Page 114 of Off the Wall

He braces his palms on his knees. “Before I tell you, I just want to be sure we’re clear on something.” He tips his chin. “You’re the one who got the business loan and earned the money to make up the gap in the funds. All on your own.”

“I know that.”

“All I did was make sure Serendipi-Tea was available for you again. Which it always should have been.”

I puff out a breath. “But … how?”

“I called Glen, and I told him if he could find any other owners on the block willing to sell, I’d buy their house outright and let him and his son build their office there.” He takes a beat. “Free.”

“Free?”

“Well, Glen had to put some legwork in on the front end. He went door-to-door pitching his case, and it turns out he’s a pretty convincing agent. I convincedhimdropping the coffee angle just makes sense. Now the Cottages will do real estate, you’ll keep Serendipi-Tea, and if both places stick to what they do best, you can send each other business.”

I gape at him. “When did all this happen?”

“I got in touch with him yesterday, and he found a place within hours. Highly motivated, that one.” Cash rubs at his chin. “He’s still gotta draw up the papers for escrow, and we’ll have documents to sign. There will have to be an inspection and all that. It’ll probably take about a month. But I can tell you this: what I’m paying this couple to sell their home … They’re going to follow through.”

“But there’s no way you can afford that.”

“That’s the thing, though. I can.” He glances around the empty courtyard, but lowers his voice anyway. “I kind of have a seven-million-dollar signing bonus from the Black-Caps sitting in the bank.”

“Get out!” My jaw comes unhinged, and I shove him with both hands, almost knocking him off the lounge chair. “You were allowed to keep that?”

“Yep.” He nods. “Those are the rules of signing bonuses.” He grimaces. “I always felt bad, though, getting all the money and not being able to play. So I sat on it all this time, waiting for the right investment to come along. And this is the first right investment. I’ve still got plenty left over.”

I shake my head, information boomeranging around my insides. “You never told me this.”

He shrugs. “I never tell anyone.”

“But …” I exhale deeply. “How will I ever repay you?”

“You won’t. And I don’t want you to.” He lets out a chuckle. “Believe me, Glen and I are already talking about collaborating on a bunch of flips his son wants to invest in. We’re going to make this situation worth everyone’s time and effort and money. I’m not worried about it.”

“I—”

“Before you keep arguing with me, I want to point out one last thing,” he says. “Violet’s gonna be so much happier knowing Serendipi-Tea will carry on the way it was always meant to. Her legacy is still intact. It’ll just be yours now too.”

The tears gathering in my eyes begin to spill over. “I can’t … I don’t … I … Thank you.”

“The thing is, I would do anything for you, but you’re the one who made this happen, Nori. You.” He reaches for my hands again, still holding my gaze. “And we don’t have to know our entire future yet. We only have to know about right now. And in this moment, I am here for you.” He blinks. “And I just want to keep being here for you. Herewithyou. For as long as I can.”

My pulse stutters, and a gust of air rushes into me, filling my heart right along with my lungs. Which—now that I think of it—would probably kill me.

But that’s not the point.

The point is, as much as I’ve tried denying the tether, I am completely entangled with this man. And I don’t even want to feel separate from him anymore.

“That sounds like a really good plan,” I say, my voice cracking.

“Oh, and also?” He leans in close. “I’m falling in love with you, Nori Sinclair.” He presses the softest kiss to my forehead, then the tip of my nose, and finally my lips. I gaze up into his perfect eyes, and every emotion I’ve been bottling up comes rushing to the surface.

“I’m falling in love with you too.”

A bright smile breaks across his face. “So what should we do about that?”

“Good question.” I arch a brow, then shift my body until I’m practically sitting on his lap again. “I’m thinking we should do this.” I press my lips to his. “But … like … forever.”

“Or,” he says against my mouth, “hear me out. We could go on an actual date.”

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