Page 85 of Comforting the Grump

Had he read my mind? I practically flew off the couch and into his arms. “I’d love that. Thank you.”

He kissed me, his lips moving slowly and deliberately as if savoring every moment. That was just like him—never doing anything halfheartedly, even kissing.

“Are you sure you’re okay to take time off?” I asked once he was done, a little out of breath.

Marnin brushed off my concern with a wave of his hand. “I’ll be fine. There’s nothing urgent that can’t wait till Monday. We’ll leave tomorrow morning, okay?”

I checked the time. “It’s only eight. We could still make it tonight.”

He chuckled. “If you could pack in less than two hours, yes, but we both know that’s not gonna happen.”

Unfortunately, he wasn’t wrong. I pouted. “If you’d come up with this idea a little earlier, I could’ve started packing…”

“Mmm, I’m so sorry, baby,” he cooed, running his fingers through my hair. “I’m sure I can find a way to make it up to you…”

Two hours and three incredible orgasms later, I could barely remember my own name, let alone anything about our weekend plans. But the next morning, we got up early and were on the road by ten. I wasn’t a huge fan of driving, so I loved that Marnin always wanted to drive. Besides, his BMW was a thousand times more comfortable than my beat-up Honda.

We chatted during the drive, which flew by. As we left the bustling city behind, nature enveloped us with its peaceful embrace. Snow-capped trees stood like dark shadows in the white landscape, and god, it was so beautiful here. It hadn’t been cold enough for the Skykomish to freeze, so she flowed freely,sneaking like a silver snake between the villages and fields, surrounded by the majestic mountains.

When we entered Forestville, a sense of calm washed over me and tension seeped from my shoulders. This was my true home, a place where I felt at peace. Maybe in a few years, when Marnin retired, we’d be able to move back here? Though god only knew when that would be.

Marnin took a left turn onto Baker Street, and I frowned. “Are we stopping by Brianna’s?”

“I want to show you something,” he replied, parking in front of Brianna’s.

Had the building next door been sold yet, the one where the catering service had been? I got out of the car and checked, then came to a full stop.

Tiago and Tomás stood in front of the building, which sported a massiveSoldsign, sporting identical smiles. My stomach tickled. “What are they doing here?”

Marnin took my hand and gently led me forward until we stood before the Banner twins. “We have a business proposition for you,” he said.

“A business proposition?” I repeated weakly. What the hell was happening?

Tiago nodded. “We want to open a family restaurant here. Nothing fancy, but a place where families can eat home-cooked meals in a friendly, low-key atmosphere.”

“We hired a business consultant who did a feasibility study, and her numbers showed there’s an opportunity here,” Tomás said. “And since we’ve made this our home, we want to invest in the local economy and support businesses started and run by locals.”

A family restaurant? Like I’d had in mind? It couldn’t be a coincidence. Not when I had told Marnin about my dream andCas knew as well. “That’s what I was hoping to do one day…” I said softly.

“You’re local, and you know this town inside and out. You know what would work here and what would be too fancy. And people know you, and they’ll be much more likely to give a new place a chance when it’s run by someone they trust. You have a great reputation from running the kitchen at The Lodge,” Tiago said.

“W-what are you guys saying? I don’t understand…”

Tiago flashed me a smile. “We’re saying we want to own the restaurant…but we want you to run the kitchen, to be our chef.”

My head spun. “Are you serious?”

Tomás pointed at theSoldsign. “So serious that we’ve already bought the place. It’s ours. And we’re interviewing for managers next week, but we wanted to make sure you were in first.”

I couldn’t believe what I was hearing. “So I’d just be running the kitchen?”

“It’s the most important part, sunshine,” Marnin said softly. “And it’s where your strengths lie. You said it yourself, the business side of owning a restaurant doesn’t appeal to you. So Tomás and Tiago will hire someone with experience in running a restaurant who will take care of that part.”

“But what about you? About us? Your work is in Seattle, and I can’t commute that far, not after a whole day in the kitchen. And I don’t want to do this without you, not if it means not seeing you.”

Marnin immediately shook his head. “You won’t, baby. I’m moving here with you.”

I had to have misheard him. “What did you say?”

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