Page 140 of Every Beautiful Mile

“How?”

I don’t move. My feet are glued to the concrete floor in shock and disbelief.

“I didn’t know if you’d come if I used my name, and Rhonda gave me permission to use hers. I’ve become one of her best customers,” he says, tugging at one of his sleeves.

The room spins like a Tilt-o-Whirl.

I look around the dated kitchen. “This building?”

“Mine.”

His gaze meets mine and makes my blood flow backwards in my veins.

I nod, swallow, and nod again.

“Why am I here?” I finally ask.

He studies me intensely before pushing off the wall and taking a few steps toward me.

“Because I value your opinion. I bought this building for an incredible price on a whim, but I’m not sure what to do with it. I hoped you would.”

His tone is all business, and I can’t help but feel the slightest bit disappointed in that.

“Right. Of course.”

I shake my head to recalibrate and crouch down to pick up all the papers I’d dropped, summoning whatever sort of grace I can grasp at to make it through the rest of this meeting like the professional I claim to be.

I feign composure as I look at the ceiling and anywhere but him, heart hammering in my chest, ears, and every space in between.

“I walked around before you got here. It’s a gorgeous building.” My voice is shaky, but at least I’m able to speak. “I did a little research on Bangor before getting here. The population demographics make me think you could swing a couple different options in here, but the cost of renovating might be something to consider.”

I thumb through the once-organized file of papers to find my notes. My fingers tremble across every piece.

“It’s big enough you could do whatever you want, but my first impression is to give it a speakeasy vibe. If you extend the bar and create a menu of top-shelf cocktails, I’m imagining lots of smoky options or maybe fancy martinis. If you made the focus the bar, you wouldn’t have to do a huge kitchen expansion. You could do small plates and appetizers.”

I walk out of the kitchen first and look around the space again, imagining velvet couches and eclectic seating spaced all around, with Rhonda’s colorful paintings on the wall.

The nervous energy surging through me makes it hard to stand still. “Do you not like it?”

“You’re as good at this as I thought you’d be.”

I feel my neck grow warm with the compliment, and I look in the opposite direction of him. “Thank you for saying that.”

I pull on the belt of my coat as he takes a step closer to me, every cell of my body going on high alert.

“Do you like what you’re doing?”

An easy smile lifts my lips. “I love it.” That’s the easy, honest, truth. The change of pace and time on the road had been an adjustment, but I love what I’m doing.

He nods before eyeing the bar. “Tell me what you’d do with this.”

I walk around to it, and he follows closely. So close the heat that fires up my neck and burns at my cheeks forces me to shed my jacket. All the while, Ethan is casual, smug, and annoyingly handsome. Seeing him so immune to the situation unnerves me even more. He walks with ease while I’m completely coming undone. My mouth doesn’t know if it wants to water like a faucet or go as dry as a bone.

“It’s too small right now to be anything, really. If you want this to be the focus, you need to extend it…” I think for a second. “Actually, you know what might be interesting? Opting for high tops close by and cozy booths around the floor space. Maybe somehow having the bar not be where you have people sit but maybe more of a stage where the entertainment is seeing the bartender make the drinks.”

“Hmm.”

“Too weird?” I ask, laughing for the first time since he walked in.

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