Page 117 of Promise Me

And then her brother is gone, and it’s just the two of us again.

She laughs. “Well, now that’s over, it looks like things are smooth sailing from here for us.”

She beams and then turns back to the house.

Yeah.

Smooth sailing.

CHAPTER TWENTY-SEVEN

SADIE

Today is a big day for me.

I’ve put together the proposal for Brooke, and I’m headed to the bakery to pitch her the idea after it closes in about twenty minutes.

My heart is hammering in my chest as I descend the stairs.

Selling the bakery is the first step to making Sips and Stories a reality. Turns out, I need the money from the sale to buy a place. I have a good chunk in savings, thanks to living with my dad, but not enough.

I’m pretty convinced that I couldn’t afford the space where the bar is, but I also wasn’t prepared to sell the bakery at that time, so I moved in with my dad to take care of him and save money while putting my dreams on the back burner.

It’s the only logical sequence.

But now, things have changed, and in a twisted way, hitting my head and forgetting the last three years might be the best thing that ever happened to me.

I make my way through the bakery’s kitchen and into theseating area quickly, finding Brooke laughing with a table of tourists.

She spots me right away and waves.

The women she’d been chatting with leave shortly after, and Brooke joins me at another table.

“It’s been so busy in here lately. I love it,” she beams. “How are you?”

“I’m great.”

“Oh no, you have a look. What’s wrong?”

“Nothing.” I give her my best smile. “I have something I want to talk to you about.”

“Okay,” she says slowly.

There isn’t really an easy way to say this, so I just blurt it out.

“I want you to buy the bakery from me.”

“What?” Her brows nearly hit her hairline. “No. This was your mom’s place, and she loved it. I’m not family. I would be?—”

“The person I know she would pick to take over.”

Brooke’s bottom lip wobbles as she studies me.

“But what about you? What will you do?”

I grin even bigger. She isn’t arguing to say no again.

“I’m going to open Sips and Stories.”

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