Page 86 of Worth the Wait

Patrick didn’t respond. He only gave me a crooked grin instead, his blue eyes sparkling with whatever secret he was holding. I could have asked a million questions while we drove, but I knew it would be no use. If my man didn’t want to share something, he wouldn’t. And no amount of prodding or sexual torture would get him to open up.

When we pulled into a rare open parking spot on Main Street, I narrowed my eyes, wondering what we were doing here exactly. I wasn’t hungry, didn’t have a stitch of makeup on, and wasn’t really in the mood to socialize with the town.

Patrick opened my door for me before helping me out and interlocking our fingers. He led me toward that fancy restaurant I’d seen when Sarina and I were here together. Pulling a key from his pocket, he inserted it into the lock and turned. The click was loud and unmistakable.

“Why do you have a key to this place?” I asked as confusion clouded my brain.

He didn’t answer, and I stared in awe as he twisted the knob and pushed one of the glass doors open, the bells jingling with the abrupt movement.

“Patrick, how do you have the keys to this restaurant?” I still wasn’t putting the pieces together because nothing made sense.

Reaching for my hand once more, he pulled me inside and closed the door behind us, the lock sticking at first.

“I bought it,” he said before letting go of my hand and spinning me around by my shoulders so I could see it all.

“You bought what?” I asked as I glanced around, my eyes taking in every inch of the space.

It was tastefully decorated, but way too fancy for me and most likely the rest of Sugar Mountain. I wasn’t surprised in the least that the owner hadn’t been able to make it work. If his menu had matched the decor, then no one but a small percentage of tourists would have been able to afford even eating here.

“I bought the restaurant from the idiot who tried to open it,” Patrick offered with a shrug.

Everything slammed into me all at once, the force almost tipping me over. I reached out for the back of one of the chairs and balanced on it.

“That’s why all the stuff is still here. The equipment, the furniture, the fancy fixtures,” I breathed out as the realization of what he’d done continued to sink in.

“I told him I wanted it all. Just in case.”

“Just in case what?” I couldn’t stop myself from smiling or hide the excitement that had found its way into my tone of voice.

Patrick closed the distance between us and held me by my waist, his hands firmly gripping my hips. “In case you wanted it to be yours, Addi. In case you wanted a place in Sugar Mountain to call your own.”

As soon as the words left his mouth, I knew that was exactly what I wanted. I hadn’t realized it so clearly until this moment, but I did want to open my own restaurant here, in Sugar Mountain. I’d been contemplating all of my options since I’d come back. I had even made a list, not that I’d shared it with Patrick yet.

•Start a catering company

•Cater private events or work solely for Sugar Mountain Resort and their event department

•Work in the Sugar Mountain Resort restaurant

•Open my own restaurant

•Sell to-go meals online only, including delivery

•Work privately as home chef

•Open a storefront with prepackaged dinners and lunches

“So”—he waved his hand in a circle in the air—“what do you think?”

I spun slowly, taking it all in once more. “I’d like to change a few things. Well, a lot of things actually. None of this goes with my vision.” I began talking out loud as a menu started to form in my mind.

“But do you want it, baby? Do you want a place to call your own? I don’t want you to do it because I bought it. I could just as easily sell it.”

“Are you insane? Hell yes, I want it.” I smiled and launched myself into Patrick’s open arms before planting kisses all over his face. “Thank you, babe. Thank you so much.”

“Thank you for not taking that offer in New York.”

“This is so much better than New York could ever be,” I breathed out, looking forward to what I could do here and how quickly I could get it up and running.

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