Page 73 of Building Romance
Max: (laughing emoji) An adorable idiot.
Me: (middle-finger emoji)
I see a missed text from my family group chat.
Winston: Good luck today! Can’t wait to see the show.
Mom: Same.
Dad: Break a leg, kid!
I laugh.
Me: Thanks. I’m excited to watch the show too.
Fletch had told me about how proud my family is of me, and I didn’t see it before the past few days, but I am starting to believe him. It’ll take time for me to accept that as truth. I’m so used to being the baby of the family that everyone dotes on and takes care of. Doing this on my own was to prove I can. I didn’t think proving it to myself would help but I think it has. I can see my strengths now. I’m so much stronger than I thought I was. I don’t need anyone, but damn, do I wish Fletcher was by my side for this wild ride. He’d be the perfect partner. I wish I knew what he was concocting before I left that morning. He kept saying he had a plan, but I don’t know what that plan was.
“Felicity is here to set up for the media shoot later,” Adriana calls out from the front.
“Coming,” I say as I shut down my laptop and straighten my desk for the tenth time today. The network wanted to do some last-minute media blitzing and that includes an interview with me at the café. She had mentioned asking Fletcher to be here too, but she later told me he was busy and we’d do interviews with him later.
Part of me feels a pang in my chest at the thought of going another day without talking to him. I keep wanting to share things with him, a new recipe I made a few days ago, a funny horror movie I watched with Drew, and even a new special shelf in my office for the saltshaker so that I never lose it again. Carly may have apologized a dozen times about that, although it’s completely not anyone’s fault. I’m just glad we found it.
I decide to send him one more text before I go out front.
Me: I don’t know if you’re reading my texts, but I hope you are. I know I can do this on my own, but it’d be so much better if you were here beside me. I miss you and I’m sorry. I hope someday you’ll forgive me.
I push my phone into my signature apron pocket with my new Cam’s Café logo on it and walk out front. I wish the giant hole in the side of the café was repaired. Apparently, our building manager found an internal wiring issue when the building next door had to tear down part of the wall. We were closed for two days, but fortunately there was a local indoor, holiday farmer’s market nearby and we were able to set up a table there and sell some items.
I haven’t seen the damage yet as Gregor, the building owner, had the contractor curtain off the section of wall that’s being replaced. It’s huge and takes up nearly forty percent of the wall. But it’ll get fixed and at least I don’t have to pay for it. As Drew pointed out, I can use this as an opportunity to rebrand with new paint and new artwork. We came up with our plan a few days ago and have all the paint ready to go once I get the green light. I was a little bummed that the building next door sold. I had thought about trying to lease that space to expand the café.
I hate filming in here without it being updated, but Felicity was insistent that we get it done today.
I enter the main part of the café. My staff are lined up behind the counter. The film crew is set up and there’s a small bistro table in the light, which I assume is where I’ll be sitting.
“Oh, wonderful, you’re ready,” Felicity says as she claps her hands together. Outside the door, I see my neighbors clustered around the front window, watching us.
I laugh and wave to them. They all wave back.
I look around again, a small part of me hoping to see Fletcher, but he’s nowhere to be seen. I glance at the offending curtain. It’s still there.
“Camryn, this is Wendy Belden. She’ll be interviewing you,” Felicity introduces the woman already seated on one side of the bistro table. I recognize her from a news program that follows restaurants and chefs.
I hold out my hand to her and she shakes it. “It’s a pleasure to meet you,” she says. “Shall we get started?”
I nod and sit down. After the three-person crew gets organized, we start the interview. She asks the same questions I’ve already heard from other press during our initial press tour a few weeks ago. I wonder why we were even doing this.
“And what are your plans moving forward now that you’ve won?” she asks as her questions begin to indicate that we are wrapping up the interview.
“Well, I’d love to expand a bit if the opportunity arises. And I have ideas for some new menu items; those are already in the works. I also have some new visual changes I’d like to make here at the café,” I answer as I give her my best fake smile which I’ve been perfecting.
“That’s wonderful,” she answers and then gives me a real smile. I’m not used to that, an interviewer giving me a genuine smile is unusual to say the least. “What if I told you we had a little surprise for you today?”
I raise my eyebrows. “Oh?”
She grins. “Mr. McDowell, would you like to join us?” she says loudly.
All of a sudden, the curtains that were stapled over the opening in my wall are ripped down and Fletcher is standing in what looks like giant double doors. He pushes them back and I realize the store next to mine that’s been under renovation is now connected to my café.
