by Naomi Niles
I smiled. “Consider us on the same page.”
Lacey smiled. “You’re a decent guy, Talen.”
“Did you ever doubt it?”
“Slightly,” she admitted. “In the beginning. I thought you’d turn out to be a murderer.”
I frowned. “Gee, thanks for the honesty.”
Lacey laughed. “Don’t take it too personally,” she said. “I tend to jump to worst case scenario with men. I thought Ryan might be a rapist the first time I met him.”
I laughed. “I don’t blame you there – he has that look.”
“What are you two laughing about?” Brittany asked as she joined Lacey behind the breakfast counter.
“Oh nothing much,” Lacey said, giving me a little wink before disappearing into the kitchen.
Brittany turned to me. “Warming up to her, are we?”
I smiled. “She’s very protective of you.”
“Oh God,” Brittany said, her eyes going wide. “What has she been saying?”
“Don’t worry,” I laughed. “Nothing bad.”
Brittany nodded, and her expression calmed down somewhat. “So, you’re not starting training any time soon are you?” she asked. “I mean, you’ll need to heal first, right?”
“I will,” I nodded. “The doctor cleared me to start training in a month’s time. I have to go through a few check-ups with a doctor here first, but it should be okay.”
“One month?” she said, biting her lip.
“I know it’s a long time.”
She frowned at me. “Actually, I was thinking it wasn’t quite long enough.”
I smiled and took her hand. “You don’t have to worry about me, Brittany, I’m hardcore.”
“Didn’t stop you from collapsing in the ring that night,” she reminded me.
“Ouch.”
“The truth hurts,” she said gently. “I just… I don’t want to see that happen again.”
“I know,” I said, squeezing her hand.
“Excuse me, waitress?” someone from the far right table called to Brittany.
She headed off in their direction and again, I watched her walk away. Lacey was right. Brittany was an amazing person and deserved so much more than the life she’d been handed. She had done the best she could, but sometimes life just didn’t give you any handouts. I wanted to do something for her, and an idea was forming in my head. But I knew that I couldn’t accomplish it on my own.
When Brittany next approached, I started rooting around in my hoodie, as though I were looking for something.
“What’s wrong?”
“Urgh… I think I forgot my phone,” I said.
“Oh, at your apartment?”
“No, at yours,” I said. “I had it with me while you were changing and I think I left it there.”
“Oh,” she said. “No worries. I can give you my spare key and you can head over there now and get it.”
“You don’t mind?”
“Not at all,” she smiled.
She retrieved her bag from under the breakfast counter and hitched out her spare set of keys. They were hanging off of Cinderella’s glass slipper.
“Nice key chain,” I smiled.
“Hey, I like fairytales,” Brittany replied. “It’s not like they ever happen in real life.”
“You never know.”
She rolled her eyes at me. “You know you don’t believe in real life fairytales, either, Talen.”
I laughed. “I’ll get these back to you as soon as possible,” I said, dangling the keys in front of her.
“Don’t worry about it,” she smiled.
I leaned in over the counter and gave her a long kiss on the lips. As I was walking out of the diner, I heard the lady named Monica make a loud comment.
“Fucking hell, you landed the hot MMA fighter,” she said. “Atta girl.”
I smiled and headed for my car.
Chapter Thirty-Four
Brittany
I had just closed up the diner for the night when Danny joined Lacey and me out in the front. He had looked much calmer and happier lately and there was a spring in his step that he still hadn’t explained. Lacey and I had been exchanging curious glances at him all day, but we hadn’t had the opportunity to talk yet.
“Let’s all have some pie together,” Danny said, sitting down at the breakfast counter.
“Umm… I didn’t make much in tips today,” Lacey said. “I think I’ll save my cash.”
“Don’t bother with that,” he told her, waving away Lacey’s excuse. “It’s on me today.”
“Seriously?” she said, glancing over at me. “I thought you said you were done handing out free food.”
“That was weeks ago,” Danny said. “Things have changed.”
Lacey and I exchanged another glance. I sat down opposite Danny just as he pushed two large pieces of pie towards us. “Danny…have you met someone?”
“Met someone?” he repeated with his mouth full.
“Yeah…a girl?” I asked. “Is that the reason you’re so happy lately?”
“I’m happy because of the diner, obviously,” he replied. “And, you two should be, too.”
“I don’t get it,” I said, shaking my head. “What about the diner?”
“I’m expanding it,” he announced. “Doing a whole renovation, changing the color scheme, increasing the staff, and I’ve even been inspired to change up the menu. I’ll really be able to focus on cooking now, instead of splitting half my time managing this place. I’m going to open the diner up for the dinner shift, too.”
Lacey and I looked at each other in amazement. “How the fuck do you have the money to do all that?” she demanded.
Danny raised his eyebrows and turned to me. “Talen didn’t tell you?”
“Tell me what?” I asked, shocked to hear Danny mention his name.
“About the diner?”
I sighed with impatience. “Does it look like I have any clue what you’re talking about, Danny?”
“Hmm…” he said. “Maybe I shouldn’t have said anything.”
Lacey grabbed the knife Danny had used to divide up the pie and pointed it right at him. “Spill the beans,” she threatened. “Now.”
He sighed dramatically. “Talen approached me yesterday and told me he wanted to invest in the diner. He wants to be a silent partner, so to speak. He’s the one giving me the money for all these changes.”
“Are you serious?” I asked in shock.
“Deadly serious,” Danny nodded.
“He didn’t speak to you about this?” Lacey turned to me.
“Not a word,” I said, shaking my head. “He’s really going to expand the diner with you?”
“Yup,” Danny nodded. “His main condition was that you and Lacey would get pay increases.”
“I knew I liked that guy the moment I saw him,” Lacey said, her face brightening instantly.
“Wait…he had other conditions?” I asked, catching on.
Danny hesitated a moment. “You want to know his other conditions… I think it’s best you talk to Talen yourself.”
“Danny-”
“Nope,” he said, shaking his head. “Investor/investee confidentiality. Can’t be broken, sorry.”
“You are insufferable,” I complained.
Danny took a big mouthful of pie and smiled at me happily. “I know.”
Lacey looked around the diner. “How much bigger is it going to get?” she asked.
“Double this size…at least,” he said happily. “I haven’t worked out all the details yet. But I’m thinking of hiring two sous-chefs and a couple more waiters and waitresses. I think putting a bar in the corner might also be a good idea.”
“A bar?” I repeated.
“We might need a bartender then, too,” Danny said, with a frown. “Hmm… and maybe a new television in that corner. What do you think about color schemes?”
“Black and white?”
“I was thinking something a little more su
btle,” Danny said.
“Red and black?”
“Too aggressive.”
As the two of them discussing colors, my head spun. Talen wanted to invest in the diner… But why? Did that mean he wanted to put down roots in Quebec? And if so…did his reasons have anything to do with me? And, why hadn’t he mentioned it to me? And what else was Danny not telling me? I had a hundred questions, but I knew Danny wouldn’t talk if he didn’t want to.
“Yellow?” Danny’s voice cut through my thoughts. “Are you high?”
“Hey, look,” Lacey said, glancing out of the diner through the windows. “Looks like Prince Charming’s here to collect you, Cinderella.”
I saw Talen pulling up in front of the diner, and I grabbed my bag and headed for the door. “See you guys tomorrow.”
“So impatient,” I heard Lacey say – and in this case, she was totally right.
The moment I had shut the door of the passenger seat behind me, I turned to Talen. “You’re investing in the diner?”
Talen froze in place for a minute and then relaxed. “Danny told you, huh?” he said, as he turned away from the diner and headed back to my place.
“Why didn’t you tell me?”
“I wanted it to be a surprise.”
“Oh,” I said. “Well, it was definitely that. What made you want to invest in the diner?”
“It obviously holds sentimental value to you,” Talen explained. “Plus you, Danny, and Lacey have put so much of yourselves into this place… It’s only fitting that it grow. I want to help that happen.”
“So technically, I’m going to be working for you now,” I smiled.
“Umm, not exactly,” Talen said, as his expression shifted a little.
I frowned. “What do you mean?”
“I asked Danny not to tell you that bit.”
“What bit?” I demanded, growing more and more impatient.
Talen pulled up outside my building, but he didn’t turn the engine off right away. He turned in the seat and took my hand. “I invested in the diner because of you, Brittany.”
“Me?”
“I’m investing on behalf of you.”
“I still don’t quite understand.”
“Part of the investment I made to the diner is in your name,” he explained. “Which means you have a certain amount of shares in the business, too.”
I just stared at him for a moment. “You are kidding me.”
“I am not,” he said firmly. “You can stay on as a waitress if you want, but even if you choose to quit, you still have shares in the diner. Which means you are entitled to part of the profit.
“It’s not much, but it’s enough to give you a little extra money every month. You’ll have the freedom to run your own life, get another job, go back to school… Anything you want, really. I did this so you could have the freedom to choose.”
“You really did this?” I asked in absolute amazement.
“I did.”
“For me?”
“For you.”
“I… I… I can’t quite believe this,” I said, in shock.
“I can give you a minute.”
“Talen…” I stammered. “This is too much… You already got me a car.”
He shrugged. “That car and this investment are two of the best decisions I’ve ever made, and I don’t believe I’ll ever regret them.”
“Talen…”
“Come on,” he said, turning off the ignition. “Let’s go inside.”
In a daze, I grabbed my bag and headed into the building with Talen at my side. I was so flustered that I couldn’t even find my keys in my bag.
“That’s okay,” Talen said. “I have the spare set, remember?”
“That’s right,” I nodded. “Did you find your cell phone?”
Talen smiled and opened the door for me. The moment I stepped inside I knew everything was different. I turned on the lights and stared, spellbound at my transformed apartment.
It was small, but the completely reworked interior had breathed new life into it. It actually looked bigger, somehow. The furniture was different, the mats and rugs had been replaced with new ones, and there was a brand new television in the corner.
“I have a confession to make,” Talen said, closing the door behind us. “I didn’t actually leave my phone here this morning. I just needed an excuse to get your keys and get into your apartment.”
“You bought me a television,” I said. “And new furniture.”
“Yes.”
“Talen!” I said, turning to him in shock. “This is all too much. You’re doing way too much.”
“You’re not offended are you?”
“Offended?” I repeated. “No, of course not. I’m touched that you’d want to do all this for me, but it’s still too much. The car, the diner and now this… I won’t ever be able to repay you.”
“I don’t want to be repaid,” he replied firmly. “Your happiness is the only thing that matters to me. The look on your face right now is all I really need.”
“How did you do all this?” I stammered, turning around on the spot so that I could get a better look at all the changes.
“I’ll admit, I didn’t do it on my own,” he explained. “I called in some reinforcements. Ryan helped me look up really good local interior designers. The one we hired was named Meryl Preston. She was quite thrilled with the challenge of doing up a small space.”
“She did a brilliant job,” I said. “It actually looks bigger.”
“I thought so, too,” Talen nodded.
I walked through the whole apartment. Even my bed had been changed and replaced with a larger, more modern design. The bed sheets were crisp, clean, and the tags read “Laura Ashley.” I felt tears prick at my eyes as I saw all the changes he had made and the lengths he had gone to to make sure I was okay in life. In a matter of seconds, he had secured an entire future for me.
Yesterday, I had no real plan. I had nothing but bills and expenses and an infinite amount of working hours ahead of me. Now, my life seemed to stretch out in front of me and all I could see was possibility. I could find another job. I could go back to school, and I could even start a business of my own with the profit I would get from the diner.
When I turned around, Talen was watching me from the door. “Are you happy?” he asked.
His blue eyes were soft and beautiful, and still the brightness never left them. I wanted to tell him how much this all meant to me, but I knew I couldn’t find words large enough to express the full extent of what I felt.
“How can I not be happy?” I asked him. “This is all too much, no one has ever done so much for me…not even my own parents.”
“You don’t need your father to make something of yourself, Brittany,” Talen said emphatically. “You can do it all by yourself. It’s his loss, in any case.”
“Why did you do all this, Talen?” I asked, taking a step towards him.
He reached out and stroked my cheek with the back of his hand. “Because not long ago, I was in the same position you are now. Then I got a lucky break, and I found myself in a Las Vegas ring, competing against a MMA champion. After I won, I checked my bank account balance and realized that my winnings had come in. When I saw that money, all it represented to me was freedom.
“That’s why I did this, Brittany,” he continued. “Because I wanted you to experience that same feeling. I wanted you to be able to breathe and relax and enjoy your life. It’s too short as it is, why waste it on endless shifts when you have the potential to do more?
“That’s one reason I did it. But the bigger reason is a little simpler.”
“Which is?”
“I love you, Brittany,” Talen said softly. “Plain and simple.”
I felt my heart thud unevenly for a long moment. I heard the genuine tone of his words, and I saw the sincerity in his eyes. I felt my knees grow weak for a moment, but I kept standing.
“I love you, too, Talen,” I replied. I wanted to say
more, but I realized it wasn’t necessary because those few words summed up the whole. Just like Talen said, it was plain, simple, and true.
Chapter Thirty-Five
Talen
I was just getting ready to get over to the marathon, when my phone went off. I managed to throw on my hoodie and grab it before the caller hung up.
“Hello?” I answered, thinking it would be Brittany.
A deep, calm voice on the other line answered. “Hi, little brother.”
“John?”
There was a chuckle on the other end. “It’s me,” he replied. “How are you doing?”
I sat down on the edge of my couch. “I’m doing good,” I replied.
Sam was the only brother who I stayed in regular contact with. I saw and spoke to Alan, Peter, and John mostly when I was in town and at their place for a meal.
“How about the injuries?”
“Still there,” I replied honestly. “Nothing a couple more weeks of rest won’t cure, though.”
“And…the swelling?”
I paused. “Umm… The doctor said there was a possibility it could get worse. If I were to continue fighting.”
“I see,” John replied.
I could tell he wanted to say more, perhaps even advise me, but was holding his tongue. It was common knowledge in the family that I hated getting advice.
I realized again how much I had distanced myself from everyone. I used to blame them for that, but now I realized that I was to blame. How could you have a relationship with someone you couldn’t talk to?
“How are you, John?” I asked, making an attempt at conversation.
“I’m good,” he replied. “Great, actually… I called you for a reason.”
“Oh?”
“Kami gave birth a couple of hours ago.”
“No way!”
I realized that her due date had snuck up on me because I was so caught up in my own little world. But I had known when the baby was due. Sam had mentioned it to me a couple of times, and the girls had spoken about it constantly at the hospital while they were keeping me company.
“Yup.”
“You’re a father.”
“I am,” he replied. I could sense the elation in his voice. “I’m the father of a beautiful, healthy baby girl.”