When Bethany came downstairs the next morning, her mother was already in the kitchen making herself a smoothie.

“Morning. Do you want me to do that?” Her mother had all the ingredients lined up on the counter and was staring at the juicer.

“If you could just show me how to work this thing, I’m happy to do it. That way I can make these anytime.”

Bethany showed her how to feed the fruit and vegetables into the juicing machine and the best way to clean it immediately afterward so it didn’t get all sticky.

She poured herself a coffee while her mother sipped her smoothie. They had to leave for the hospital shortly.

“So, did you have fun last night? I went to bed early and never heard you come in.”

“We did have fun. We went to Figs after dinner to hear some music.”

“Figs. I think I went there a few years ago, right on Main street?”

“That’s the place. We didn’t eat there, but the menu looked good. The food at Mamma Mia’s was excellent.”

Her mother nodded. “It’s been a long time since I’ve been there, but I remember it always being very good.”

Her mother looked serious and hopeful as she leaned forward and said, “So, what do you think about Ryder? Are the two of you an item now?”

“Yes. I think so. I know that’s what I want.”

Her mother smiled. “Good.”

They spent the rest of the day at the hospital and Bethany spent most of her time waiting, while her mother got ready to have her Pet Scan, which involved injecting a dye that would allow the machines to scan her whole body and determine if there was any cancer left and where it was. The procedure itself took awhile and then the recovery period. Once she was done, they went straight home and Bethany served her mother a big bowl of chicken soup and some hot bread. She was starving because she wasn’t able to eat solid foods before the test. The test results would take two business days her doctor told them, so they spent the next two days worrying and waiting. And on Thursday morning, a few minutes before Bethany left to go to work, her mother’s doctor called.

She was silent on the phone, just listening as he told her the results of the scan. And she looked to be in a bit of a daze as she thanked him for calling and hung up the phone. She burst into tears which alarmed Bethany until she saw her smile emerge.

“He said that there was nothing on the scans. No signs of any cancer at all.”

And suddenly Bethany was crying too and hugging her mother.

“I’m so happy for you, Mom.”

“And I’m so grateful, honey. Everything you’ve done, the smoothies, crystals, oils, and the hot springs. I think it all helped so much.”

“I don’t know what worked, I’m just glad we tried everything, and the something did the trick.”

“Marcia is coming by for tea today. I think we may need to go out to lunch and celebrate instead.”

“Why don’t you come into Quinn’s? Maggie and Ryder are going to be so excited for you too.”

“Maybe we will!”

Ryder was in a better than usual mood when he arrived at Quinn’s Thursday morning. His night with Bethany had gone even better than he’d hoped and they’d spent the next few evenings together too. He could finally see himself building a future with her. It also made him feel more secure that she’d already sold her Manhattan condo, so in a month, when she closed on the sale, she wouldn’t have any more ties there.

Maggie was already there, sitting at the bar going over her weekly order. She was on her phone and finished her call as he brought his coffee over to the bar and sat next to her. He noticed that she was blushing slightly and seemed a bit flustered, which was unlike her.

He smiled. “Have you been talking to Charlie again?”

Her flush deepened and she nodded. “I’m almost afraid to meet him. We have such a perfect relationship over the phone. He flirts with me and makes me laugh. And that voice.”

“You have it bad.”

She sighed. “I think it’s a fantasy, really. It’s not real.”

“You never know. Stranger things have happened. You should meet him.”

“I will. But not until April.”

He laughed. “Whatever makes you happy.”

Bethany came through the door and rushed over to them. She looked happier than he’d ever seen her.

“You look like you won the lottery!” Maggie said.

“Better. My mother got her scan results this morning and there’s no trace left of her cancer.”

Maggie came out from behind the bar, her eyes suddenly wet and pulled Bethany in for a hug. “That’s the best news ever.”

And Bethany’s eyes were shiny too as she smiled up at him. There was so much love there, and he was happy for both of them.

He pulled her in for a hug too and kissed her forehead gently. “Please tell your mother we’re both thrilled for her.”

She grinned. “You can tell her yourself! I think your mother and my mother are coming in for lunch today to celebrate.”

“Oh great. I’ll reserve our best table by the window for them.”

“Thanks. She’d love that.”

Maggie went back to her ordering and Ryder walked with Bethany into the kitchen. They chatted about her next order from David. She wanted to try some of the products they’d tasted.

“Go ahead, I trust you completely on the menu. You haven’t steered us wrong yet.”

“Thank you. Oh, and I know I said it last night, but I had a really good time with you. It was the perfect date.”

He smiled. He couldn’t seem to stop smiling around Bethany lately. She had that effect on him.

“Let’s do it again this Sunday. I’m not much of a cook, but I can grill a steak and I want to show you my lot by the lake. We can take a drive out there if you like?”

“I’d love to see it, and I’m always up for a good steak.”

“Great, it’s a date then.”

Bethany was having a great day. She couldn’t remember when she’d last felt so happy. Her mother was healthy and she was looking forward to spending her day off with Ryder. She stayed busy in the kitchen through the lunch rush and then took a break to visit with her mother and Marcia. They’d come in for a late lunch when they knew it wouldn’t be too busy so everyone could stop by their table and celebrate the good news.

After they left, Bethany was on her way back into the kitchen when a familiar face walked into the bar. Mark Newton. He looked around as if he was searching for someone and broke into a huge grin when he saw her.

“I was hoping I’d come to the right place!”

She walked over to him. He went to give her a hug, and she took a step back. Ryder and Maggie were watching with interest at the bar and she didn’t want there to be any misunderstandings. Mark had no business being in Quinn Valley and at her restaurant as far as she knew. Which meant he’d come for one reason, to see her.

“What are you doing here?”

“Can we meet for a drink after you finish up?”

She knew that wouldn’t go over well with Ryder and she couldn’t blame him. Plus she had no interest in meeting Mark for another drink. “No, I’m working late tonight. What is it?”

He glanced around the bar and his gaze stopped for a minute on Ryder and Maggie.

“Is that your boss? The glaring man at the end of the bar?”

“Yes, he and his sister own Quinn’s.”

“Okay. Well maybe we should step outside for a minute. This won’t take long.”

“I’ve got about two minutes to spare.”

“I’ll make it fast.”

She followed him outside and crossed her arms over her chest waiting for him to say what he came to say.

“Why did you fly all the way here? You could have just called me or texted.”

“I did both, but I didn’t hear back from you.”

Hmmmm Maybe he did, she hadn’t checked her text messages in a few days and she had ignored his last voice message.

“Here’s the thing. I really want you to be my executive chef.”

Bethany sighed. “We already had this conversation.”

“No, I know. Hear me out. So, I’ve been thinking and I have the perfect solution. I’ll cut you in, make you a partner. You’ll get a share of all the profits. So you’ll have a little skin in the game. What do you say? It’s an opportunity you can’t pass up right?”

She looked at him. A few months ago he would have been right. It was the kind of opportunity she’d dreamed of. But her dreams had changed. And Mark wasn’t in them.

“I’m hugely flattered, but no thank you. This is where I want to be. Where I need to be.”

Mark didn’t look happy. He tried one last time.“But this isn’t Manhattan.”

She smiled. “No, it’s not. It’s home. Goodbye, Mark.”

Bethany went back inside and walked over to Ryder and Maggie.

“Who was that?” Maggie asked. Ryder said nothing, just waited for her to explain.

“That’s Mark Newton. I used to work for him.”

“And he just happened to drop by Quinn Valley?” Ryder raised his eyebrows. The wariness she’d seen in his eyes when she first saw him, was back.

“I saw him in Manhattan too when I went home to put the condo on the market. He wanted to meet me for a drink and to show me his new restaurant.”

“He offered you a job.” Ryder’s tone was flat and cold.

She nodded. “He did. But I turned him down.”

“Why did you even meet with him if you weren’t considering it?” he asked

“I knew I didn’t want it. But I felt I owed it to him to take the meeting, and I was curious to see what he was doing,” she admitted.

“If you said no, why did he come here?” Maggie looked confused.

“Mark never was good at taking no for an answer. He raised the stakes and offered me shares in the restaurant.”

“So you’d be an owner. I’d imagine that’s hard to say no to,” Maggie said.

“A few months ago it would have been.” She looked at Ryder and smiled. “But today it was easy.”

“You told him to beat it?” He sounded surprised, and unsure if he believed her.

“I did. I told you last night that I sold my condo.”

“You don’t close for a month. You could still get out of it,” he said.

“I probably could. But I don’t want to. I’m happy here. I don’t want to go back to Manhattan. Except maybe for a vacation.”

Ryder smiled tightly. “I can think of a long list of other places I’d rather go on vacation.”

Maggie laughed and went off to help a new customer.

“So, are we good? Still on for Sunday?” Bethany asked. Ryder still seemed a little distant and closed off.

“Sure. We’re still on for Sunday.”

Ryder watched her go back to the kitchen and stewed for a minute longer before heading into his office. He’d been looking forward to Sunday and was eager to show Bethany his land and to cook for her. He needed to digest everything that he’d just heard though and make sure that they were both on the same page. Maybe Bethany wasn’t as far along as he was with where he thought their relationship was going.