Page 55 of Stay With Me

Reaching under the table, I rest my hand on her bouncing knee. “Well, thanks for that Ari.”

She slaps her hand over her mouth, her eyes wide as I don’t deny it.

“But you’re right. Elise is pregnant. We just found out. She’s due in May.”

The table erupts into excited chatter. My mom sits quietly, but I can see the sheen in her eyes.

When everyone finally quiets down, Elise looks to my mom, her expression more relaxed, but still a little worried at my mom’s silence.

“Elise, you have made us so happy. Anything you want or need, you tell me and we will help. And if you want any special food, you tell me and I will cook.” I’ve never seen my mom smile the way she is currently smiling at Elise. My mother has always wanted to be a grandmother, and I think she lost hope at some point.

Now that hope is a reality.

“Gamsahamnida.” Elise thanks her, the tension gone and pure joy radiating from her.

It doesn’t take long for the entire town to find out. The excitement is palpable as people stop Elise to ask her how she’s doing. I run into Jake a couple weeks after the news breaks and he just turns and walks away. He knows he’s at fault for what he lost, hopefully he learns from this and can move on.

As for me, I can’t imagine being any happier.

Chapter Twenty-Six

November

Elise

Strokingmysmallbump,I cross my legs and reach for my phone to call Tash. We’ve been working together for a couple months and everything is going well. The money from my dad finally came in and I want to offer to invest in her inn.

Dialing her number, I smile when she answers. We’ve grown fairly close over the past couple of months and Young Jae and I stayed at the inn for a themed Halloween party she held there. I made the treats and she set up a murder mystery. It was a huge success and I think it will become an annual event.

After some pleasantries, I finally get to the reason for my call.

“So, you mentioned some months back that you were looking for an investor. I wanted to discuss the opportunity and offer to invest.” My voice is excited. Young Jae and I have talked about it a lot over the past couple of weeks since staying at the inn.

She inhales sharply. “Wow. That’s amazing, but—”

“Did you decide against it now?” Frowning, I feel like I remember her still trying to decide her next move right before Halloween.

She sighs, the sound heavy. “No, I signed on with the anonymous person. And I’ve regretted it ever since, but it’s too late.”

“Oh no. Are they being weird about the contract?” Concern makes my voice a little sharp.

She takes a shaky breath. “No, I mean the contract was very specific about the role they would take, which is one of the reasons I hesitated to begin with. The investor is Darcy.”

It takes me a moment to process. Gasping, my voice is high as I ask, “What? Isn’t he the guy who shot you down and then treated you like crap after?”

“The very one. We have getting along issues. And he’s always felt I should just sell the inn to him since his family once owned it. It’s so misguided. And now I need to run every single thing past him. He’s here nearly every day, looking around and making comments.” She sounds deflated. “Look, I have to go. I appreciate the offer, but I made my bed and have to lie in it.”

We say goodbye and I hang up, disappointed.

Young Jae comes in with some kimchi jjigae, my latest craving.

“You look upset.” He frowns.

“Yeah. Tash already signed with an investor, so she had to turn me down. I was just a bit too late and now she’s stuck with a douchebag who is an ass to her.” Taking the bowl from him, I slump. “I want to do something meaningful with this money, not just spend it on trips and stuff.”

He sits next to me, rubbing my shoulders. “We will think of something. You have talked about expanding your own business more. Why not start there? Things are going well with Mary and Nicole at the shop. It might be nice to expand into new areas.”

“Well, I have a lot of time to think about it. I won’t start anything fresh until after LP comes. I just hope Tash is okay.”

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