Page 99 of Bake You Mine
“Yes, Ben was by to take photos this morning with Gary and the mayor. You’re lucky you were at the market. It’ll be in tomorrow’s paper.”
“They’re gonna put you on the payroll if you keep showing up on the front page.”
“God, I hope not. But hey, it’s good press for us and the city.”
“And for Liam, too. Maybe if the mayor and Gary keep their infighting to a minimum, we can get that development we need in town. Then Liam could stay if he wanted.”
She glanced around at her partially boxed-up kitchen. She and Tom had started the task, but it would take at least one more full day, if not two, to pack everything up before the construction crew arrived on Tuesday.
“Can we please go back to picking out paint swatches? Brad is stopping by soon, and we have to decide.”
Tom snatched the swatches from her and took them to the far wall. As he deliberated, Aubrey paused by the picture window. While she stared out onto Sweet Briar, Liam came into view.
She walked over to the front door and exhaled. This panic bullshit was getting on her nerves. She had to talk to Liam.
His face lit up at the sight of her. “Hey, I’ve gotta get to work. I just came from Gary’s.”
She leaned in the doorway. “What were you doing there?”
“I wanted his opinion on this whole Jason Morse situation, now that we know the contest’s outcome.” He checked the time on his smartwatch. “Shit, I’ve got to go. Damon has the night off, and we’re fully booked. Would you mind coming with me tomorrow to DC? Jason has a space in mind for Elevation, and your opinion is invaluable.”
She couldn’t help but be touched, even if this meeting had the air of picking out the wedding dress for your ex-husband’s new bride.
She cared for Liam too much to stand in his way.
“Sure, just let me know when.”
“It’ll probably be late afternoon. I figured we’d make a night of it. A band I like is playing at The Anthem, too. I think it’ll be a fun date. Although fair warning, Sasha loves this band too, so she’ll be tagging along.”
He leaned over and kissed her on the cheek. Not that they’d done a very good job of hiding their relationship before, but there was no sense in being secretive about it now.
“Great, I’ll talk to you tomorrow,” she said.
With a wave, he ran off.
All those terrible thoughts burst like a dam in her mind.
“What’s up?” Tom appeared behind her.
“Operation: Bring hot chef to DC appears to be full steam ahead.”
“Okay, but that doesn’t have to be bad.”
She wanted the best for Liam, so of course, his moving wasn’tbadper se. She couldn’t imagine how the relationship could continue. She was fully involved in the expansion of Petit Chou. With an expanded dining space and kitchen, she’d have to add in more staff, craft menus, and decorate the space…this win was beyond a blessing. But her to-do list would be even longer now than it had been before. How could she maintain a relationship with Liam when his schedule would be even busier, and he lived hours away, to boot?
Tom slapped a hand on her shoulder. “Now I see what’s going on with you.”
She shrugged Tom off. “I’m not in the mood for your armchair analysis right now.”
Tom came around her other side. “Everyone loves you, Aubs. So why is it hard for you to realize Liam does, too?”
“That’s not the problem. I can’t stand between him and his dreams.”
The words came out before she could clamp her mouth shut.
Tom stepped in front of her, giving her no choice but to look at him. “Why can’t it be both? The big city dreams, and you could meet up, all romantically? Maybe get a house somewhere in the middle of here and there?”
Tom had always been a hopeless romantic. Aubrey was far too pragmatic for that.
