Page 87 of Finding Yesterday
His words tug at my heart, making something lodge in my throat. I push the feelings aside while I think through the offer. “You know, I’d rather have you than your property.” I approach him and touch his shoulder.
“You really mean that, don’t you?” He stares me down.
“Of course I do.”
“You aren’t the brightest bulb.” He winks before letting out a sigh. “All right, let’s both get busy on the restaurant prep—this place looks like some drunken teenagers ran the show.”
“I wish that were true because then that would’ve meant I’d gotten some sleep.” I chuckle. “So, you’re staying? What about your lady friend?” I raise a brow.
“Aw, she was nice enough. But I don’t want to chain myself to just one woman.” He shrugs, the corners of his mouth ticking up. “I got options.”
I shake my head. “Damn right you do.”
With that, the two of us get to work. We definitely have a lot of clean-up to do.
And I hate that I wish Jack was here with us. But as Pops said, Jack made his choice. Someday I’ll learn to be okay with that. I hope.
* * *
IT’S EARLY MORNINGthe next day, and the restaurant doesn’t open for another three hours—which means I have to work fast because I don’t want anyone to know what I’m up to, at least not yet.
I’m sitting on the floor of the pantry, my photocopy of the train station blueprints and Mama and Hannah’s drawing both rolled out. I need to see every little detail of each, side by side.
I tap my finger on Mama’s plans. “There’s no windows on her sketch.” I tilt my head. “But maybe they just hadn’t drawn those in?” I keep staring at it. “Except it’s a pretty detailed sketch for them to leave out the windows.”
I look back at the blueprints, imagining myself walking through the station. After taking a virtual tour in my head, I gasp. “The pantry used to be a storage closet, and it was bigger.”
My heart starts thumping in my ears. “That huge empty space where the mice were. It used to be part of the storage closet, which means the rotating shelving door was added. My breaths are quick, jagged, as I line up Mama’s drawing with the train’s blueprint. “Mama’s steps didn’t goup, they wentdown.”
I jump up, electricity buzzing through my body. “Mama’s restaurant wasn’t a restaurant at all!”
CHAPTER THIRTY-FIVE
I RUSH TOThe Fine Bone’s pantry and tap on the floor of the mouse mansion until I hear a hollow sound.
With a crowbar, I pry open the hatch door that was built into floorboards. Then I find exactly what I hoped to find—a buried set of creaky wooden steps that go deep into the earth. But I refuse to go down them without Jack here with me.
I send him a text message, saying he needs to come back to Blue Vine. For me and for himself, and that it’s terribly important.
But he doesn’t answer.
I wait an hour, giving him plenty of time in case he’s asleep, as it’s three hours earlier on the West Coast. But as it inches closer to the time when The Fine Bone employees arrive, I give up on Jack and start down the steps. I’m halfway down when I stop myself.
Ireallywant Jack here with me. I head back up and put the floorboard back over the stairwell entry. Then I make my way outside the restaurant and try to call Jack instead of just texting him.
I’m standing on the front steps with my phone to my ear when I see him approaching the restaurant.
Jack?
How?It’s a nearly five-hour flight to Atlanta plus a two-hour drive to Blue Vine. That’s impossible!
But it’s him, it’sreallyhim. I know I’m furious at him, or at least I was, but I drop the phone from my ear, holding back tears.
“Claire,” he says, breathless at he runs toward me.
“What are you doing here?” I choke out.
“I had to see you. I took the red-eye.” He steps in closer. “I didn’t get your message because I was on a plane.”
