Page 124 of The Last Goodbye

“It’s going to be beautiful, and so are you.” I kissed her cheek.

“Are you going to marry my friend Briar someday?” she asked as she placed her small hand on my cheek.

Normally I would have shut that question down immediately. How many times had I been asked if I was going to propose to Celine during the years we were together? I’d never seen that in our future, which was probably what she’d picked up on when she called things off. Celine and I had never felt like forever, and we definitely stayed together longer than we should have. I honestly believed that I just wasn’t cut out for forever—until I met Briar Sinclair.

Which was obviously why I wasn’t shutting the question down now. Because when I thought of Briar, I saw a future that was so unexpected. A future I never even knew I wanted.

“Let me tell you a little secret, Lucky Clover,” Cutler said, pulling me from my thoughts.

“I love the secrets, and I keeps the best secrets.” Clover’s green eyes danced with mischief.

“When someone stays quiet after you ask a question, it actually speaks volumes,” he said, looking at me with a goofy smile on his face. “What I’m saying is, I think he’s thinking about it. Because I didn’t hear a ‘no’ in there, did you?”

She bounced on my lap and clapped her hands together again. “I could be a flower lady for you, too.”

I rolled my eyes at Cutler and played it off. “Dude, don’t go romanticizing my silence.”

“I mean…you don’t normally need that much time to answer a simple question, Bass.” Gracie raised a brow.

“Don’t listen to these two, Clover girl. They’ve got wedding fever.” I tickled her as she giggled.

“I’ve got the weddin’ fevers, too, Uncle B,” she said, and we were all laughing now.

We finalized their menu for the party. They wanted a barbecue with ribs and steaks and chicken, and all the sides that went along with them, like mashed potatoes and coleslaw and honey biscuits. I wrote it all down and dropped my notebook in my bag after we’d finished up.

We decided to walk into town and grab some lunch, and then the four of us walked over to see the lot where they’d be getting married. Clover practiced by throwing leaves on the ground as she walked around.

On our way back, we cut through downtown, and I noticed three men in business suits standing on the empty lot beside my restaurant. Wearing a full suit on a weekend in Blue Sky Bay would have anyone standing out like a sore thumb.

“Who’s that?” Cutler asked.

“No idea. Let’s go find out,” I said. Gracie stayed with Clover while Cutler and I walked over to see what was going on.

“Hey, how’s it going?” I asked.

One of the men studied me for a moment before extending his hand. “Hi there. I’m Glen Forest. I’m the lead architect for K&R Properties.”

I shook his hand, and then Cutler did the same thing. The other two men continued their conversation, and I noticed that they were taking several photos of the lots.

“Just wondered what you guys were up to. I own this restaurant here.” I motioned to the building beside the lot where they were standing. “And I’m moving into that one a few doors down.”

“This is good to know. You’re locals then?” he asked.

“We are. I’m assuming you’re looking for land here in Blue Sky Bay?” Cutler asked.

“The company I work for is about to close the deal now for a project we’ve been hoping to build for a long time. Looks like the perfect spot to me.” He glanced around at the empty lots, and Cutler shot me a look of confusion.

“Well, these lots have already been purchased, along with my restaurant. They’re putting a hotel here eventually,” I said, because why allow the guy to waste his time? “Some other pieces of land are available, but it’s tough to find anything on Bay Avenue.”

“Yes, the person who bought these lots is reselling them to K&R. We’re still working out the details, but it’s practically a done deal. And Blue Sky Bay will be getting a hotel that is much larger than what was originally proposed. You’re welcome.” He smirked, like we’d be thrilled with the news. “Your businesses will be thriving when we’re done with this.”

“How the fuck is that possible?” I hissed.

Cutler placed a hand on my shoulder, and Glen looked completely caught off guard by my reaction.

Clearly this dude wasn’t from a small town, because here, we actually cared about shit like this.

It wasn’t all about the money.