Page 97 of A Perfect Match
I shake my head, standing up.I'm not making this decision because of Piper.I can't.This has to be about business, about my future, about honoring my dad's legacy in the best way possible.
Even if the thought of leaving makes my chest feel tight.
I catch a glimpse of strawberry blonde hair through the front window.My heart does a stupid leap before I realize it's not Piper—just a customer with similar coloring.
I've been looking for her in every face, listening for her laugh in every conversation.Wednesday night had created distance between us, but it hadn't erased the connection.Not for me.
The question is whether it has for her.
Back in the kitchen, Brady updates me on the orders that came in while I was gone.We fall into the familiar rhythm of lunch service, and my mind returns to wandering.To Columbus, to the choice I'm going to have to make.
And to Piper, working alone in her shop just a few hundred feet away, probably wondering if I've already made up my mind to leave.
The truth is, a month ago my path seemed clear: build the restaurant, honor Dad's memory, expand when the right opportunity came along.
Now everything feels muddled, complicated by feelings I wasn't supposed to develop and a relationship that was supposed to stay simple.
Maybe Tyler is right.Maybe I need to get back to basics, focus on the business, make the smart choice rather than the emotional one.
But as I plate another order and call out "Order up," I can't shake the feeling that the smart choice and the right choice might be two different things.
And I have no idea how to tell the difference.
As the day goes on, I’m stuck in a constant Piper loop in my head.It’s killing me that she’s gone radio silent.I poke my head into Cloud Nine two more times, but no Piper to be seen – just Jerrica.After a pummeling dinner service, I’m more than ready to head home and relax for the next day or two.As much as a small business ownercanrelax on off days, at least.
After saying goodbye to the crew, I lock up the restaurant and step into the cool October night.At the other end of the lot, the barn is glowing.
My heart twists in my chest.It's damn near midnight, and I’m a little worried about what I might find in there.
As I get closer, I hear music again—this time, a thumping electronic beat.I slide the door open just enough to peer inside.
Piper is on her hands and knees in the middle of the space, scrubbing the worn wooden floor with an enormous scrub brush.The place is flooded with bright light, even more lights installed than the last time I saw her in here working.She's wearing the same paint-splattered overalls over a Cloud Nine hoodie, her hair pulled back in two French braids.
She pauses, sits back on her haunches, and lets out a deep sigh.Her shoulders slump, and she buries her face in her hands.The sight of her makes my heart wrench.
"Piper?"
She startles, twisting to look back toward the door.When she spots me, her expression is guarded.Not hostile, exactly, but not welcoming either.
"Oh.It's you."
The coolness in her voice stings more than I expected."Yeah, it's me.The guy you've been ignoring for three days."
She turns back to the bucket at her side, dipping the scrub brush in."I haven't been ignoring you."
"Really?Because I've texted, called, and even stopped by your shop enough times to probably make Jerrica think I’m a stalker.And you’re always ‘unavailable.’"I step further into the barn, taking in the changes since the last time I stopped in.Despite how much progress she’s made, it still seems like the road ahead is endless."I was starting to wonder if you'd ghosted me again."
That gets a reaction.She pauses mid-scrub, her shoulders tensing.
"I wasn't ghosting you," she says quietly."I was trying to get my head straight."
"Away from me, apparently."
"Away from all the self-righteous opinions of the men in my life," she snaps, finally looking at me."I need space to think.To figure out what I actually want and how I’m going to do it alone."
The words hit harder than they should."You don’t have to do it alone."
"Don’t I?”She tosses the scrub brush into the bucket and folds her arms across her chest."My brothers don’t support me.And I know you say it’s a maybe, but I see the writing on the wall.Kru, you’re not gonna stay here."
