LEXI

The gang has been here for a lot longer than I expected. There’s a buzz in the air, whispers, and the sensation that something is going on without my knowledge.

That’s why I’ve escaped into my office for a minute with the excuse that I need to powder my nose. There are a few things wrong with this. First of all, nobody powders their nose anymore, least of all me.

But when nobody blinked an eye at my powdering the nose excuse, I knew for a fact they were so distracted they couldn’t even focus on the words leaving my mouth. Peeking out from around the corner, I see Lucas, Brad, Sasha, and Kitty all dive their heads into a huddle.

When Sasha’s eyes flick up toward me, I yank my head back just in time and take a few deep breaths. Part of me wants to sneak out and eavesdrop, and the other part is just plain confused.

The last time Kitty kept a secret from me was during the planning of my surprise twenty-first birthday party. My birthday’s not for five months. Whatever’s happening out there feels far more urgent.

I busy myself tidying up the office. I won’t be able to keep my mouth shut once I step out there and see their heads snap to attention, so I’m trying to burn the nervous energy. Closing time is in one hour, so I just need to hold out for sixty minutes.

The door opens, and I fly against the back wall, a hand to my chest. “Brad! Ever heard of knocking?”

“Sorry.” He flinches, but it doesn’t stop him from entering the room and closing the door behind him. “Listen, Lexi—”

“I know, Brad. I know it was you.”

An uneasiness settles across his face, further proving my point that there’s something happening out there right now. The whispers and the heads bent together. He’s trying to figure out exactly what I know.

I decide to have a little fun with him. “Did you think I wouldn’t notice all of you coming here at once? That’s not an accident.”

“We always come here for dinner. We have a group text chain, and you’re on it. You knew we’d be here.”

“Yes, but you’ve been twitchy all day. You’ve never eaten so many carbs in your life.”

“I came in here to check on you.” Brad cleverly changes the subject, takes my hand, and leads me to the couch. “Are you okay?”

“You told Leo to come here and apologize, didn’t you?”

“I asked him.”

“Politely?”

“Not in so many words.”

I reach over and squeeze his hand. “You didn’t have to do that, you know.”

“I know, but he did owe you an apology. It was a cheap shot for him to come after you. I still feel horrible that I ever put you in the position where you entered into my business world.”

“It’s fine, Brad. Really. In fact, maybe it was a blessing in disguise.”

“How do you figure?”

“Well, it opened my eyes. I am barely holding onto this lease, and it’s not healthy.”

“What? People love your restaurant! The place is always busy.”

“It’s an expensive location, and I just... I don’t want to raise the prices. These people are my friends. They’ve been coming here for years.”

“It’s business, Lex.”

“That’s exactly what Leo said,” I say, just a little too sharply. “And I get it. I understand the logic, I really truly do. But at the end of the day, it’s my choice.”

He bows his head slightly. “It is.”

“And it made me realize that at some point or another, things are going to get shaken up. Even if Chris isn’t selling to Leo, he’ll sell to someone else. And that someone else will want to raise rent—because it’s business.”

“Lexi—”

I hold up a hand. “But this whole event made me realize that it doesn’t matter. We’ll be okay. I’ll be okay. I’ll open a new location, or I’ll try something new. Maybe I’ll even start looking around for a new spot before Chris retires—beat the next guy to the punch. Maybe I’ll—”

“Before you do any of that, listen.” Brad leans in, silencing my next explanation with a neat kiss to the lips. “I have something to tell you.”

“I don’t care, Brad. It’s over. Leo’s gone—we don’t need to talk about this anymore.”

“This isn’t about Leo, this is about you.”

I’m a little taken aback, and I adjust myself on the couch as I wait for the other shoe to fall. “Me?”

“There was a chance Leo wasn’t going to back down. A chance he might’ve tried to take this to court, or go through with the deal anyway and snatch this place out from under you.”

“I already told you, I—”

“I said I’d fix it, and I wasn’t sure that I could. Which is why I needed some help.”

“Is that what you all are whispering about? I don’t need pity, Brad. You should know that better than anyone else.”

“This isn’t pity, this is...” He trails of, and there’s a hint of awe in his voice that has me suspicious.

“What is it?”

“Your customers love you. I’m going to let them explain.”

“My customers?”

“Come on.” He grabs a hold of my hand and pulls me toward the door. “Now this—I didn’t have to do any arm twisting for this. When your customers caught word of what was happening, this came together on its own.”

He pulls the door open, and I follow him out. There in the diner is a wash of people. The water aerobics crew, and the men in uniforms. Cole the fireman waves from behind the bridge club, and Sasha and Kitty are interspersed between the Italian chess family. Lucas has himself surrounded by the grandmothers. Rick stands near the back, and even Luis has poked his head out from the kitchen.

The second I step out, they begin to applaud. Smiling, whistling, the room is filled with the sounds of celebrating, which makes absolutely no sense. There’s nothing to celebrate.

“I didn’t need to fix the problem,” Brad says, just for me. “You fix your own problems.”

“But—”

“Just by being who you are.” He eases an arm around my shoulder and dusts a kiss across my forehead, which earns extra cheers from the grandmothers. Even Lucas doesn’t look completely disgusted at our PDA, which is impressive.

“What is this?” I ask, directing the question to nobody in particular. “Why are so many people here?”

Barb takes the lead, stepping forward and patting Lucas’s arm on the way. She clears her throat, waits until all the attention is on her, and then grins. “When we heard that someone might buy this place out, we got worried.”

“Worried?”

“Where else can we go for ladies’ breakfasts? You have the cheapest prices, the best food, and you never kick us out for ordering only orange juice.”

“So, we all chipped in,” one of the uniforms says, joining Barb at the front. I recognize him, but I’ve never gotten his name. “You never charge us full price, and you’re always giving us free food or coffee.”

“We talked to the landlord,” a water aerobics lady adds in, “and we’ve raised enough for the down payment on this place.”

From the very back of the room, another figure marches forward. It’s Chris, and he’s holding a slip of paper in his hand. He shuffles, slowly, until he reaches my side.

“Take a look,” he says, handing over the paper. “If you want this place, we’ll see if we can’t get it into your hands.”

“No,” I say, in complete denial. “It’s too much. I don’t even want to think about the cost of it. I’ll never be able to carry the mortgage.”

“Mortgage is less than rent,” Chris says. “With a down payment this size, it’s yours if you want it.”

“But—”

“Stop arguing,” Barb says. “We all just forked over the amount we should’ve paid you in the first place. You give us so many sales it’s a rip off. We all know it, and now it’s our chance to return the favor to you.”

“We also want to keep the place running,” one of the bridge guys says. “Finding a new spot for the weekly game would be a nightmare. This is central to all of us.”

“I...” I look down at the paper. I can’t even focus on it. In the back of my head, I’m well aware there are hundreds of details, logistics, and itty-bitty business items to even consider before making this a reality.

But that’s not the point.

“Thank you,” I say, my voice shaking more than my fingers. I’m rattled from head to toe, and the pounding of my heart is about to knock me flat on my back. I reach out a hand to Brad and steady myself. “It’s too generous of you, and I can’t tell you how much the thought means to me. I really—”

“Just tell us you’ll keep this place open,” Barb says. “That’s all we really want. And for you to be happy, of course, but that goes without saying.”

“Well, thank you.” I give a shaky breath, then a smile. “Minnie’s isn’t going anywhere.”