I stood there, stunned, not able to say a single word.
“Did I miss something?” Chase asked. “Did he just say he’s giving this place to us?”
“That’s what the man said,” Lucas answered. “I’ve been busy this week. I had my people look for restaurants that were up for sale, and Emilio’s rose to the top of our choices. He’s been holding out for the right person to buy, and when I told him your story, he knew you two were the ones he wanted to take over.”
My mouth fell open. “Lucas . . . I can’t believe you . . . Wow.” I laughed, looking around at everything. “This place is amazing. You shouldn’t have—”
“I know this isn’t your father’s restaurant,” Lucas said, “but let me do this for you. Let me do what should have been done a long time ago.”
The waterworks began again, and I wiped away a tear, wondering if this would be the last time today but knowing it wouldn’t. “You didn’t have to do this. It’s too much.”
“No,” he said. “You and Chase deserve to be here. I want to come back one day and eat one of Chase’s infamous pizzas and listen to you play your violin.” He smiled mischievously. “Not the loud, hyper song you played that one time. You can play the soft melody I heard you play outside.”
Heartache burned my throat, and I couldn’t speak, but I still tried to smile because I knew he wanted to make me happy.
“Somebody clue me in, please,” Chase said, sounding completely confused. “Why are you giving us this restaurant?”
“I’ll fill you in later,” I said, nudging him in the ribs. “It’s a long story.”
Chase gave me a look like he wanted answers now, but I gave him one right back indicating he’d have to wait.
“If you say so,” he finally said, giving me a skeptical expression, glancing between Lucas and me as if one of us held the answer.
“Emilio wants to retire,” Lucas said, “but he’s agreed to stay on as long as you need. He’ll train both of you, and his staff will remain, including the chef.”
“Mr. Armstrong is a very generous man,” Emilio said. “Not only did he pay me top dollar for the restaurant, he offered me a salary to train you. He’s even going to send me to Italy to see relatives once you feel comfortable running the place on your own.”
Lucas glanced away, looking embarrassed. “I’m a businessman, and I paid what this place is worth. That’s all.”
Emilio took us on a tour, and the entire time, my heart felt like it would burst. Memories of working in the restaurant with my father surfaced, and I found myself feeling sentimental. I wanted to laugh and cry all at once. That messy ball of emotion was back, forcing me in all different directions. As Emilio showed us new aspects of the restaurant, I had to stop and thank the Lord for all He’d done, but my prayers turned pleading as well. I didn’t know how I was going to say goodbye to Lucas, and I just kept asking God to help me deal with the inevitable loss I was about to feel.
“I’ll expect to see you later this week,” Emilio said, glancing at both Chase and me. “I can’t wait to start training you and getting to know your strengths.”
We thanked him and walked back to the car. I glanced at Lucas. “I still can’t believe you did that.”
“Do you like it?” he asked, seeming concerned.
“Are you kidding me? I love it. The place is amazing. I can’t tell you how grateful I am, Lucas. You didn’t have to do it, but I’m so thankful you did.”
His shoulders relaxed. “I’m glad you like it.”
As Chase walked on ahead of us, I lowered my voice. “I’d give you another hug, but that’s probably not a good idea.” I said it with a lighthearted grin, trying to joke around and keep the mood light. I knew there would be a goodbye soon, but I wasn’t prepared to deal with it.
“No, you’re right. That’s not a good idea.” He swallowed, not looking amused at all. “Because if I take you in my arms, I might not let you go, and then I’d have some explaining to do with your brother.”
“When you say things like that—”
He reached forward and swiped a thumb across my cheek. “Let’s not say anything else. We both know how hard this is.”
I nodded. He was right. I was only making it more difficult with my comments about hugging him. What was wrong with me?
We got back in the car, and Sam headed out. Chase and I discussed the restaurant in quiet tones in the back while Sam and Lucas carried on a conversation up front. We hadn’t been driving long when Sam suddenly made a turn into a neighborhood I didn’t recognize, and he parked in front of a large blue Victorian house, trimmed in crisp white.
“Where are we?” I asked, leaning across Chase to look out the window on his side.
“This is your new home,” Lucas said, getting out of the car.
Chase and I looked at each other with wide eyes. “He didn’t,” I said.
“All right, you need to start explaining,” Chase said.
“He’s doing this out of a sense of obligation. I’ll share more later.” I took his hand. “Just trust me on this, okay?”
He nodded, and we both got out of the vehicle, joining Lucas and Sam on the front porch. Sam was grinning from ear-to-ear, while Lucas continued to hold that reserved expression he’d had since we’d left the restaurant.
“What’s going on?” I asked.
Lucas put a set of keys in my hand. “It’s yours now.”
My eyes teared up . . . again. Being this emotional, one would think it was that time of the month, but I couldn’t blame hormones this time. “You don’t have to do this. I know you feel bad about what happened but—”
“It’s already been done. It belongs to you now.”
“But don’t houses have to go through escrow?”
“This house has been empty for a while. The owner agreed to let you rent in the meantime, but I took care of what’s owed.”
“Lucas, we can’t accept this. You’ve done too much. I don’t want you to feel obligated—”
“Yes, you can accept it. You promised to let me take care of you, and I expect you to keep that promise.”
“I pictured you giving me a loan for this month’s rent, not buying me a house and a restaurant.”
“It’s what I want to do,” he said. “Please don’t get in the way of that.”
“I told you not to go overboard.” I gestured to the house. “This is the definition of going overboard.”
He laughed. “Hardly. This is nothing.” He nodded towards the doorway. “Come on. Check it out.”
We followed him, and he showed me which key to use to unlock the door. The inside was spacious and homey with lots of windows, and it was decked out with furniture, looking like it belonged on the cover of a magazine. A decorator had definitely been there taking care of the details. After touring the home, we walked out back. There was a huge lawn with green grass, several trees, and a rose garden on one side. A detached garage was located to the left, and the door was up, revealing a bright red Volkswagen Beetle. My hands flew to my mouth. He’d remembered our conversation when I’d said I wanted a red bug one day.
“You’ve got the key to the car in your hands,” Lucas said, stepping over. He took my hand in his own and lifted the key. “It’s this one.”
My heart rate picked up at his touch, and when our eyes met, that connection between us sparked. For a moment, I couldn’t breathe. I could only stare at him with a wistful expression. Pulling myself together, I stepped back, needing some space. “I’m blown away by your generosity, Lucas, but you shouldn’t have done this. You don’t owe us anything.”
He reached forward and smoothed a lock of hair behind my ear. “It’s not enough.”
“We’ll be fine in my apartment. Give this to someone who really needs it.”
Chase cleared his throat. “Um, I think we need it, Aria. Stop trying to convince the man to give it away.”
I glared at him. “No, we don’t need it.”
Lucas smiled for the first ti
me since we’d gotten there. “Stop being so stubborn and listen to your brother.”
The look on my face must have shown my hesitancy because he took my hand in his own and whispered close to my ear, “Do it for me. Please.”
His eyes were filled with sorrow, and I knew if I didn’t accept his gifts, he would continue to feel guilt over what his father did.
“Okay, we’ll accept. Thank you, Lucas. Thank you for all you’ve done for me. You provided a job when I needed it most, and you’ve been so kind to me, I don’t know how to thank you.”
I hadn’t intended on hugging him, but it just sort of happened. It was a reflex, the only way I knew to convey what his generosity meant to me. We stood like that for a long moment, holding each other, not wanting to let go. Sam engaged my brother in conversation, and I was thankful for that. It was awkward enough saying goodbye in front of the others.
Lucas pulled away and then at the last moment, brushed his lips against my temple. “Goodbye, Aria. I . . .” He closed his eyes for a second. “I want you to be happy. Don’t forget, you promised to go on that date with Mason.”
I smoothed out my expression, trying to be strong. It was too hard to speak, so I just nodded.
Lucas turned to Sam. “We need to go.” The two of them walked through the front of the house to the car out front, but I couldn’t follow. I couldn’t watch him drive away. It seemed too final.
It felt like a piece of my heart was walking away, and I would never get it back.
Chapter 23
Aria
The restaurant was filled with wall-to-wall customers, and a large number waited in the front lobby as well. It was a Friday night, and I had already put in a full day’s work since I’d come in early to be trained by Emilio. My brother was back in the kitchen assisting the chef, and I was walking around, talking to the customers like my dad used to do.
Emilio had a similar style, and I liked that his friendly manner filtered down to his staff. He reminded me of my dad in some ways. Since I once was a waitress, I understood how easy it was for employee morale to drop, but from everything I’d seen so far, the staff seemed happy, and the work environment appeared to be such that everyone felt respected. I vowed to keep it that way because I knew how awful it was when management played favorites.
Emilio had been working with Chase and me on the managerial side of things, and because he was such a good teacher, we were starting to get into a daily groove. I quickly learned that I had to be at the top of my game to manage this restaurant. It was a lot of work, but it was also a lot of fun.
And I was thankful. So thankful. In my wildest dreams, I hadn’t expected to have a second chance at something like this. I imagined my father was smiling down on us from heaven, and sometimes I heard his voice. Not his actual voice. But what he would have said in a particular situation.
Aria, be accountable for your mistakes. Never be afraid to apologize.
A happy customer is a repeat customer.
I can and I will.
And my personal favorite: You get what you work for, not what you wish for.
Each night, I got out my violin and performed to my heart’s content for thirty minutes or more. Emilio said business had been up since I’d started doing that, and he was right, there was rarely an empty seat during the dinner hour. I was glad for that, but I didn’t do it to increase business. I did it because it brought back good memories of when I played in my dad’s restaurant and how proud he’d been of me.
I wasn’t trying to recreate those days. They were gone, and I knew that. But I wanted to use what my father taught us, along with the new things we learned from Emilio, to make our restaurant the best it could be. Chase and I both wanted to succeed, and we were motivated to give it everything we had.
Several weeks had passed since Lucas and I parted ways, and I wanted to say things had gotten easier over time.
But honestly, things had not gotten easier.
In fact, my feelings had only intensified and that concerned me.
Sometimes a wave of emotion washed over me, and it was so strong, it nearly knocked me over with its weight. I would get this panicky sensation like I’d lost something really important and had to find it or the world would end.
Maybe that sounded overly dramatic, but it was real. When those times hit, I’d take a break and step outside, say a prayer and concentrate on breathing in and out.
I did my best to keep my thoughts off of Lucas, but it wasn’t easy. He was always there . . . just on the edge of my consciousness.
Thankfully, my work schedule kept me busy, and that was a huge blessing. If I’d had a lot of time to sit at home, I wasn’t sure what would have become of me. It took everything I had to fight against depression—not because I was dissatisfied with my life as it was, but because I longed for that one missing piece.
“What are you still doing here?” Emilio said, taking hold of my elbow and giving me a slight nudge towards the exit. “You have a date.” He motioned for me to go with a huge grin on his face.
He knew about the date because Mason had come to see the restaurant a couple weeks ago, and he’d reminded me in front of everyone that I owed him a night out. I was pretty sure he’d done that on purpose so there’d be no getting out of it.
“It’s too busy right now. I should probably cancel.”
“You can’t do that. I saw the way that boy looked at you. He’ll be crushed if you don’t go out with him.” He hesitated. “There was only one other person who’s looked at you like that—Mr. Armstrong.” He eyed me curiously. “Whatever happened between you two?”
My posture fell and my heart squeezed in my chest. “We were just friends. That’s all it was.”
“Huh.” He put a hand on his chin. “I could have sworn . . .” He shrugged. “Anyway, go have a good time with Mason. I’ll give Chase a ride home.”
“I’ll try. And thanks.”
I walked out to the parking lot and slid into my red Beetle, which I loved by the way, and pulled out onto the street.
I would try to have a good time, but things had been a little uncomfortable with Mason once I’d gotten back. He and I used to spend a lot of time together, but between putting in a lot of hours at the restaurant and having my brother back home, we hadn’t seen as much of each other. Understandably, Chase had taken up a lot of my free time. He was my priority, and I’d made that clear to Mason. Even so, I still made time for him because he was my friend, but the dynamic between us had changed. He was no longer content to let things stay the way they had been, and I was uneasy about taking the friendship to another level. I blamed it on my concern for Chase. He needed me to have his back more than ever.
Chase was getting back on track, but it hadn’t been easy for him, and I was determined to be the support he needed. He was even busier than I was since he had weekly therapy and support groups. On the side, he was studying to get his GED. He also had a monthly appointment with his probation officer. I’d been disappointed to find out he’d been arrested during a drug raid before he went into rehab, but the district attorney waived jail time if he agreed to go for treatment. That was how he’d ended up in rehab to begin with. In a way, it was a blessing he’d gotten in trouble with the law. Without that push for treatment, he might still be on the street.
He confessed that he’d been a Meth addict, and he’d dabbled with a few other drugs as well. It had started back in high school when he got involved with the wrong crowd. He ran away because he didn’t want his lifestyle to hurt the family he was living with. That was the Chase I remembered—always thinking of others before himself. I was just thankful he hadn’t been abused. That was something that had worried me for years.
He told me he’d meant to get in contact with me once he got clean and pulled himself together, but he became so embroiled in the lifestyle of an addict that he’d thought of only one thing: his next fix.
By the time he realized how long it had been since we’d spoken, he didn’t know
how to find me. He beat himself up frequently for his lack of communication with me. I had to keep assuring him it was okay, that God broke through all of that and brought us back together, anyway. I made him promise he’d never do it again, and I told him that if he did, I’d kick his butt.
When I got home, I showered and cleaned myself up, praying God would help me to have an open mind towards Mason. He was a good guy. A really good guy. I just needed to stop comparing him to Lucas.
The doorbell rang and I answered. It was Mason, dressed in a black blazer and dark jeans, his hair gelled and styled back. “You look beautiful,” he said.
“Thank you.” But instead of being lifted up by the compliment, it made me want to further retreat into my shell. That wasn’t a good sign, but I pushed against my natural inclination to shut down and put on a happy smile. “Are you ready?”
“I’ve been ready for weeks, my dear. And I’m more than ready to make this the best night of your life.”
He extended his elbow and I linked my arm through his. We walked to his car, and a deep ache settled in my chest because I wanted to be doing this with Lucas.
Cut it out, Aria. Stop thinking about him.
I would give Mason the chance he deserved. Tonight would be all about him and me.
And no one else.
Not even Lucas, who was probably busy wooing the next woman on his father’s list at this very moment.
It was time to forget about him.
Chapter 24
Lucas
I walked out of Emilio’s restaurant with a heavy heart.
My plan had been to stop by to see how Aria and Chase were doing, only Aria wasn’t there tonight. Emilio said she’d gone on a date. The one I’d made her promise to go on with that friend of hers. Emilio had looked at me with curiosity before he’d told me where she was, and if I hadn’t been mistaken, he seemed a little protective of her. Almost wary of my intentions.
The Ruthless Billionaire: A Clean Billionaire Romance (California Elite) Page 18
