Page 136 of Almost Love

“Slow and steady,” she echoed and saw the sign for the bakery. “I’m pulling up at the shop. I’ll see you in a bit, yeah?”

“Yup. Just need to get Dig,” he reminded her and they said bye as she parked in front of the shop. Climbing out, she frownedat the lack of other vehicles and the fact that no lights were on inside. Phone and keys in hand, she let herself in and looked around, confused.

“James? Anybody?” she called out, then dialed Mack’s number, but got his voicemail. The same thing happened with James and Freya. “What the hell.”

She moved through the space, eyes briefly landing on all the work that had been completed. Then at the main entrance, she tried Mack and James again, but nothing. Grumbling, she started to flip on the lights. Maybe James was also on his way. She turned to set her things down and froze when a familiar figure stepped out of the kitchen.

“Melor.”

CHAPTER 36

When he left Daisy’s shop, he knew that a plan was brewing. He also knew that the women were roping in a few more people and by the time he’d finished work and gone for a run that evening, they had everything set in place. Even then, Oakley was worried that it might not work. His biggest concern was that despite the effort and emotions behind the gesture, Clementine could still want nothing to do with him.

If the group chat that was created was anything to go by—annoyingly aptly titledOn His Knees—the plan was pretty simple. Ginny and Daisy would be super supportive friends and show up at the Spring Food Fling to keep Clementine distracted. In that time, he could pick up flowers and do whatever else needed to be done and get to the shop where Mack would be waiting for him. Then once he was hidden safely in the kitchen, all the pieces would fall into place. All Oakley knew was what time he needed to be at the shop, everything else was honestly in the hands of other people.

It was only a little stressful.

He went for an unusually long run that morning, because his nerves were on edge and he needed to shake it off somehow. When he got home, he made filter coffee using a recipe thatGinny sourced from her mother. It took him three tries to get the right color and consistency. Not to mention the flavor. He’d drunk it enough times with Clementine to know what it was supposed to taste like. Then he took Gracie out for a walk and when they got back, showered and drove to Allenwood for a meeting.

After his downward spiral, Mia insisted that he attend a meeting. While it was easy to lie to his sponsor given that she was on the other side of the country, he knew that she was only suggesting it out of concern. He’d been going to meetings regularly enough that people knew his name, so it wasn’t about being in a new place either. Oakley still hadn’t shared his full story with the group and he knew that that day was one for big changes.

“I’m Oakley. I’m an addict,” he said after much humming and hawing. “I’ve been sober eight years and a hundred and three days.”

The group greeted him and clapped, which made him feel like a kid. He told them his life story, interjecting it with as much humor as possible. Because there was no way he could talk about his family and history without a few laughs. He ended his ramble with mentions of Clementine and working his ass off to win her back. At the end of the session, every single person wished him good luck as he walked out.

When he got home, he stripped down to his boxers and collapsed into bed. The run, the emotions of the day and talking about himself was enough to exhaust him. Besides, he had a lot of time before he needed to meet Mack at the shop and a nap would do him a whole lot of good. Two hours and another shower later, Oakley made one last batch of filter coffee and poured them into takeaway cups. He got ready and did the same for Gracie, making sure that she was presentable. His first stop was Daisy’s Patch, where he was handed a thick bouquetof carnations in every color imaginable. Then he stopped at the tattoo studio to grab his notebook, because if everything went the way he hoped, then he wanted to show Clementine the tattoos he’d drawn for her. She could decide never to get them, but he wanted her to see them.

He drove around for a while, Gracie snoozing in the passenger seat, and finally pulled up at the new bakery space. He could see Mack inside talking to another guy as workers moved around them. Rolling the windows down just enough for his dog, he left the flowers and coffee in his Jeep as he went inside to greet the men.

“You’re early.”

“I’ve been anxious about this for days, so cut me some slack.”

Mack snorted and pointed at the other man. “Oakley, this is James. He’s the contractor getting this place together. James, this is the reason we’re not working for the rest of the day.”

“Hey!” Oakley protested, but shook James’ hand. “Good to meet you.”

“You too. I’ll leave you to it. We’ll clear out in the next thirty or so.”

Mack shook his hand as well. “Thanks, James. I’ll see you tomorrow.”

The contractor left and Oakley took in all the work that had been done. The walls were painted cream, the windows had the dark green trim and lights had been fitted. There was a shape where the main counter and display case would come, but no work had been done to that area. The two alcoves still looked the same, which told him that it was going to take a while before the big stuff would be completed. But he could see Clementine’s vision coming to life right before his eyes.

“How’s your mural looking?” he asked Mack, who hadn’t moved from his position, arms crossed over his chest.

“You gonna be okay?”

“With your mural?”

“Don’t be a smartass. With the plan.”

He shrugged, hands shoved into his pockets as he twisted side to side. “It’ll be good to see her, to talk. I’m nervous as fuck, but this is important.”

“Are you doing this for her or for you?”

“For both of us. I never want Clementine to think that she’s not enough. She’s more than enough. I don’t think any of us are actually worthy of her, but I love her and will work to get there.”

Mack watched him a moment and then nodded. “Not bad.”

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