Page 3 of Say I Do

When I enter my studio, I walk over to the couch and fall backwards on it, pulling out my phone. I start to search for a place to spend the night. The prices have me wanting to cry again. I let my eyes fall closed for a few minutes. With all the crying and worrying, I’m utterly exhausted. I’ve been working every shift I could get in order to try to at least stay afloat. Only to get fired.

I jerk awake what I think is a few minutes later to see it’s been hours. Holy crap. I make myself get up. I really don’t have any time left. For once in my life, I’m happy for owning so little. I start shoving things in the one suitcase I have. I grab a couple of trash bags for the rest of it. It’s that or leave it behind.

It’s kind of sad how quickly I packed all my things up. I plop back down on my couch trying to think of the positive, but for the first time, I can’t think of even one thing.

Caleb comes to mind. That would normally perk me up, but now I’m not sure I’ll ever see him again. He was always the brightestspot of my day. I was always trying to get him to talk more. He was quiet but so freaking sweet.

There is no chance I’ll ever run into him, though. We’re from two different worlds. The man's watch alone is likely worth five years of my salary. Still, he was always so kind. Not like a lot of the other high-powered businessmen that came and went from the shop. They could barely give you the time of day. They would look right through you.

I’d most definitely grown a one-sided crush on Caleb. I constantly drew little hearts on his coffee cups, but he was always polite and never asked for my number or anything else. It was probably for the best. It never would have worked between us.

I pull out my phone and start searching for places to stay, praying for a Christmas miracle. For once, it would be nice to have a bit of luck on my side.

3

CALEB

Lauren stares at me like I’ve lost my mind. Maybe I have. Not that it’s going to change anything. I knew what I wanted, and I wanted that coffee shop to be destroyed. He made Gabriella cry; it was only fitting that I’d make Jim cry too. Having that place shut down over his behavior brought more joy to me than any holiday ever could. If I believed in Christmas, I’d consider this an early present to myself. Besides, I’m doing the area a favor. The coffee is shit. Everyone is welcome.

“We got the coffee shop's loans pulled, but do you have a plan for the building?”

“No.” It hadn’t been hard to call in a few favors. In any case, the coffee shop wasn't performing well. I got the loans for it pulled along with buying the building so I could rip the lease from them too. You can do a lot when you throw money around and people owe you. I normally enjoy sitting on the favors others owe me, but this was worth cashing them in.

“You’re just going to let it sit there?” I could burn it to the ground. That actually might make me feel better.

“Does it matter?”

“You paid well over market. I didn’t even know you could buy something that quickly.” Why is she so worried about this? It’s not her money, and the last time I checked, I didn’t pay her to keep tabs on my finances.

“Are you telling me how to run my business?”

"No, of course not, sir,” Lauren rushes to say. “It’s just different from normal. I suppose I’m playing catch-up.”

“Go play it somewhere else.” She opens and closes her mouth before turning and leaving my office.

That may have been harsh, but she has been overstepping her bounds a lot lately. It’s best to quickly put people back where they belong. If they think they can get away with it once, they’ll try it again. I don’t allow such things in my life.

Why haven’t I gotten the finalized Kingston paperwork? I was sure he would have sent it by now. I double-check my email, but nothing. I want the work to start as soon as possible. It’s a done deal but I didn’t want to start construction and relocating tenants until I had the finalized paperwork.

I hate that Gabriella lives in a tiny, run-down studio. I am going to fix that. If I had it my way, she would be living with me, but that's not how the real world operates. You can't just order a woman to move in with you. No matter how much I want to do exactly that. This is especially true if you want them to like you.

That’s the thing, though. I don’t know how to get people to like me. Nor have I ever strived for such a thing. In fact, I’ve done the complete opposite. When I say people, I obviously mean Gabriella. I couldn't care less if any other human on this planetcared for me. But somehow her opinion of me means something. There’s no rational explanation for it. Believe me, I’ve tried to reason with myself, but I always end up at the same conclusion. I want her in my life. I need her in my life. And I’d do anything and everything in my power to make that happen.

I'm in way over my head when it comes to her. I thought I had more time to visit her and get her to notice me in the coffee shop. But Jim fucked that all up for me. I’m so glad I had already had the deal done to buy the building she was living in. The plan is to fix it up, then drop her rent. Easy enough. I could have more security too, knowing she was taken care of and staying put. Now maybe I can rest easier. That will have to suffice until I devise another plan.

My next concern is how I will be able to resume seeing her daily now that she has been fired. It hits me. Why haven’t I thought of that before?

"Lauren," I say after pressing the enter key. “Office.” A second later, Lauren is hurrying through my office door. "The coffee shop. I want to open it back up. I’m confident you can hire the old employees back. Reach out to Rebecca; I’m sure she can have a manager or someone hired to run the place.”

Rebecca handles staffing. When a position needs to be filled, Rebecca always has someone in mind for the job. She’s quick and efficient.

“You want to open a coffee shop?” Lauren asks. Are words not coming out of my mouth? What the hell is wrong with her?

“You wanted to know what I was going to do with the place. Now you know.” She gives a curt nod. I can sense her desire to saymore, but she wisely chooses not to. “And the finalized Kingston contract. He hasn’t sent it over.”

“I’ll double-check where it is,” she says as my phone starts to go off. It is the sound I have programmed for Cole. I answer it immediately. Normally, he would send me a message, so something must have gone wrong. A weird burn fills my chest. I rub the spot.

“Is she okay?”

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