“I like it,” I declare.
“Good, because I actually already put a deposit down.” She holds up a key to the place.
“Seriously? A deposit. How did you know that I’d like it?”
She’s furrows her brow and gives me a look like I’m from another planet. “You’re kidding, right? I know you haven’t been around much lately, but I still know you better than you know yourself.”
“And you’re sure we can afford this? You talked to the Wilde brothers?”
She nods. “I didn’t just talk with Harley and Jake. I also talked with Cooper and Riley. Cooper even helped me put together a quick business plan. And there’s one more thing…”
My eyes narrow. “What’s that?”
“We also have a potential business partner.”
“Who?” I can’t help but be suspicious after everything I’ve just gone through.
“Max Elliot,” she states, as if it’s the most normal thing in the world.
“Sam’s brother? Why? How?” To say I’m shocked would be an understatement.
“I ran into Izzy Grant. Believe it or not she’s dating Sam’s brother, Max.”
“I don’t believe it.” We went to high school with Izzy. She was voted Most Likely to Kill Herself.
“I’m serious.”
“Izzy hates men.”
My sister shakes her head. “That’s not exactly true. Izzy hates women too. She’s an equal opportunity hater. I guess she has a soft spot for goofy beach boys.”
I’ve only met Max Elliot a few times. He’s not what you’d expect for a guy in Old Town. He doesn’t drive a pickup truck, wear cowboy boots or even old jeans. He always looks like he was headed for the beach and somehow took a wrong turn and ended up in Old Town. In a weird way it makes sense that he’d end up with Izzy. Even though she’s lived in Old Town her whole life she’s never quite fit in either.
“Why does Max Elliot want to be our partner?” I ask.
“Because he runs a business that takes place at night. We’ll probably only be serving until early afternoon. He needs a place to meet with his customers. And we’ve got space.”
“What kind of customers?” It’s difficult for me to imagine what kind of business someone like Max would run in Old Town. It’s not like a surf shop would do much business in rural New Jersey. We’re nowhere near the shore.”
“He does ghost tours.”
“Seriously? There are ghosts in Old Town?”
Suzie laughs. “I don’t know whether there are ghosts or not. I’ve never given the idea a lot of thought. But there are a lot of old buildings and history here. And apparently there are a lot of guests at the resort who are willing to pay him for whatever it is you do on a ghost tour. I guess he’s been meeting with his groups in Izzy’s antique shop but the tours have gotten so big they’ve outgrown her back room.”
I shrug. “Why not? Maybe the ghost busters will come back the next morning for breakfast.”
Suzie shakes the keys at me. “Want to go inside and look around?”
I grab the keys out of her hand. “Of course I do.”
***
It feels strange to be back at our apartment after getting used to all the space at the lake house. Our place seems even more cramped and meager in comparison.
“Hasn’t changed much,” I comment as I throw my bags on the floor.
“I missed you.” Suzie grabs me and gives me a hug. “I know this isn’t much compared to the mansion you were living in, but I’m glad you’re back.”
“I missed you too.”
“We have a lot to look forward to. And we’ve got a lot of work ahead of us if we want to get that place up and running soon. I quit my job at Tawnee Mountain so I could devote all my time to our restaurant.”
“And it’s not like I have a job, so you know I’ve got the time.”
“I think we can have it up and running in a few weeks.”
I raise an eyebrow. “That’s optimistic.”
“Izzy and Max said they’d help.”
“Still maybe a tad bit optimistic.”
“You’ve got to have goals.”
Before I have a chance to respond there’s a knock on our door. We both look at each other.
“Expecting someone?” I ask.
Suzie shakes her head.
We make our way to the door and I answer it. I’m a little surprised to see Austin standing there with his hands in his pockets looking about as lost as I feel.
“Can I come in?”
I nod and move so he can enter our apartment.
“How did you get our address?” Suzie asks. She’s looking at Austin like he’s just kicked a puppy. We’ve always been protective of each other and she’s definitely not pleased with Austin right now.
“Drew gave it to me. From the contracts Mazzy signed.” Then he looks at me. “Can we talk?”
I nod then turn to Suzie. “Can you give us a few minutes?”
“I’ll be in the bedroom if you need me.” She gives Austin a threatening look which says: If you hurt my sister I’ll hurt you even worse, then exits into the bedroom.
Austin removes a letter from his pocket and shows it to me. “I was going to give you this letter I wrote, but then I thought it would be better to tell you in person.”
“People still write letters?” I tease, trying to release some of the tension in the air.
“If they do I hope they’re better than this one.” He stuffs the letter back in his pocket.
When he takes my hand my first instinct is to pull away but Austin has a tight grip. And the truth be told I like the way he feels. I already miss it.
“I care about you a lot. More than I ever thought I would. More than I’ve ever cared about anyone really. Even more than I care about myself.”
Our eyes meet and there’s more electricity between us than there’s ever been before. It’s like the short time we’ve been apart has intensified our desire for each other tenfold.
“But my family doesn’t want me here. And I’m not sure I belong here. I’m actually not sure where I belong anymore. My plan was always to go to Asia right after the election. But my brother doesn’t need me here anymore. The myth of our picture perfect family has been completely destroyed. And oddly enough Drew is even more popular than ever. He’s got this weird ability to always land on his feet, just like a cat. And this time he’s become an even bigger celebrity. He’s got national talk shows booked until the election. There’s little doubt he’s going to win by a landslide. Even liberals are talking about crossing the party line to support him.”
“That’s great,” I say because I’m not sure what else to say.
He nods. “I never expected to fall in love with you Mazzy. I didn’t even know I was capable of loving another person until I met you. But you deserve a lot better than someone like me. I’m nothing but Drew Graham’s loser brother and that’s probably all that I’ll ever be.”
“So you’re just going to leave me?” The last thing I want is to start to cry, but it’s difficult to blink back all the tears in my eyes.
He shakes his head. “I’m not leaving you, Mazzy. I would never leave you. But I do have to leave.”
I try to make sense of what he’s saying, but my head is spinning out of control. “Leaving Old Town is leaving me. I live here. I always have and probably always will. Suzie and I just leased a place…”
“For your restaurant?” Austin gives me a half smile.
I nod.
“That’s great.” His words don’t match his body language and tone. He sounds disappointed.
“What is it?” I probe.
He shakes his head. “Nothing.”
“It’s obviously not nothing. You sound upset.”
“I thought maybe…it’s stupid.”
“What?” I push.
“I thought maybe you’d come to Asia with me.”
I can’t help but laugh. “Me? Go to Asia? The furthest I’ve ever been from home is
New York City and that’s only ninety miles from here.”
“I knew it was a dumb idea.”
I cup his face with my hand and he melts into it for a brief moment. “It wasn’t a dumb idea. I’m thrilled that you would ask. But I can’t go to Asia with you. My big dream is finally going to come true. My sister and I have been talking about our restaurant for years. And now we have it. And I’m just a small town girl. It’s all I’ll ever be. Maybe it’s actually you who deserve more, Austin.”
Now he’s the one blinking back tears and it’s breaking my heart.
“How is it possible to love someone so much but not be able to be with her?”
I’m not sure if Austin is actually asking me a question or just making a statement so I just let it hang there in the air.
“I have to go.” His voice cracks.
I have no doubt he’s on the verge of breaking into tears and I’m sure it’s not something he wants me to see. That’s why I’m not surprised when he gives me a soft kiss and hurries out the door.
I touch my lips. They’re still tingling. I wonder how long I can make that feeling last. As much as I don’t want to let Austin go I know I have to.
Twelve
Mazzy
One Week Later
When Izzy and Max walk in they look happy. Of course Max always looks happy. He’s one of those bright and shiny people who always seem to have a smile on their face. But to see Izzy happy is something truly spectacular. I don’t think I ever saw her smile once the entire time we were in high school.
I can’t help but feel a twinge of jealously. I know it’s not fair to compare my relationships with other people’s, but I’m still having a hard time with the fact that Austin left.
“Look what I’ve got.” Max holds up a giant laminated poster for his ghost tours. “I thought we could hang it up somewhere.”
He looks so excited I can’t say no, but I do need to get the okay from my sister. “Suzie,” I yell into the back room.
She pokes her head out from the kitchen and when she sees Izzy and Max she hurries out to greet them. Her eyes go wide when she sees the huge poster.
“That’s large,” she chokes out.
“I told him it was too big,” Izzy rolls her eyes at Max. They’re an interesting couple, not two people you’d ever expect to be together, but somehow they make it work.
“There’s no such thing as too big.” Max’s smile grows even wider. I don’t think I’ve ever seen another human being with a smile as big as Max’s, and I’ve meet a lot of people in politics. Of course, just thinking about politics again makes me think about Austin.
Oh, who am I kidding? Everything makes me think about Austin.
“Isn’t it great?” Max observes. “Where can we hang it?”
Suzie gives me a sideways glance and I shrug.
“How about over there?” She points to a spot behind the register. It’s kind of out of the way, not in the dining area, but the guests will still see it when they check in and check out.
“I like it,” Max agrees as he hands Suzie the poster.
“Why don’t you hang it up?” Suzie suggests. “You’re much taller than any of us.”
“Okay, have you got something for me to fasten it with?”
“I’ll have to look in the back room. Izzy, would you give me a hand. You’ve always had super sleuthing skills when it comes to finding things like that. And we still haven’t gotten everything situated back there.”
Izzy nods and follows Suzie into the back room.
Max and I stare at each other for a few seconds until Max says, “Maybe we should see how it will look.”
“Sure, why not.”
He takes the giant poster behind the counter and tries to hold it up, but it proves a little unwieldy, even for him and he’s not a small guy by any means. “Do you mind giving me a hand?”
I take the other end of the poster and we hold it up. It doesn’t look as bad as I thought it would. It’s actually kind of a cool concept, more artsy and not too much of an advertisement.
Just as we’re about to pull the thing down the front door flies open and a booming voice says, “What’s going on in here?”
Max and I turn at the same time, still holding both ends of the gigantic poster, and see Austin with his hands crossed over his chest looking quite unhappy.
“Austin, what are you doing here? You’re supposed to be in China.”
“A better question is what is that guy doing here? I’ve only been gone a week and you already have someone else?”
“What?” It takes me a few moments to realize he thinks something is going on between me and Max. That really pisses me off.
I make sure Max has a hold of the poster before I let go of it and then I march right up to Austin and stick a finger in his chest. “First of all, you’re the one who left me.”
“I didn’t leave you,” he fires back. “I would never leave you. I just left New Jersey.”
I shake my head. “Okay, you left New Jersey. But I can’t believe you would honestly think that I would hook up with someone else that quickly. And that you think I would hook up with him.”
“I’m right here,” Max says. “What’s wrong with hooking up with me?”
“Ugh,” I exclaim, looking back at Max. “You’re not my type.”
He gives me his huge grin. “I’m everybody’s type.”
“No, you’re not. You’re obviously Izzy’s type, but I really don’t even understand that.”
“Who is Izzy?” Austin asks.
“His girlfriend,” I state as I place my hands on my hips.
“I’m not his girlfriend,” Izzy says as she joins the fray.
“How exactly would you characterize your relationship?” I ask.
“Complicated,” Izzy says matter-of-factly.
“The point is,” I say to Austin. “These two people are together.” I point to Izzy and Max.
Austin lets out a small sigh and looks defeated. “I’m sorry. I don’t know why I jumped to conclusions.” Then he takes another look at both Izzy and Max. “They’re really together?”
“Yes, we’re really together,” Max complains. “Why is it so hard to believe that I would be with any one of these women?”
Austin tries to bite back a grin. “Because you look like you just stepped off of a beach and there’s not a beach around here for miles.”
I look at Austin. “I think we need to talk.”
He swallows hard then nods. So I grab his hand and pull him into the small dining area. It’s not exactly private, but it provides a bit more privacy.
“Why are you here, Austin?”
He takes both of my hands in his and the fire between us quickly ignites again.
“I made a big mistake. I should have never left.”
I can’t even count the number of times I imagined hearing him say those words. Besides opening our restaurant, it’s one of the only things I’ve wanted. But I don’t want to let him off the hook that easily. I want to make him work for me.
I cross my arms over my chest and stare at him.
“I guess I didn’t appreciate what I had with you until you weren’t there. I went to see the Great Wall. It’s something I’ve been dreaming about seeing for years. And the whole time I was there all I could think about was sharing the experience with you. All the things I wanted to say to you. All the photos I wanted to snap of you along the way. I guess what I’m saying is that you’re the light of my life. Everything was just dull without you there to share it with me.”
“So what do you plan on doing about it?”
He shuffles uncomfortably for a moment and bites his bottom lip as if he’s preparing to say something. “I want to make sure I never have to be without you again.”
I narrow my eyes. As much as I want to be with Austin I don’t want to get hurt again. “You know this restaurant is very important to me.”
He nods. “I know. Did I tell you most of my work history include
s various jobs in the food service industry?”
“Are you saying you want to work here? At the restaurant?”
“Well, there aren’t a lot of places to work in Old Town, so if you’re offering me a job I’ll take it. I have a house now, so I’m going to be planting some roots here.”
I eye him suspiciously. “You have a house here in Old Town.”
“Not exactly in Old Town. I talked my parents into selling me the lake house. They don’t use it that much anyway and I know how much you love it.”
“Your parents are selling the lake house to you?” I can’t help the surprise in my voice.
He nods. “They like the idea of me finally settling down and having a little stability in my life.”
I narrow my gaze at him. “Are you asking me to live with you?”
He shakes his head. “Not exactly.”
“What do you mean not exactly?”
“I want you to marry me.”
“Is that a question or a statement?”
He pulls my hands up to his mouth and kisses every one of my knuckles. “I know this is going to sound strange, but after everything that happened with Drew and the fake engagement, I don’t want to ask you to marry me and I don’t want to ever get engaged. I just want us to get married. Does that make sense?”
“I guess so.” I can’t help the note of disappointment in my voice.
“What’s wrong?” Austin asks quickly. He’s immediately perceptive to every change in my emotions.
I gulp. “I realize I ruined things by being fake engaged to your brother and I understand why you don’t want to get engaged. But it’s kind of like a dream of every girl to get engaged. Get a ring. Plan a big wedding. I’ve always had an idea of what kind of cake I wanted to make.”
He laughs. “Don’t most girls dream about their wedding dresses? Leave it to you to dream about the cake.”
When I look into his eyes we’re both serious for a moment. “If having a big wedding is important to you then we can do that. I just don’t want to be engaged.”
I can understand why he’s so adamant about it. “Okay,” I agree.
“I have something for you.” He reaches into his pocket and pulls out a velvet ring box. When he opens it I catch sight of a fantastic looking diamond ring.
Another Mazzy Monday Page 16
