Page 57 of Tessa's Trust

“You never know what the weather’s going to be around here,” he countered.

I shrugged. “I do.” And, frankly, I did. I could feel the snow coming. I could feel the rain about to swoop in, and I knew when summer was near. Chances were I’d inherited that gift from Nana O’Shea. Also, I knew that Mert, no matter what the day, would be slightly grumpy. Sometimes, it was nice to have a constant in life.

I lowered my chin but could barely meet his eyes as guilt wandered through me. “Is this because I was leaving?”

He snorted. “You think I had a heart attack because you chose to open your own restaurant? I always knew you would.”

“I know.” But the truth was, I had helped Mert more and more throughout the years, and I hadn’t really had time to train somebody new. We were a pretty good team, and I hoped he hadn’t felt deserted by me. I’d never do anything to hurt Mert.

He plucked at the thin blanket and looked away before looking back at me, his forehead crinkling. “So, I’ve been thinking.”

“Uh-oh,” I murmured.

His grin was quick. “Shut up.”

“You shut up,” I returned. The smell of bleach and cleanser clogged my nose, but I tried to keep a cheerful countenance for him. Later, I’d have a good cry over the entire day.

He shook his head. “I guess I’m not as young as I used to be.”

“None of us are,” I said. “I think you almost gave me a heart attack today.” The idea that anything could happen to Mert felt like a kick to the stomach.

“I’ve been thinking for a while about talking to you about this. And then you came up with these great plans with Sadie, so I didn’t want to interfere, but...”

I sat back, my chest hurting. What had he wanted to discuss? “But what?”

He chewed on his lip and then scratched the weathered skin on his chin. His hand was no longer shaking, thank goodness. “You know I don’t have any kin.”

“Sure, you do. You have me, and you have my whole family.” If somebody didn’t have family around, they automatically did with us. I’d taken Mert home for the holidays many times when he didn’t go to one of his friend’s homes. My family liked him as much as I did, and he was always welcome.

“Well, that’s kind of what I’m saying,” Mert said. “I know you just bought Sadie’s, but I also know you. You’re an ambitious little thing.”

I blinked. “I am?”

“Of course. You always have been.”

Once again, it was nice to be seen. “What are you saying?”

“I’m saying I know you plan to build some restaurant empire. How about you start now?”

I stiffened. “I need more information than that.”

He swallowed. “I want to leave Smiley’s to you. You can put it in your portfolio with Sadie’s.”

I jolted. I figured he’d sell someday and then retire. Maybe. Or not. He wasn’t the kind to retire. Like the old oak tree outside my parents’ home, he was a solid and comforting presence that would always be there. Period. “Are you kidding me?”

“I know the timing isn’t great,” he said. “I was going to talk to you about it in a couple of years after you got Silver Sadie’s up and running. But according to the doctor, I’ve got to slow down. And you know what? There are some things I want to see before I die. I’ve never been to the Caribbean.”

“You want to go to the Caribbean?”

“Yeah,” he said. “You know, on one of those singles’ cruises.”

If my jaw could hit the floor, it would have. Not in a million years would I have thought Mert Smiley would want to go on a singles’ cruise to the Caribbean. It just wasn’t him. “I gave all my money to Sadie,” I said. “I can’t buy you out.” Panic coated my throat.

“No, you don’t have to. I was thinking that you could work three days a week at Smiley’s and contribute to ownership that way. I know you’ll need to be four days over the pass at Sadie’s once you get the deed problem cleared up. But if you do both, you could start your little empire now. What do you say?”

My heart swelled and thumped. “I say that’s a pretty good offer,” I murmured. I would have to find somebody to help me out with Sadie’s, but I had a few people in mind already. And that was if I actually owned Sadie’s, which was up in the air at the moment. If I didn’t, and if I’d just somehow lost all my savings, this was a good avenue. Well, frankly, it was my only alternate avenue.

He held up a beefy hand and then patted mine awkwardly. “Just think about it. We could come up with something that works for us both. I’m willing to just give you half, but I know you won’t take it.”

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