not starting their life together now was more painful than the thought of starting it and having it fall apart. Yes, that would break her heart, but at least she’d have made the most of a second chance.

  He lowered his head and claimed her mouth in a kiss. He always kissed her like she was his; this time even more so. It was a kiss that sealed their future. She could feel it. When he lifted his head, she leaned back. He’d taken her breath away and left her dizzy. Wow.

  He looked concerned. “Are you all right? You’ve gone pale.”

  She smiled. “You left me all light-headed.”

  “Do you want to lie down?”

  She laughed. “Yes, if you’re coming with me.” She was joking around, but she was starting to feel terrible. She brought her hand up to her forehead. It felt cold and clammy.

  “Seriously, Molly. Are you okay?”

  “I think so. I feel a bit dizzy and woozy.”

  “Can you stand? Do you want me to help you to the bedroom?”

  She got to her feet, but had to grab his arm, she felt so dizzy.

  He frowned and scooped her up in his arms.

  “Ooh!” she chuckled. “My hero!”

  He carried her through to the bedroom and gently set her down on the bed. “Do you want me to get you anything? A glass of water? Should I call the doctor?”

  “No. I’m fine. It’ll pass in a minute, I’m sure.”

  He took hold of her hand and stroked it. “I hope so, but if it doesn’t, I’m taking you to the doctor.”

  She made a face, wanting to tell him that it was nothing—but it was something, all right. It was a wave of nausea that hit her hard. She let go of his hand and scrambled off the bed, only just making it to the bathroom in time.

  “Are you okay?”

  To her horror, Marcos was standing in the doorway watching her throw up. “Go away! I’m fine. The worst that’s going to happen is that I’ll die of shame from you watching!”

  “Okay, but I’ll be right outside if you need me.”

  “Go. Away,” she said as forcefully as she could before another wave took her.

  It was a good fifteen minutes before she risked getting up. It seemed to have passed as quickly as it came. She felt fine now—other than a desperate need to brush her teeth and an acute case of embarrassme
nt. As soon as she ran her toothbrush under the faucet, there was a tap on the door.

  “Are you okay in there?”

  “I am, I promise. I’m all better now. Give me a minute, and I’ll be right out.” She needed to at least brush her teeth, wash her face, and put on some fresh eyeliner before she could face him.

  She opened the door slowly. He was sitting on the edge of the bed looking worriedly at the bathroom. He got straight to his feet.

  “I’m okay, really. I don’t know what it was, but it’s gone now.”

  He didn’t look convinced. “Are you sure?”

  “As sure as I can be. It just came out of the blue. I got dizzy, got sick, threw up, and now I’m fine again.” She smiled up at him, hoping to reassure him—and hoping that the toothpaste and mouthwash had done their job.

  “Okay, if you say so. But I think we should stay here. I don’t think you should go out anywhere in case it comes back.”

  She laughed. “We can’t. Chelsea’s threatened that if we don’t go out, she’ll just bring everyone here—and she’ll do it, you know what she’s like.”

  Marcos smiled. “She’s a little madam, is what she is. But this time I might like her idea. Let them all come here—if you don’t mind. That way if you don’t feel well, you only have a few steps to go to your own bed.” He gave her a sheepish smile. “Or your own bathroom.”

  Molly cringed. “I can’t believe you saw me throw up!”

  He shook his head. “Don’t worry about it. I’m sure I’ll see a lot worse over the years.”

  She had to laugh. “Sorry, that might mean a lot when we’re in our eighties and have seen and done it all together. Right now, it’s just embarrassing.”

  He rubbed her shoulder. “You’ll get over it.”

  ~ ~ ~

  Marcos flipped the burgers. He’d called Chelsea and told her that she should go ahead and do as she’d threatened—invite everyone over to Molly’s for a barbecue. She’d laughed at first, thinking he was calling her bluff, but when he’d explained that Molly wasn’t feeling so great, she’d stepped up and helped him organize getting everyone over—and bringing enough supplies that no one would go hungry. Now she was sitting with Molly, chatting with Mary Ellen and Piper.