“Sure,” he said. “What is going on?”

  He’d learned a long time ago when a woman said they wanted to talk to be ready for something negative.

  “Nothing major,” she said. “I just had an idea for Southside.”

  “Oh,” he said. “What is it?”

  She had her tank top and underwear on and he was in his boxer briefs. They climbed under the covers and he pulled her under his arm to cuddle a bit.

  “What do you think of doing a monthly brunch thing on Sundays like you did at the end of May?”

  “Why?” he asked.

  “People have been asking for it. I guess it was a big hit. I didn’t think there’d be that much talk and there still is. There are a lot of comments on social media asking for it to come back or those that missed it want to try it. The picnic special day was huge too.”

  “I didn’t think it would be as big as it was. That isn’t something I’d do all the time. It was a lot of work.”

  Not that he wasn’t up for the work, but it had items that weren’t on the normal menu.

  “Yes, but you learn from that. You could just have a preorder only for it a solid week in advance. Have a cutoff and then you know what you’re making and for how many orders. Schedule pickup times for just a two- to three-hour window and it’s done.”

  She had a lot of good ideas. “Maybe,” he said. “But we just did it and it’s not something I want to do often. Sometimes the less you do something the more in demand it is.”

  “You’re right. I shouldn’t tell you how to run the business.”

  “You aren’t,” he said. “You’re giving me good ideas and you are marketing them well.”

  “The staff loved it too,” she said.

  “They talk to you about it?” he asked, frowning. She couldn’t see his face.

  “I think they just talk in general. Doesn’t that happen at Duke’s? Some know I do the social media posts too. They don’t know the rest that I do and maybe they think I’ve got more say with you.”

  “You do have say with me,” he said, rubbing his fingers on her bare shoulder.

  “In the bedroom but not at work. Anyway. I just wanted to bring up the fact there were a lot of comments on the brunch. The picnic idea wasn’t what I had in mind to talk about now.”

  “Let me think about it some more. Maybe once a month would work.”

  “The same Sunday each month,” she said. “Then people get into the habit of knowing when it’d be. You could have some catchy phrase or something. Like if you did the last Sunday of the month, it could be Last Sunday Brunch and you could play off of the last supper type thing. Corny I know, but if you do something that sticks in people’s minds they will be like ‘oh yeah, last supper, last Sunday’.”

  He laughed. “I guess that is why you’ve got the marketing background and not me?”

  “Not much of one at times,” she said.

  “There you go again. Not giving yourself credit for things. You’ve got great ideas. You’re an awesome baker. The staff and the customers love you. Though you’ve had no experience running a pub.”

  “And I still don’t,” she said, laughing.

  “You learn fast. You’ve got skills that I don’t.”

  “Not like you think,” she said. “Never that. People come for your food. Even if you weren’t doing more marketing and advertising, Southside would be thriving.”

  “The food is part of it,” he said. “And they are coming for your desserts now too and you know it.”

  She put her head on his shoulder. “It’s so nice people want something from me in a positive way.”

  He hated that she felt that way, but he understood too. “It really is,” he said. “There is satisfaction in people praising your finished product.”

  “There is,” she said. “I almost want to do a happy dance when I see people using their fingers to wipe up the last crumb off the plate. It probably sounds silly, but I think I just needed some kind of validation like this in my life.”

  “We all need validation in our lives,” he said.

  “I find it hard to believe that you do,” she said. He heard the humor in her voice.

  “You’d be surprised.”

  “Well, I’ve got so many things to be thankful for and they all start with you. You’ve made me see things I wouldn’t have been able to on my own. You’ve pushed me to speak up when it means something. You don’t tell me nice things but make me see it. If that makes sense. Pushing me to work at the desserts and then letting me see the rewards of that work, you telling the customers that it’s me. That’s showing me I’m good at something and it’s easier to believe it that way.”

  He hated to hear her talking like that but understood what she was saying too.

  “You should always speak up when it means something,” he said. “Otherwise you are sitting in the back just watching the world go by and wondering. Don’t ever let yourself be put in a position of regret. That you have to look back and say you wish you’d done something.”

  “I never thought of it that way before.”

  “Maybe it’s time you did,” he said.

  28

  Never Have Regrets

  The following Sunday, Hadley had finally worked up the courage to talk to Duke.

  He’d told her never to have regrets.

  He made her feel good about life in general.

  Not just on a personal level but a professional one.

  She needed both in her life after having been knocked down by Eddie.

  This was probably a crazy thought and it was nothing more than a thought, but if there was one person she could talk to about this, it’d be Duke.

  He was just so encouraging in everything and it did have to do with him. Or affect him.

  She had the day off and he wasn’t going in until two, so she’d stayed the night on Saturday again having met him at his house a little after ten.

  She’d worked until nine at Southside. By the time she got home and showered and changed, then drove to his house, he wasn’t that far behind and she only waited for him about five minutes in the driveway before he pulled in.

  Now they were in the kitchen and he was making her breakfast.

  “I had an idea,” she said suddenly. She knew if she didn’t start soon she wouldn’t be able to get this off her chest.

  “What’s that?” he asked.

  “I heard what you said over a week ago about not having regrets. You’re so good at encouraging people to test themselves in life. Or at least push themselves. Yes, that is more like it. But it’s about testing too.”

  “Testing how?” he asked. He had eggs and a loaf of bread from Duke’s out and she had no clue what he was doing.

  “What are you making?”

  “Texas French toast,” he said. “Bacon and eggs.”

  “Are you trying to make me fat?”

  “No,” he said, grinning. “You look great. Just eat what you want, but I’m starving. Maybe I just burn a lot of calories when we are together and I need to replenish them.”

  She’d never had a guy say that to her before about sex. And she knew that was what this was about. “That’s so sweet.”

  He winked at her and it seemed so out of character for him too, but she found she liked that she had the ability to somehow get him to do that.

  “What was it you wanted to talk to me about?”

  “Oh yeah. I never thought I could run a pub or a restaurant. I never wanted to.” He looked up at her. She could tell he was confused, but she continued. “My parents thought I’d take over Southside, but I didn’t want to. I told you that. It was way too daunting.”

  “Do you want to manage it?” he asked.

  That had merit and she wasn’t sure why she didn’t think of that before. But she’d never ask for that job. He didn’t even have a manager there.

  “That wasn’t what this was about. You don’t have a manager. It’s you. Or the owner is the manager.”

  “Then what?”

  “I know you haven’t bought Southside yet,” she said. “It’s a trial run thing. But I was thinking if you decide you don’t want to do it, what do you think about me doing it? I mean my parents could keep it and I could manage it. You’ve got it going so well, I’d just slide in and continue. The chefs know what they are doing. I’ve been training the servers and making desserts. There is a lot I don’t know but could learn.”

  She didn’t like the look on his face right now and didn’t know what that was about. He put his head down and was quiet for a second. Then said, “Have you talked to your parents about this?”

  “No,” she said. “It’s just been something that has popped into my head in the past week or so. Maybe it’s because you’ve made me feel like I could do things that I didn’t know I could.”

  He let out a sigh. “You need to talk to them to find out the terms of our contract.”

  “Why can’t you tell me?” she asked. “I mean I did say if you didn’t want it. It’s not like I can buy it from them. It’s just that I would continue to run it. If you thought I could if you didn’t want to buy it.”

  “Listen, Hadley. I’m someone that encourages people to be the best. It’s what I do.”

  “I know that,” she said. Her heart was racing. He was pacifying her. Kind of like Eddie did and she hated how that thought popped into her head when she knew Duke was nothing like her ex. “I’ve seen it with other people. Just tell me if you don’t think I can do it. I’ll understand.”

  “It’s not that,” he said. “I think if you could get out of your own head you could do anything you wanted with enough time. But this is different and you don’t have all the facts.”

  “You could give them to me,” she said. “Or I’ll talk to my parents. Never mind. This was a mistake. I get it. I shouldn’t have thought I could do something like that.”

  “Where are you going?” he asked.

  “Home,” she said. She’d stood up and was walking away. She felt like such a fool right now and didn’t want to stay here.

  Plus, she wanted to go home and find out why Duke almost seemed angry over this conversation. It’s not as if she said she was going to take it from him. She only asked what he thought if he decided not to buy it. Nothing more than that.

  She didn’t see the big deal.

  “Why?” he asked.

  “I don’t think you want me here,” she said. “And maybe I don’t want to be. I feel like an idiot right now.”

  She grabbed her purse and keys and left before he could say anything else. He didn’t stop her and his lack of action told her exactly what she needed to know.

  It wasn’t just that she felt like a fool talking to him about the business, but now how she was starting to feel about him and their relationship.

  There was part of her that knew damn well she was falling in love with Duke and now she knew he didn’t feel the same way.

  He’d all but said the way he was talking to her and treating her was how he was with everyone. There was nothing special about her and she was crazy to ever think there was.

  She pulled in the driveway with her mother’s car and wanted to cry.

  She was living in a tiny rental unit in her parents’ backyard, driving their car while hers was in the shop, slowly chipping away at massive credit card debt, trying to build a cake business that was barely coming to life, and yet she thought she could just take over and run a pub that she’d worked at for a few months.

  Talk about naive.

  “Hadley.”

  She turned and saw her mother come outside. “Hi,” she said.

  “You’re back earlier than we thought. Is everything okay?”

  “Yes,” she said, moving toward the unit. She realized she left her clothes at Duke’s from last night too. All she did was grab her purse and keys and leave in a hurry. She was nothing more than a walking mess.

  “Then why are you crying?” her mother asked, coming down the deck stairs and following her into her place. “Did you and Duke have a fight?”

  “No,” she said.

  Her mother shut the door behind her. “Are you sure? Something is upsetting you.”

  She had no idea how this morning got out of hand and knew she’d have to find some answers. She was sick of just sitting back as everyone told her she’d done for years. This went back to Duke asking her about regrets.

  “Do you know about the agreement with Duke and Southside?”

  “I do,” her mother said. “Your father and I own it together. Why?”

  “Tell me about it,” she said.

  “Why do you need to know?” her mother asked. “It’s not that big of a deal.”

  “It seems to be,” she said. “I know he has like six months to decide if he wants to buy it after managing it. I never thought I’d have so much fun working there and doing what I am. The baking and the promoting, the ideas I’ve had that Duke said were great. He’s been so encouraging. He’s told me I should say what I want in life and today I just asked him something and, well, I feel like an idiot and don’t even know what happened.”

  “What did you ask him?” her mother asked.

  “I asked if he thought I could manage Southside. I wasn’t asking him to give me a management position. There isn’t one there. That is what the owner does. I just said if he decided he didn’t want to buy, if he thought I could step up and manage it if you kept it. It’s running so smoothly with all his changes. The chefs know the menu. I’m doing the desserts. I’ve been training the servers and hostesses. I’ve had ideas that have been successful. I’m doing the promotion. I didn’t think it was that farfetched that if he didn’t want it, I could just slide in and keep it going.”

  “Oh dear,” her mother said.

  “What?” she asked.

  “There is a clause in the contract we’ve got that if Duke decides not to buy it, we can’t use any of the changes he’s made in terms of the menu. We can’t cook the food the way he’s changed it. We could keep the menu items, but we have to change the way they are cooked and served.”

  “Why?” she asked.

  “Hadley. Be honest with yourself. The pub is doing as well as it is because of Duke’s reputation and expertise. We know that. That is why we went to him with this offer. That was his clause and your father and I felt it was more than fair. There were things we were willing to just hand over and he wouldn’t let us. We said we’d pay the mortgage on the business and he’d have these six months to just step in and run it as if it was ground zero. The debt prior was ours.”

  “That’s crazy,” she said. “Why would you do that?”

  “First off, we didn’t do it. Duke wouldn’t let us. He is paying for everything in terms of the mortgage and utilities. All the building costs. He argued the same thing. That it’s nothing more than paying rent. He’s a fair man and we knew it. If you’re having any doubts and think he is anything like Eddie, don’t.”

  “I don’t feel that way,” she said. Not once had it occurred to her and she found it odd considering how burned and hurt she was over Eddie.

  “Good. Because Duke has morals and integrity. It’s refreshing to see. He could have taken our deal or negotiated more in his favor, we know that, but he didn’t want to take advantage. His clause made total sense and we would never do that to him either. And if we tried, he’s got some big lawyers on his side. Hailey Bond covers all Bond business. We’d be stupid to try to break that clause.”

  She groaned. “And now he thinks I’m trying to do that.”

  “I don’t know what he thinks. Did you tell him you didn’t know what the contract said?”

  “Yes. He asked if I talked to you guys and I said no. He told me I needed to. I don’t know why he couldn’t tell me all of that,” she said. “Not only did I put my foot in my mouth, but I could have ruined what we had on a personal level.”

  “If you did,” her mother said, “if that question to him, however innocent it was, ruined what you two have, then he isn’t the one for you.”

  “I can’t seem to do anything right in my life,” she said. She started to sniffle some more, tears rolling down her cheeks. “Look at the mess my life has become. I finally find some happiness in my professional life and my personal one too and here I just jammed it up.”

  “You didn’t do that at all. You need to talk to Duke. Tell him you found out.”

  “Do you know how hard it was for me to work up the courage to talk to him about this? I figured if there was one person out there that could be positive and honest with me, it’d be him.”

  “We are always positive and honest with you,” her mother said, looking hurt.

  Yep, she messed that up too. “You have to be, you’re my mother.”

  “That’s not true. There are a lot of parents out there that aren’t positive or encouraging with their children.”

  She knew that was the truth. “It’s not the same. You guys baby me all the time. You always do. You always have. It’s why I left the area. I know you mean well.”

  “We always mean well,” her mother said. “And I’m sorry you feel that way. We try to give you space and thought that we’ve done a good job of it. When you have a child someday you’ll understand the need to want to help and protect them.”

  “If I ever find anyone that I can hang on to,” she said.

  She got up and blew her nose.

  “It will work out. Give yourself a few days to figure it out in your head like you always do. Did you have breakfast? Why don’t you eat with us? It will make you feel better.”

  The gentle way they ended the conversation on her again. She didn’t have the energy to fight it.

  It was wrong on her part to give in, but sometimes it was better.

  29

  Broke The Shield

  “Hey, Duke,” Hailey said to him a few days later. “How are things going?”

  “They’ve been better,” he said.

  He hadn’t talked to Hadley since she left suddenly on Sunday.

  First he’d been pissed about what she’d said. That she wanted to just take over where he left off if he decided not to buy Southside. It was exactly the reason he put that clause in there in the first place.