CHAPTER FOUR

James

Last Friday, I learned a lot about myself. One of those things is that the feelings I was quickly building toward a certain drop-dead gorgeous teacher were returned. Or, at least, physically anyway. By the end of the football game, I was positive we were on the same page, and then she all but ran away from me. This time not tripping over herself.

I woke up the next morning not sure what to do with that, but I did know that I wasn’t willing to let it go. I could tell something spooked her, though. If I needed to be patient and wait her out, I would do just that.

I still haven’t left Tess and Barrett’s house. They haven’t said anything, and I wonder if they’re wondering if I’m just going to try to move in. And while a move is definitely going to happen, I have no intentions of moving into my sister and brother-in-law’s house. Although it is pretty entertaining here.

I’m standing outside of the building that has the potential to change my entire future. For the better, I hope. I scroll through my email one last time to make sure I have all the information I need while I wait for the owner to arrive.

“You actually showed up.” A gruff voice booms from behind me.

I look up from my phone and turn around to see Tony Stacco’s husky frame make his way toward me.

“You didn’t think I would?” I question.

“Well, let’s just say people aren’t necessarily busting down my doors to get in.”

“Ah, but they’re not me. They don’t see the potential I do.”

“Potential, huh?”

I nod my head as he turns the key in the door and motions for me to follow him into the shabby old diner. It smells of stale smoke and cooking oil. The black-and-white laminate floor is chipped and cracking, the paint on the walls dingy. The bright red leather bar stools have holes and splinters in the seats, the tables are wobbly, and the light fixtures are seriously outdated. The kitchen looks as though it hasn’t changed since the fifties. To most people, sure, they would see something that’d be better to be burned to the ground.

To me? I see so much more. I see freedom. I see my future.

A few months ago, I started feeling the itch once again to own my own restaurant. I’ve been to Tony’s Diner too many times to count and always knew that it had possibilities of being something greater than he let it become. When I stayed here to help with the kids while Tess and Barrett were gone, I heard that he was planning to shut down the restaurant and had the building for sale. I showed up in the diner one day with a proposition. He took one look at me and asked if I’d lost my damn mind. When I assured him I hadn’t, and he got done laughing, loudly, he took me back to the office to sit down and talk over what I was offering.

“What you want with this place, anyhow? You gonna tear it down? Build a juice bar to go with that damn coffee shop next door?” he asks without turning around while he moves through the space toward the back room.

“Nah, I have far bigger plans for it than that.”

“Can’t really see what you have in mind. Seems like a money pit to me.”

I shrug my shoulders as I sit down in the old plastic chair across from him in his makeshift office.

“You need to see what I can, then.”

He shakes his head. “Don’t need to see it, boy. I plan on getting out of here. I’m seventy years old. Spent enough time in these damn Michigan winters for a lifetime. Moving my old chubby ass down to Florida.”

“Yeah?”

“As soon as I cash the check I hope you’re carrying with you.”

I bite back a snort at his straight forwardness. “I have it with me. Don’t worry, Tony. You sure you want to do this?”

“Oh, I’m sure. This place ain’t nothin’ to me anymore. Wife passed away a few years ago. My kids don’t want a thing to do with it. I’m ready to get outta here.”

“Alright then. Let’s do this.”

And fifteen minutes later, I was the proud owner of Tony’s Diner, soon to be Balance, an eclectic mix of the southern cooking I grew up with, the Italian dishes I’ve come to adore, and all-American fare that my family loves so much.

Step one of my future is fully in place.

Step two? That could be a bigger challenge.

“I have news,” I announce to my sister, Tess, and her family as we’re all creating our own pizzas. Tomorrow is Thanksgiving, and with Tess’s family and Lily and I all in one room now, it’s the perfect time to let them know what changes are coming. I’ll see my parents tomorrow as well and let them know, but I’ll have to call my brother Dean and his wife Meredith. He won’t be impressed if he finds out about my big move from someone else.

“Sounds ominous,” Barrett says, but he’s smiling in my direction all the same.

I decide to mess with them a bit. I nod my head and cast my eyes downward. I sigh heavily and shake my head, as if what I’m about to say is really hard to get out. When Tess notices, she puts down the knife she was using to chop peppers and onions and looks over at me with concern. I should feel bad because I think she’s probably thinking the worst, but I can’t help myself.

“Yeah, I guess it might be,” I tell them with a quiet voice. I’m an ass.

“James, what’s going on? Are you alright?” Tess quickly makes her way to my side and rests her hand on my arm.

“I really don’t know how to tell you all, so I guess I’ll just get it out there, rip it off like a Band-Aid, right?” I say, my head down. My shoulders rise and fall as I take a deep breath.

“Dad, you’re scaring me. What’s going on?” my daughter, Lily, says with tears forming in her bright blue eyes, so much like my own. She could be Tess’s daughter, for as much as she looks like her aunt, though Lily’s hair is a little more… wild. With streaks of color on every strand, she tells me her hair is unicorn, whatever the hell that means.

I blow out a breath and look around the still-and-too-quiet room and notice I have everyone’s eyes pinned directly on me. “Like I said, I have news. And it’s going to change a lot of things. I’m not sure how to tell you… but you need to know because I’m gonna need your support over the next twelve months. More than I ever have before.”

“Just spit it out, dammit!” Barrett yells.

That makes me lose it completely. I start to laugh, which only earns glares from the family surrounding me. “Sorry. Okay, so you know how Tony’s Diner is shutting down?”

“Yeah, that place was scary,” Maggie says, speaking truth.

“I bought it,” I announce, like I said — just rip the Band-Aid off.

Tess’s eyes bulge almost completely out of her head before she squeals and runs and jumps into my arms. Lily’s right next to her, and they’re both hugging me tightly. My two favorite girls. Which could be weird because one is my sister, but we’ve always been close. In fact, for the past several years, she was more friend to me than sister.

“Dad!? Are you serious? You finally did it!?”

They know this has been my dream since, well, forever. Growing up with a southern father, the love of food was ingrained in me from an early age. Before Lily came along, my dream was to open my own restaurant, but we just didn’t have the money. Then Nicole left, and I put my dreams on the back burner. I never once minded, though. Giving my entire focus over to my daughter wasn’t a hardship by any means. I would do anything for her. She’s been the center of my universe for twenty years now.

Somehow, by the grace of God, she turned out amazing. She’s not a spoiled, selfish brat that many people assume when they hear only child — especially one raised by a single parent. She’s giving, respectful, loving and kind, everything that I wanted for her and from her. And most of all, she’s always encouraged me to find my happiness. So, this restaurant isn’t only for me. It’s for her. It’s to show her that no one’s ever too old to chase their dreams. That it’s never too late.

“I did.” I nod my head. My excitement over finding this place for sale can’t be contained. I’m smiling like an idiot, but I don’t care. I’m happy. It took a lot of years for me to be truly joyful and content with my life.

Sure, I had Lily, and I’m so thankful I did. If Nicole would have left me and taken her, I would have completely lost it. But that doesn’t mean that it was always easy, or fun, if I’m being honest. Being a single parent to a girl was and still is hard.

“I’m so happy for you!” Tess shouts. I wince and cover my ears. She playfully punches me in the shoulder, and gives me a big hug then steps back with her hands on my shoulders. “I’m so proud of you, big brother. This is amazing.”

“You ass, I thought something was wrong with you!” Barrett shakes his head.

“Yay! Another place to eat in town!” Maggie dances around, clapping her hands.

“That rocks, Uncle James! Can I get free food?” This from Grady with Cole, Tess and Barrett’s oldest son, nodding his head in agreement. Typical boys… or men, now.

“Boys!” Barrett commands, but he’s all smiles. He knows his kids. He knows they’re happy for me. “Seriously, man. This is great,” he says as he walks over and gives me a hug, nudging his wife out of the way only to hear her scoff at him.

“What’s happening?” Harper says, apparently completely oblivious to our entire conversation as she played with the dogs on the floor.

“Daddy,” I hear Lily say.

I look over at my baby girl. So grown up, no longer girl, but woman — but always and forever my girl in my eyes. Her eyes are filled with tears, but her smile shows me that her tears are only of happiness. Of pride that her dad is still willing to go after what he wants.

“I’m so proud of you. I know you’ve wanted this forever. Sacrificed everything and now…” She starts to full on cry, and standing next to Grady, he looks to the ceiling before pulling her into his arms like the awesome cousin, but more like big brother even though he’s four years younger. She cries on his shoulder for a few moments before I’m by her side, pulling her into my arms once again. She hugs me tighter than she’s ever hugged me before, and I relish in the moment of holding my favorite constant in my arms to celebrate this.

“Thank you, my sweet Lily Bug. Thank you,” I repeat to her, because it’s worth being said. Her happiness for me almost brings me to tears, but the sounds and noises around us of everyone talking and asking questions all at once has me brought back to reality pretty quickly.

I turn to Harper, who is still looking around the room completely confused. I bend down and crouch on my knees in front of her. “Harper. I bought a restaurant. It’s something I’ve wanted for a very, very long time. Has there ever been anything you wanted for as long as you can remember, and you finally got it?”

“Uh-huh! I wanted that bright pink Hula Hoop that had lights in it for-ev-er! And I still want bunkbeds for my room, but daddy said until I actually sleep in my room, I can’t get them.”

“Well, do you remember what it felt like when you finally got the Hula Hoop? Or what it will feel like when your dad builds you that set of bunkbeds you’ll get if you keep sleeping in your own room?”

“I played with it for hours! And I am sleeping in there!” she exclaims then turns a pint-size glare at her father.

He only rolls his eyes, apparently completely immune to her manipulative ways. “For more than a couple days, baby,” Barrett tells her. “Then I’ll build you the coolest set of bunkbeds you’ve ever seen.” Well, almost immune.

Harper scrunches up her nose at him then refocuses her attention on me. “So, you wanted the scary restaurant for a long time?”

“No, baby girl.” I chuckle. “I wanted a restaurant for a long time. A really, really long time. I’m not going to keep it scary. I promise. Will you help me? Make it not scary? Maybe you can help me decide what is going to be on the kids’ menu?”

“Corndog bites. And your mac and cheese, because even though kids think that box stuff is awesome, yours is wa-a-ay better. They just don’t know it yet. Ooh… and cheese pizza. And! Oh yeah — and mozzarella sticks. Make those things, and the kids will all love it there,” she says then pats me on the cheek and walks away.

We all laugh at her simplicity, and Grady chimes in, “I like those, too. Put them on the regular menu so I can eat ‘em.”

The rest of the evening is spent going between answering questions about what décor I plan to have (Tess), what building needs to be done (Barrett and the boys), if she can get a job waitressing (Maggie), what am I going to call it (Lily), and a lot of questions revolving around the menu. Even Mia, Cole’s girlfriend and old friend of the family, asked a couple questions.

After we feast on our homemade pizzas, everyone settles in the living room to watch a movie together. When it is over, all the girls head to the bedrooms they will be sharing, Grady goes to his room, probably to talk to Bri before going to sleep, and Cole ambles toward bed as well. I moved my stuff from Cole’s room to the spare bedroom, ditching the idea of being a buzzkill uncle and bunking with him. I’m sure he appreciates that, but at the same time, I highly doubt he will be using the bedroom for much other than sleeping. He respects both his parents and Mia too much.

The last month has completely exhausted me, but it still doesn’t stop my mind from drifting to the beautiful woman I met just a few weeks ago when I was watching Tess and Barrett’s kids. It’s not that I hadn’t heard of her, of course. Tess and I talk all the time, so obviously, her name has come up, including a bit of her background. But nothing prepared me for the intense and raw feeling I had when I first laid eyes on Carly. Plus, we’re both single parents. That unspoken bond of knowing what the other went through is there, pulsing between us.

A body that, even though she was dressed in skinny jeans and a long-sleeve black t-shirt, showed that she worked her muscles every day. Shiny blond hair that made me want to run my fingers through it, preferably while my lips were seared to hers in what I know would be a soul crushing kiss. But what I can’t get out of my mind, what keeps me awake at night, are her chocolate-brown eyes… Eyes that showed heartache and a willpower to overcome it… Eyes that have consumed my thoughts just simmering, waiting for the perfect time to boil over.

I’m a patient man. I waited decades to have my own restaurant.

Now I have a taste of something I’ve wanted for as long as I can remember, and I’m going to savor it. But there’s something new I want also, and as those eyes flitter across my mind as I lie in my bed, I know that until I get it all, I won’t be satisfied.