Page 112 of Wilde Abandon

“I like that little thing.”

“You can hide the raw spinach I got you the other day in the smoothie, too.The more vitamins and minerals you get, the easier it is for your body to stay strong and fight.”

Her face softened.“You’re always taking such good care of me.”

“Well, you look and seem fine, so what’s with the thing about you running out of time?”

She waved it off.“I’m just worried that I won’t have enough time to do the things I want to do before…you know…the end.”

“I think we all feel that way sometimes.But I get that for you it’s hard to face the fact that you know the end is near.”

“It makes you think about what’s most important.”She glanced past him.“You’re actually here alone today.”

Since he and Melody arrived home from their trip to Boston two weeks ago, they’d made it a point to spend as much time together as possible.But this week she was teaching her class.“Melody is working at the center this week.I told you that on Monday and yesterday and now today.”He cocked his head.“Are you sure you’re okay?You seem a bit off.”

She took a seat at the kitchen table.

He stood with his back to the counter.“Talk to me,” he pleaded, worried.

“You’re planning on going back to Boston.”

He folded his arms over his chest.“For me, that’s home.”

She pressed her lips tight.“She’s going with you.”

“That’s the plan.”

“And you’re opening a bar together.”

“She’s opening the bar.I’m financing it.”They’d told her all of this already.

Her gaze narrowed.“She’s using you.”

He shook his head.“She wanted to cancel the whole damn thing when she found out how much the liquor license was going to cost.”Half a million dollars.What a fucking rip-off.But Boston only had so many licenses and a waiting list that could take years before your name came up for one.On the secondary market, owners of licenses could ask for whatever price they wanted.And people still bought them.He would be one of those people, because not only did the space he wanted for Melody come with the best location so they could see each other, as well as all the amenities Melody wanted for the restaurant and bar, but it came with a liquor license.

All he had to do was buy the whole damn place.

Melody balked at the idea.It was too much money.She’d never be able to pay it back.He got her point.Most restaurateurs backed out of opening in Boston for that very reason.A lot of places shut down because they couldn’t make the place profitable.

Fox didn’t care.He’d give her what she wanted, no matter the cost.

But he did give Dean and Max an out, letting them know that maybe it wasn’t such a good investment.

They both stared at each other, then him, and said, “Fuck it.It’s family.”

They’d own the property outright.That alone would be a sound investment.So all Melody had to do was make the business profitable and they’d all be happy.

It took all three of them to convince her they meant it.

And then she cried, overwhelmed by their generosity and faith in her.

He wasn’t about to tell Tanya all that.She didn’t need to know.

“Melody is good at what she does.She has a vision for the space we found.She knows how to sell a good time to her customers.She’s got an idea for a place that’s different than other bars in Boston.People will love it.”And if not, Melody would find something else that made her happy.

Tanya didn’t relent with her disapproving glare.“She’s good at using you.”

“How is she using me?She was looking for a job.I offered her a place of her own.”

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