Page 12 of Wanting Happily Ever After

“Why on earth are you not going out with Brody?”

“Should be all set now.”

Brody looked up from the counter, where he was chopping a bundle of fresh parsley from the herb garden he kept in the small garden behind the restaurant to see Al from Al’s Appliance Repairs, the man who’d finally arrived from the city a few hours earlier. Or—as he was starting to think of him—his hero. But that term would only apply if cold air started flowing through the vents once more.

“It’s fixed?” He was hopeful when he asked, despite the man’s earlier assurance. Before the repair man could answer, Brody heard the familiar whir, followed by a rush of cold air from the ceiling as the air conditioner finally started up again. “Oh, thank God. I was starting to think that we might need to come up with a permanent sauna-themed menu.”

“It is pretty warm in here,” Al agreed as he dragged a cloth over his red face. The cloth looked unsettlingly like one of his napkins, but with the cold air rushing at him, Brody didn’t care. It was a small price to pay. “Sorry it took so long to get out here,” Al continued. “With a heat wave like this, we’ve been pretty busy. These old units just can’t keep up. And out-of-town calls just aren’t the priority.”

“I get that.” Brody shrugged. Being in a mountain town three hours out of the big city had a lot of advantages, but it also had a few drawbacks, too. “What do you mean, these old units can’t keep up?” The second he asked, Brody wished he hadn’t. He wasn’t sure how much more bad news he could handle. The expenses of running a restaurant, especially one that needed work, were definitely starting to add up. He wasn’t sure how much more his savings account could take.

Al shrugged and pulled out a clipboard. “It’s pretty old. At least twenty years, and while it was a good unit—once—if you want to avoid any more potential desert-themed menus, I would strongly suggest upgrading. I can get you into a new one for only five grand.”

Five grand? Only!

Brody tried not to react, but no doubt the shock showed on his face. He didn’t have five grand. The old unit would have to do. “I think I’ll stick with what I’ve got for now. After all, the summer season in the mountains isn’t usually very long.”

“True,” Al said. “But it’s a damn important season, am I right?”

“You’re not wrong, Al. But one thing at a time. What’s the damage today?”

While he waited, Al finished scribbling on his clipboard, adding up numbers and no doubt adding in a travel fee, and finally handed Brody an invoice in an amount that would have been a nice down payment on a brand-new air conditioner. Reluctantly, Brody wrote a check while he mentally calculated what was left in his dwindling savings account and saw the man out.

He was going to have to figure something out to pad his savings account again. The restaurant was doing well. Locals and tourists alike had embraced Birchwood and of course the extra business catering weddings for Hope and Faith at Ever After was a nice bump to his income. But still, the business had expenses. Many of which he hadn’t anticipated when he’d bought it. And a new air conditioner was just another thing on an already long list. He wasn’t in trouble. Yet. But if anything else broke, it might be a very different situation.

Brody worked through the lunch rush, and finally when things slowed down, he left Amy in charge of the small kitchen staff and with his front of the house handled more than competently by his manager, he slipped out onto Main Street and into the heat of the July afternoon.

Main Street of Glacier Falls was one of Brody’s favorite parts of the town and one of the things that had initially drawn him to moving there. The boulevard was lined with trees and a variety of small shops, all with baskets and planters of flowers decorating their storefronts. It was beautiful, really, and so perfectly small town. There wasn’t a big box store to be found anywhere; everywhere you looked, there was character and personality. Many of the businesses had been there for years, but there was one brand-new one, and he was looking forward to checking it out.

The Hub was the vision of Katie Langdon, or maybe it was Katie Banks now. Brody had no idea whether she’d taken her new husband, Damon’s, last name. He himself had only just met them earlier that summer, but he’d been honored to cater their wedding celebration a few weeks ago. Lifelong friends who’d grown up in Glacier Falls, the couple had rocked the town with their surprise news that, despite the fact that they’d never dated, they were getting married, within days. Most people were shocked, while others, like Sarah, thought that the couple had always been meant for each other. As it turned out, it had originally been a marriage of convenience, but it hadn’t taken either of them long to realize they had feelings for each other, although it had taken a little longer for them to figure it out together.

At the end of the day, it had all worked out and they were now happily married. Damon was some sort of crazy billionaire, and after graduating with her degree, Katie had always had a dream of opening an adventure center to rent and sell outdoor equipment for people who wanted to explore the mountains, but didn’t have the means, or the know-how.

Brody opened the door to what had been the old hardware store and was immediately impressed. The Hub was packed. Both with equipment and people. He glanced around and saw Katie with a small group of people, outfitted in backpacks and hiking poles. She pointed at a map and gave instructions as she handed out bear spray. On the other end of the space, Damon pulled mountain bikes off a rack on the wall and handed them down to Logan, Katie’s big brother, and just the man he was looking for.

Brody made his way across the room. “Looking good in here,” he said to Damon, who greeted him with a wave. “You guys are busy.”

“Hey, Brody. Good to see you.” Damon handed him a bike. “We are busy. It’s been crazy.”

“Crazy good though?” Logan asked, jumping into the conversation.

Damon nodded and laughed. “I’m not complaining, that’s for sure. And Katie is in her element. Turns out that my wife is not only incredibly beautiful,” he grinned, “but very smart, because there was clearly a need for this in Glacier Falls.”

“Are you talking about how amazing I am?” Katie joined them, and Damon instantly wrapped his arm around her and pulled her close.

“You know it.” He kissed her on the top of her head.

Brody couldn’t help but feel a flicker of jealousy for the ease between them. He’d gone his entire adult life without a relationship, by choice mostly, choosing instead to focus on culinary school, working long hours and saving all his cash to finally buy the restaurant he’d dreamed of for so long. Restaurant life wasn’t usually conducive to a relationship. But things had changed.He’dchanged. And then, of course, there was Sarah. She had definitely changed things for him. And now, more than ever, Brody was looking forward to that kind of easy love that Damon and Katie shared.

“I was just telling the guys how busy we’ve been and how smart my gorgeous wife is for having such a great business idea.” Damon’s words made Katie blush, but only for a moment before she started telling them exactly how busy they’d been and how much fun she’d had starting the store.

“And I hear you guys want to rent some bikes today?” she finished, looking at Logan.

“I have one,” Logan said to his little sister. “But Brody here didn’t love the old beat-up one from our shed last time. Do you have a newer one he can try out?”

“Of course. Give me a minute.”

While Katie was searching for equipment, the men chatted. It was good to see that Logan had made peace with his new brother-in-law, and they’d become friends now that it was clear that Damon loved Katie and would do anything for her.

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