Page 45 of Stay With Me

She goes into the walk-in closet, which has doubled in size, before coming back out, her eyes wide. “This is bigger than I thought. It’s the closet of dreams. We literally don’t need a dresser anymore.”

Owen points past her to the hamper storage. “I built the closet around the hampers so they’re not cumbersome. This way they have a home and blend in with the rest of the storage.”

Elise opens the drawers, exploring while Owen and I move the furniture back into the room, except the dresser. We decide to pop that into the empty bedroom at the end of the hall for now.

As we finish, Elise starts moving our clothes out of the guest closet into our refinished one.

“Do you care how your things are organized?” Her voice is excited and her eyes shine with excitement, so I shake my head.

“Have at it. I’m going to order us a pizza, I hope you don’t mind.” Owen follows me out and I can’t stop the grin that forms. “Who knew it would take a closet to get her to cheer up?”

Owen stares at me, brows lifted. “Why do you think I worked so hard to finish it today? Nothing helps more than something else to occupy your energy. She will be able to think through what she’s working, but it won’t be the only thing she’s focused on. It usually helps me, so I thought it might work for Elise too.”

“Thanks, man. Want to stay for pizza?” I pull up the number for Cliff’s.

“Nah, Adeline is making some new recipe and she invited my mom over to celebrate. Mom found a place and is moving in a few weeks.” He rests his hand on my shoulder, squeezing. “I’m glad that you have Elise the way you’ve always been meant to. And I’m glad she finally has a man who cherishes her the way she should.”

He heads out, muttering something about becoming too damn soft. Grinning, I quickly order the pizza before heading back upstairs.

I find Elise sitting on the floor, surrounded by clothes. Her lips move silently as she points at the different areas of the closet.

“How’s it going in here?” I sit next to her, picking up a shirt I forgot I had.

She smiles. “Good. Honestly, this is what I needed. I haven’t been able to shake all the conflicting emotions from finding out my dad passed, missing his funeral, and then the influx of information at the meeting. Thank you for just being with me and tolerating my moodiness.”

Shifting closer to her, I wrap my arm around her waist. “No need to thank me. It’s the least I could do.”

“I think I was mostly processing the fact that Dad really updated his will behind Melanie’s back to include me. I don’t know what his life was like, but maybe there was more I didn’t see, and he was trying to protect me in some weird way. At least, that’s how I’m choosing to see it.” She rests her head on my shoulder.

“That could be. Especially seeing the person Melanie actually is.” Rubbing my hand up and down her arm, I smile when she wraps her arms around me.

“I feel like I have closure. I’m not ready to read the letter he wrote to me, but maybe one day.” She sighs, pulling away from me. “Now, let’s get this all put away before the pizza arrives. I’m starving.”

Chapter Twenty-One

Elise

Poppingthepiesintothe oven, I set the timer before moving on to prep the sunflower bread recipe I want to test out. Along with adding the hot menu items to the menu, I have completely revamped the sandwich menu during the day to be more gourmet.

My stomach turns when I crack the egg and add it to the mix, a wave of nausea passing through me. “I better not be getting sick again,” I mutter.

Digging through the drawers, I grab a mask from the box I keep and put it on. The last thing I need is to get anyone sick and destroy all the growth I’ve made. My inspection grades have always been perfect and I intend to keep them that way.

I hear Mary in the front, her chipper voice greeting another customer. We’ve gotten so busy, I have posted an ad to hire a part-time employee to help during rush hours.

Covering the bread, I leave it to rise and wash up, joining Mary up front.

I snag a banana muffin and start nibbling at it, the nausea passing. I glance at the clock and realize it’s been almost six hours since I’ve eaten. No wonder I feel sick.

“Elise, this is my daughter, Morgan.” Mary gestures to a pretty brunette who looks exactly how I imagine Mary did at the same age.

“It’s so nice to meet you. I’ve heard so much about you.” I smile at her.

Her responding grin is friendly. “I’m sure only some of it is true.”

Mary gives an offended gasp. “I don’t lie, and I never need to lie about you. Now, how are things going? Are your coworkers warming up to you?”

Morgan shrugs. “I guess. Now that the school year has started, we’re all so busy that there’s no time to notice that I’m not invited out with the rest of them. Anyway, I spend most of my time on the farm.”

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