Page 29 of Wicked William

“Maisy,” I admonish sternly.

“Daddy,” she mimics my tone.

“Tell me what’s wrong. You were happy a minute ago, and now you are quiet and withdrawn.”

She takes a deep breath. “Your sketch. It’s just like my vision,” she answers quietly. “It just freaked me out for a second. You’d think I’d be used to that by now, things coming true. But it’s still a bit jarring sometimes. I’m sure this will be a perfect store downtown. Just what it needs.”

“It can beyourstore downtown.”

“I’m not ready to buy a business.”

“I’m not asking you to buy it,” I reply. “I’m asking you to help me build it.”

She studies the drawing thoughtfully and then looks at me.

“You’re serious?”

“Yes.”

“Why? Wait. Is this like what your brother did with Cherry and the bookstore?”

I shrug. “When my brothers and I purchased the buildings downtown, we assumed that we would sell some of them but have to run some of them, at least temporarily, until we found the right buyers. It’s hard to bring in new business owners from the outside until Tempest becomes a viable place to live and work. So, a few of the buildings will be stores we intended to run ourselves.”

She takes a deep breath. “What would I have to do?”

“I’ll need you to commit to staying in town for a while. I don’t know about herbs or tea. I can help with a lot of things, but it’s your expertise that will make the difference.”

She seems to be percolating ideas. But we’re also aware that committing to staying in Tempest is hard for her.

She gets up to clear the table and I give her a minute to think before I get up and start dealing with the leftovers.

“What if we stop being lovers, William? What happens to the business?”

My reaction to that scares the shit out of me. The thought of breaking things off with Maisy is so painful, I find it hard to be objective. She’s mine. I’m hers. I didn’t realize how deeply I believed that until she suggested it might end.

“If we stop...” I pause, hating the way the words feel in my mouth. “You would still run the business. Of course. This deal isn’t contingent on my sex life. In fact, Max already has a contract template we can re-use. But Maisy?”

“Yeah.”

“Not to freak you out, but we aren’t going to stop being lovers. I think you know that.”

She swallows hard. “I don’t believe in forever.”

“How about forever, one day at a time?” I offer, hoping she’ll see what I’m saying.

She closes the dishwasher. “I’ll stay until the shop is up and running,” she says, her voice shaking slightly. “And then we’ll see?”

That’s probably as much of a commitment as I’m entitled to, but I can work with it. It’s a start.

But the sooner Maisy realizes that she belongs here, with me, the better. Because I’m not about to let her go.

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