Page 67 of Scoop Me Up
“Good.”
As Ellie finished her pancakes, Mickey came by to take my payment. “How’s Sam?” he asked as I handed him the card.
I gave him a grin. “Sam’s good. The shop is almost done. Grand opening is in two weeks.”
Mickey nodded. “I’m glad. Sounds like you’ve both found your way here in Maplewood.”
I furrowed my brow. “I don’t know what you mean.”
“You’ve settled in pretty well, haven’t you?”
“I’m only here for a few more weeks.”
Mickey raised his eyebrows. “Could’ve fooled me.”
His words stuck with me for a long time as Ellie and I made our way to Scoops on Maple. When we arrived, we found Luke’s crew doing the last of the painting, putting final coats on the walls. They welcomed Ellie and offered to let her help, and she delightedly scampered off to learn how to use a paint roller.
I didn’t see Sam at first, so I headed to the kitchen to see if they were back there working instead, and spotted them in the small office, working on their laptop.
“Hey there,” I murmured, leaning against the doorframe.
Sam looked up and gave me a wide smile, dark eyes sparkling. “How was breakfast with Ellie?”
From the other room, I heard her giggle at something Luke said to her. “It was great. I’m sorry you weren’t able to join us.” I looked around to be sure we were alone before stepping into the office and dipping down to press a quick kiss to Sam’s lips.
Their cheeks colored, turning slightly pink. “What was that about?”
I shrugged. “Just felt like it.” When Sam didn’t respond, I gestured to the laptop. “What are you working on?”
“Finances,” they said, a heaviness in their tone. “I think I’m going to move out of my house.”
I put my hand on Sam’s shoulder. “No luck finding an investor?”
They shook their head. “Just the building’s new owner. Don’t get me wrong—without their help, I wouldn’t be able to do any of this, but… it’s going to take more than just renovations and my remaining savings to keep the shop afloat until I start getting regular business.”
I bit my bottom lip, thinking hard about what they said. “So you’d live…?” I pointed to the ceiling.
Sam nodded. “In the apartment upstairs. It seems like a smart decision. I just hate to move. I really like my house. But sacrifices have to be made, you know?”
Putting a hand on their shoulder, I squeezed gently. “Are there any other options?”
With a shrug, they shook their head again. “I don’t think there are. At least, not at this point.”
“I—” I started to speak, but Ellie’s shouting cut me off.
“Daddy!” Ellie called from the front. “Mix! Come see!”
Sam stood and followed the sound of Ellie’s voice out to the main entrance. Ellie was standing in front of the freshly painted wall, beaming like the sun.
“What’s up, Bug?” Sam asked. My stomach did a somersault at the sound of them using her nickname, the one Jennifer andI had used since she was a baby. It didn’t sound wrong coming from them. It sounded natural.
“We’re finished painting!” Ellie couldn’t have looked prouder.
Luke nodded and stood up from where he’d been putting the lid on a five-gallon bucket of paint. “We’re all finished. That was the last of the painting.”
“Wow. What’s next?” I looked around, heart warm at the thought that was almost done.
“We’re going to hang the signs and decor. Furniture should be here in a day or two. That’s pretty much it. You’ll just need inspections so the town can approve of everything and you’re golden.”
