“Dear Willow Gentlesman, it is our finding after discussing things in-depth with Mr. Douglas Gentlesman and Mr. Nicholas Watkins that this contract was in fact created and signed by both parties. Legal action will be taken if the contract and terms are not upheld.”
I didn’t need to read the rest of the letter to know what it said. My expression stilled as I lowered the letter and let my gaze fall on Cole. Confusion coated my mind. He didn’t live here. Why was he so determined to own half of a small-town diner?
From the look of his clothes and shoes, he had money. He had to know that the diner was barely breaking even. Why him? Why now?
“I just want what’s rightfully mine,” he said, his voice softening like he had read my mind. “That’s all.”
I stared at the piece of paper before I slowly lifted my gaze to meet his. “So, what’s your plan?” I asked, hating that my emotions had chosen this exact moment to ball up in my throat and stay there. It hurt to swallow. It hurt to talk. I wanted to be stronger, but it was like I physically couldn’t.
“We’re going to make some changes so this place stays open, and then I’ll be out of your hair. I’m okay with being more a silent partner than a hands-on one.” His gaze drifted over my shoulder to the inside of the diner. “I have a life in Miami. I’m not looking to replace it with a life here. I just want to make sure…” His voice drifted off like he was reliving a memory. A memory that held a certain reverence for him.
I waited for him to finish his thought, but it never came.
Instead, the air between us grew silent. He cleared his throat and glanced down at me. “I want to make sure that the diner’s doors stay open. And to do that, I need to make sure that the business is optimized.”
I wanted to continue fighting for sole ownership of the diner. I wanted him to go away. I hated that I was going to share this part of my life with a stranger. I hated that I couldn’t refute his claims. I hated that I’d be stuck with him for the near future. And I hated even more that I would have to report back to him once he left.
I wanted freedom, and this diner was rapidly becoming a jail cell.
But what could I do? I didn’t have the money or connections to fight this letter. The contract was real and preceded me, which meant I was going to have to abide by it even if I didn’t want to.
Divorce had taught me that.
“So, where do you want to start?” I asked as I slowly started to fold up the piece of paper before tucking it into the front pocket of my apron.
He glanced over at me and then back into the diner. “Let’s start here.” He leaned back and ran his gaze over the front window before he straightened. “Why are we closed at eight?”
I sighed. Ugh. He was going to come in here and change everything. “Well, I’m the only one here. I know my Uncle Doug used to keep the diner open until all hours of the night, but I can’t do that. I have…” My thoughts turned to Jasper. I’d completely forgotten about him, and the fact that things had been quiet enough that Icouldforget had my mommy-senses on high alert.
I didn’t finish the rest of my sentence. Instead, I turned and headed back into the dining room, not caring if Cole followed me or not. Quiet Jasper was a thousand times more dangerous than loud, bouncing-off-the-walls Jasper.
When I got into the dining room, my gaze snapped to the booth I’d left him at. My entire body relaxed when I saw his little hand shoot up and grab another fry. It looked like he hadn’t moved from where I’d left him.
Movement next to me let me know Cole had entered the diner. His gaze was dark as he studied me. “Do you normally stop mid-sentence and leave the door to the diner unlocked?”
Ugh. This man was an ass. I was not looking forward to spending any time with him, much less having him looming over my shoulder at every turn.
“Yes. As a mother, sometimes I have to stop mid-sentence to go make sure my son is safe.” I glared at him as I marched back over to the table I’d intended to clean up before I was interrupted by Cole’s sudden appearance. I gathered the garbage first before I started to stack the plates in the tub, waiting for Cole to say something.
From the corner of my eye, I saw him scan the dining room before his gaze landed on Jasper’s booth. There was a part of me that wanted to keep my son a secret from him. I’d only known the guy for a total of ten minutes. I wasn’t ready to share with him the one thing in the world that I valued more than anything. Jasper made me vulnerable, and that was the last thing I wanted to be around this man.
“You have a son?” he asked, glancing back over to me.
Did he think I would lie about something like that? “Yes,” I said, my emotions getting the better of me and causing my voice to come out all breathy. “His name is Jasper.”
Just as his name left my lips, Jasper popped up from behind the table. There was ketchup smeared across his cheek. His blond curls were disheveled and stuck up in the back from where he’d been lying on them. He had his dad’s blond hair and blue eyes but my nose and lips.
“Mommy, I’m out of Sprite,” he said as he held up his cup.
I nodded as I set down the plate I’d just picked up and wiped my hands on my apron. “It’s just water now,” I said as I took the cup from him and pulled off the lid.
“Mommy…” he whined, but I shot him a look that I hoped told him to knock it off.
Jasper was a good kid. He was high energy and struggled to listen sometimes, but everyone who met him fell in love with him.
I doubted that Cole was big on kids. His clothes were neat, and his hair was perfectly styled. It didn’t look like there was any part of his life that was out of place—unlike me. I’d pulled my hair up in a messy bun this evening, and from the way I could feel it flopping around, I was certain I looked like a wreck.
For some reason, I wanted Jasper to be on his best behavior in front of this stranger. I wanted Cole to think that I was a put-together mom and business owner instead of the disaster that I really was.
