by Unknown
He’d asked the question once before and had been rebuffed, in what he now viewed as a near miss. He’d be forever grateful that Lisa had said no to his proposal because her rejection had led him to the love of his life. This time he had no doubt whatsoever he’d get the answer he wanted.
“So what do you want to ask me?”
“Earlier this year, when I was in New York, I had a moment alone with Patrick. I told him then I planned to propose to Cam when the time was right and asked for his blessing, which he gave me.”
Lincoln nodded in approval. “That’s the right thing to do.”
“Now that it’s actually about to happen though, I’m thinking I should let him know. Do you agree?”
Rocking back and forth, Lincoln pondered that. “It would be a nice gesture, one I’m sure he’d appreciate.”
“That’s what I’m thinking, too, so why then do I keep putting it off?”
Lincoln laughed. “Because you want to marry the man’s only child, his daughter, and it’s a scary thing to call him up and say, hey, I’m going to take her away from you forever, and I need you to be okay with that.”
“I’m not taking her away from him.”
“Aren’t you? Haven’t you already?”
“That wasn’t my intention.”
“Of course it wasn’t, but it’s the circle of life. I felt the same way asking Elmer for permission to marry his precious Molly. Like Patrick with you, he barely knew me. She’d gone away for a summer to help build houses for the poor in the South and came home with a flatlander who had lofty ideas about living overseas and getting out to see the world. And I wanted to take his daughter with me.”
“What did he say when you asked him?” Will asked, fascinated to hear this for the first time.
“He told me that despite what Molly said to the contrary, she’d never be happy anywhere but here, and that I ought to think long and hard if I felt the need to take her somewhere else in order to be happy myself.”
“So wait, you went to him planning to take her somewhere else? Away from here?”
Lincoln nodded. “I’d talked her into going to London for a couple of years, and she was on board with that. At least that’s what she told me. But then I talked to Elmer, and he made me see that she was sacrificing her own happiness to serve mine. After that conversation, I changed my mind about wanting to go to England.”
“But wait,” Will said, “what about what you wanted? Didn’t that matter?”
“Of course it did. Turns out I wanted her more than I wanted anything else, and it didn’t matter to me where we were. But it mattered to her.” Lincoln shrugged. “It was a no-brainer to change the plan to make her happy.”
“Did I ask too much of Cam by moving her up here?”
“Not at all. She loves it here. Anyone can see that. And it’s not just because you’re here, although that’s the number one reason. The place agrees with her. I know I speak for your mother as well when I tell you we couldn’t be happier to have Cameron joining our family. She’s an absolute gem, and knowing she loves you so fiercely is a tremendous comfort to us. That kind of love is all we’ve ever wanted for you—for all of you.”
“Thanks, Dad.”
“Go make that call. Your future father-in-law will appreciate the courtesy.”
“All right.” Will got up to return to his office. “Are you coming?”
“In a minute. I’m going to enjoy this beautiful day for a little while longer. I’ll be right along.”
“Okay then.” Will cut through the store and up the back stairs to the offices on the second floor. Fortunately, no one was around in the reception area, so he was able to go directly to his office without having to talk to anyone. He closed the door and sat at his desk to dial the number he’d committed to memory while he worked up the nerve to actually call it.
Will was one of three people in the world who had the private cell phone number of one of the country’s wealthiest businessmen. His daughter and personal assistant were the other two. Patrick had wanted Will to have the number in case Cameron ever needed him for any reason, and Will had been honored to be admitted into Patrick’s small inner circle.
The phone rang once before Patrick picked up. “Will? Is everything okay?”
“Everything is fine. Do you have a minute?”
“Of course. Cameron is well?”
“She’s great. She’s with my sister this afternoon. They’ve become very good friends.”
“That would be Hannah, right?”
“Yes, she’s my older sister. They’ve really hit it off.”
“I’m glad she’s making new friends up there.”
“She is, and Lucy’s here a lot now that she’s engaged to my brother.”
“Cameron is delighted to have her there, of course.”
“We all are. We never expected anyone would be willing to take on Colton and his mountain, but Lucy is equal to the challenge.”
Patrick’s hearty laugh echoed through the phone line, making Will smile and relax a little. “That she is.”
“So the reason I called … what we talked about that night at your place … I wanted to let you know I plan to propose to Cameron in the next few days.”
“Oh, well.” Patrick’s normally booming voice softened noticeably with those two words. “I’m sure she’ll be thrilled.”
“I hope so.”
“She will. You should hear the way she talks about you—as if you walk on water.”
Humbled to hear that, Will closed his eyes against the powerful punch of emotion that could still catch him off guard all these months later. “I love her, Patrick. I’ll always love her. I promise you that.”
“I know, and I’m extremely thankful she found you and is so very happy. I wish she were closer to me, but she still calls her dear old dad just about every day, so I can hardly complain.”
“We’d love to have you come visit. Anytime.” As he said the words, he tried to imagine Patrick Murphy bunking in the loft at their cabin while they shared a bed downstairs. That would certainly put a damper on the romance.
“I’ll take you up on that one of these days. I assume she’ll want to be married there.”
“We haven’t gotten that far, but we’ll let you know as soon as we have any plans.”
“Tell her to call me. After.”
“I will.”
“I appreciate the call, Will. Someday you might have a daughter of your own, and you’ll understand just how much I appreciate it.”
“I hope I get that opportunity. We’ll talk to you soon.”
“I’ll look forward to it. Good luck with the proposal. Not that you’ll need it.”
“Thank you.”
Will ended the call feeling good about the conversation with Patrick and more determined than ever to ask her sooner rather than later. The day after tomorrow he and Hunter would go to buy the ring. He’d ask her that night. He couldn’t wait.
CHAPTER 22
When Nina appeared at his door shortly after two, Hunter was ready for her. He’d pushed aside every other thought he’d rather be thinking about Megan to focus exclusively on his work for the last two hours. After another thorough scrub of the diner numbers, he was more convinced than ever that the investment was a bad idea. Despite that, he was pushing forward with the plan to acquire it anyway because that was what his grandfather wanted him to do.
Their conversation about risk had resonated with him in more ways than one. From a business standpoint, sometimes it made sense to take on a new project that had potential to pay off in the future. Not everything had to yield immediate results to be considered worthwhile.
The same could be said for his personal life. He was willing to risk everything—his heart, his well-being, his mental health—for this chance with Megan and would do whatever it took to make it work. Despite all her warnings, she was a risk well worth taking.
“Come in.” He stood when Nina stepped into his office. “Have a seat.�
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“Thanks.”
“Can I get you anything? Coffee? Water?”
“I’m good. I’ve already OD’d on coffee today.”
Hunter walked around the desk to shut the door and then returned to his seat behind the desk. “Thanks for coming over.”
“No problem. I wanted to talk to you anyway.”
“About?”
She tilted her head and offered a smile. “What do you think?”
“So my family isn’t the only one that feels the need to be overly involved.”
“No, the Abbotts don’t have the market cornered on interfering, although I imagine their sheer numbers can be somewhat intimidating.”
“Somewhat,” he said, laughing.
“All I’m going to say is that she matters very much to me, and underneath that hard exterior she shows the world is a woman who feels things deeply and hurts easily.”
“I know that. You should know I love her, and I’d never hurt her. I only want to make her happy.”
Nina blinked and shook her head as she laughed. “Okay, I didn’t see that coming.”
“Neither did I, but there you have it. I love her. I’ve loved her for quite some time, and being with her the last few days has only proven what I’ve known all along. We belong together. I’m working on convincing her of that, but I have no plans to give up.”
“She’s apt to make it difficult.”
He shrugged. “I won’t give up on her.”
“Does she know?”
“That I love her? Not yet, but she will before too much longer. I don’t believe in guessing games. I believe in absolutes—black and white. And I absolutely love her.”
“I’m sorry.” Nina sniffed and dabbed at her eyes. “I don’t mean to bawl all over you, but she’s my baby sister.”
“I understand. I have a few of those myself.”
“Yes, you do. I’m so glad to know you’ll be looking out for her when I can’t.”
“I will. You have my word on that. Even if she tells me to go to hell, I’ll still look out for her.”
“She’s not going to tell you to go to hell. She’s been walking around with a big dopey grin on her face for days now. I’ve never seen her like that before, and it’s because of you.”
Hunter couldn’t believe how happy it made him to hear Nina say that. A knot of fear he’d been carrying around in his gut seemed to loosen somewhat at that news.
“Why do you look so relieved?”
“I guess I’ve worried about this being sort of one-sided. I mean, she was so into my brother for such a long time—”
“She wasn’t into him the way you think she was. He was her fantasy. As long as she had her mind set on him, or the idea of him, she could stay removed from real entanglements. You’re the first real risk she’s taken since we lost our folks, and I hope you know what a big deal that is for her.”
“I do. I get it, and I’m being careful with her. I promise.”
“That’s all I could ever hope for.” Laughing, she pulled a tissue from her purse. “I honestly didn’t come here to cry all over you.”
“It’s more than fine,” he said, smiling at her. “I’m glad we had a chance to talk before you leave.”
“Speaking of me leaving … That’s going to be hard on her.”
“I’ll be right there for her. Whatever she needs. She won’t be alone.”
“I think I might be a little bit in love with you, Hunter.”
He laughed—hard. “If only I could hear those words from your sister.”
“You will. Give her time. She knows you’re special.”
“She’s mad at me right now because I suggested we might need to make some changes at the diner.”
“Because it’s a money pit,” Nina said knowingly.
“That’s one way to put it.”
“I’m surprised you’re still interested after reviewing the information I sent over. No one would ever accuse you of being reckless.”
“I’ll be honest with you, Nina. If it were up to me and me alone, we’d pass. But my grandfather has convinced me to give it a try, and I’m willing to do that because he asked me to.”
“I understand. Elmer is hard to resist, and I’m not his grandchild.”
“Exactly. He has a way of bending us to his will with a smile and a wink.”
“He’s adorable.”
“We love him madly, and he knows it.” Hunter cleared his throat and dove into the tricky part of the meeting. “Here’s the thing though. I can’t, in good conscience, offer to buy you out of the diner in light of what the financials and the inspection yielded.”
“Oh,” she said, deflating.
“What I am willing to do is assume the remaining mortgage and put my grandfather’s investment into making the necessary upgrades. That would relieve you of the debt and leave you free and clear of the place, but you wouldn’t make anything on the sale. I’d totally understand if that doesn’t work for you, but it’s the best I can do under the circumstances.”
“Done.”
Hunter stared at her, shocked. He’d expected her to quibble about walking away without profiting on the business she’d put so much effort into. “Really?”
“Yes! You have no idea how badly I’ve wanted out of that place. It’s been a drain on us financially, emotionally, even romantically because all Brett and I do is fight over it. We used a big chunk of my share of the insurance money from my parents to buy it, thinking it would be a nice job for me as well as a source of extra income. Except that’s not what happened at all. I work all the time, and we can’t seem to get ahead no matter what we do. I only stuck with it for as long as I did because of Megan.”
“What do you mean?”
“She’d never admit it, but she loves it there. She loves the people and the routine and the family we’ve found for ourselves among the customers we see every day.”
Hunter already figured as much from things Megan had said. It made sense that the diner customers would be like a family to the sisters who’d lost their parents at such a young age. The patrons filled a void for them, one that Megan would feel acutely if the diner were to shut down. He was more determined than ever to make sure that didn’t happen.
“She mentioned her writing to me.”
“Did she? That’s significant. She doesn’t talk about it much.”
“I want to encourage her to pursue it, but I’m not sure how.”
“You’ll be the new owner of the diner. Help her with the management so she has time to devote to her passions.”
“Plural? She has others?”
Nina laughed. “You, silly.”
For the first time in recent memory, Hunter felt his face turn bright red, which was rather embarrassing for a man of his age.
“You might just be completely perfect for her, and you’ve been right across the street all this time. It’s amazing.”
“To me as well.”
Nina stood and reached out to shake his hand.
Hunter did her one better by coming around the desk to hug her.
“Thank you for this,” she said, returning his embrace. “For all of it.”
“Trust me when I tell you it’s entirely my pleasure.”
“La la la, too much information.”
He laughed.
“We’ll have to sign stuff, I assume?”
“I’ll ask my cousin Grayson to draw up the paperwork right away. We’ll get it done before you leave.”
“Thank you again, Hunter. You’re saving my life in more ways than you know.”
“Have fun in France. We’ll take care of things here.”
“I feel much better about going than I did before.”
“We may even come to visit.”
“That’d be great. We’d love it.”
She left him with a wave, and Hunter sat back in his chair, chewing on the end of his pencil and thinking about taking Megan to France. Wouldn’t that be something? He who hadn’t t
aken a real vacation in years was suddenly coming in late to work—or not coming in at all—“forgetting” to shave and planning a trip overseas. He’d heard about life changing on a dime, but other than Caleb’s tragic death, it had never happened to him.
Until that first life-changing night with Megan, his routine had been utterly boring and completely predictable, just the way he’d thought he liked it. But she’d made him want more. She made him want to bust out of his staid existence and shake things up like he never had before.
With that in mind, he left a message for his grandfather detailing the meeting with Nina, sent an e-mail to his father and siblings about the purchase of the diner, shut down his computer, turned off the light on his desk and closed his office door behind him.
“I’m taking the rest of the day off,” he said to Mary, whose eyes bugged in surprise.
Before she could formulate a reply, he was headed down the stairs. He burst into the warm autumn sunshine, giving thanks for the clean getaway from the office. Leaving dust in his wake, he pulled out of the parking lot and headed for Megan’s house, hoping he’d find her home but willing to wait for her if she wasn’t there. He’d wait forever for her, if that’s what it took.
CHAPTER 23
Finished with work for the day, Megan returned home and went straight for the shower to wash off the stink of onions and peppers that clung to her hair and skin after hours of hustling Butch’s famous fried potatoes. The customers went nuts over them. Megan had grown to hate the smell of them even if she loved the taste.
Hoping to see Hunter later, she shaved her legs, too. Before he got a chance to touch those freshly shaven legs, however, they would be having a conversation about what he’d said earlier in regard to his plans for the diner once it changed hands.
If he expected her to be involved going forward, they were going to need to resolve a few things about what she would and would not be party to. The thought took her by surprise. Had she made a decision about staying in Butler, working at the diner and committing fully to her relationship with Hunter? When had that happened?
Still reeling from the realization, she stepped out of the shower, put her hair up in a towel and put on the cozy robe Nina had given her last Christmas. It wasn’t quite time to put on the heat, but there was a definite chill in the air this time of year. Megan loved autumn in Vermont. She loved the color and the apples and the crisp air and the bright blue skies. The only thing she didn’t love was that it led directly into the long and snowy winter.
