Page 16 of Pucking My Off-Limits Billionaire Boss
"Yeah, she needed it," Max agrees. "But she'll be up for hanging out later. Said she'd love to join us to toast your new venture. We could all use a bit of celebration." He checks his watch. “Speaking of which, I should go relieve her.”
As we banter about where to go and what to drink, the door to the Tavern suddenly opens. We both turn, and I'm stunned to see none other than Lucy Marks stepping inside. She looks different, yet unmistakably the same—the Lucy I remember, but with an air of maturity and confidence that's new.
She pauses for a moment, her eyes scanning the room until they land on us. There's a flicker of surprise on her face, quickly replaced by a composed expression.
"Lucy?" I say, my voice a mix of surprise and something akin to excitement.
She walks toward us, a tentative smile on her lips. "Jake, Max. I didn't expect to find anyone here."
Her presence fills the room, bringing back a flood of memories and emotions I thought I had filed away. For a moment, we all just stand there, an awkward silence hanging in the air, charged with the weight of unspoken words and unresolved pasts.
7
Lucy
BackinCedarwoodforbarely a day, and already I'm reeling from shock. Standing in the old Cedarwood Tavern, which now belongs to Jake Rogers of all people, is surreal. I had no idea this place had been bought, let alone by him.
Max, sensing the tension thick in the air, tries to lighten the mood. "Hey Lucy, it's been a while," he greets me, but his eyes dart quickly between Jake and me, clearly picking up on the unspoken undercurrents swirling around.
"Uh, Jake, mind if I take Carter down to Scoops & Smiles for some ice cream?" Max suggests, obviously trying to give Jake and me some space. “I was planning on taking Charlotte there anyway.”
Jake nods, his gaze never leaving mine. "Sure, Max. Carter, wanna go get some ice cream with Uncle Max?"
Carter's face lights up at the mention of ice cream, his excitement palpable. "Ice cweam!" he exclaims, embodying the pure joy of childhood. Clutching his stuffed blue bunny, Chuck, he looks up at me with big, curious eyes.
As Max and Carter get ready to leave, Carter glances at his stuffed bunny and then back at me. "Chuck wants ice cweam too," he declares with serious conviction.
I chuckle, playing along. "Well, we can't disappoint Chuck, can we?"
Carter nods earnestly, then, with a sudden burst of shyness, he turns towards Lucy. Holding Chuck in his small hands, he gently makes the bunny wave at her. "Hi," he says softly, his shy demeanor making the gesture even more endearing.
Lucy can't help but smile, clearly charmed by Carter and his bunny's greeting. "Hi, Carter. Hi, uh, Chuck," she responds, waving back.
He grins, then hurries off, hand in hand with Max, leaving me alone with Jake.
The moment the door closes behind them, the tension ratchets up. It's just Jake and me, and the air feels heavy, charged with a history that neither of us can quite escape.
Jake clears his throat, the sound rough in the quiet of the tavern. "Lucy," he starts, his voice a mixture of uncertainty and that old familiar confidence.
"Jake," I reply, my tone equally unsure. There's an awkward pause as we both search for the right words, the right way to navigate this unexpected reunion.
I can't help but notice how good he looks, even after four years. It's annoying, really. He's just as tall, just as broad-shouldered, and his eyes are still that piercing shade of blue that I remember so well. He's wearing a simple t-shirt and jeans, but on him, it looks like he's stepped out of a fashion magazine. It's unfair how some people just get better with age.
"So, you own this place now?" I finally ask, my voice tinged with a mix of surprise and a hint of something else—maybe resentment, maybe something I'm not quite ready to admit to myself.
"Yeah," Jake says, scratching the back of his neck, a gesture I remember all too well. "Just signed the contract yesterday. Planning to turn it into... well, something special."
I nod, trying to keep my expression neutral. "That's... ambitious."
There's another pause, the words unspoken piling up around us like debris after a storm. We're two people who were once so close, now trying to figure out where we stand, what all of this means.
Standing there in the dimly lit tavern, a realization dawns on me, and it's like a slap in the face. "Wait a minute," I start, piecing it together out loud. "The entire block was for sale, right? Including my old coffee shop?"
Jake's expression changes slightly, a hint of apprehension in his eyes. "Yeah, that's right. The whole block."
"So that means..." My voice trails off as the implication sinks in. "You own Mocha Memoirs too. Or where it was, anyway."
He nods, confirming my worst fears. "Yeah, Lucy, I do."
