He said, “Yeah,” and slid closer, leaning over her to start tapping options. “Round or square?”
“Square,” she said. “Round is cozier, but square is neater, and we need to keep it organized for maximum seating.”
He ticked the X on all the round tables.
“Wood or metal?”
“Wood holds smells. What do you think of that shiny silver one with the ceramic tiles?”
Ethan tapped a set to make it larger. The table had a stainless-steel frame and a white ceramic-tiled surface. The matching chair had a white vinyl cushion. “I don’t know if tacos go with white,” he said.
“For sure.” She leaned even closer to tap the color options tab, and a whole rainbow dropped down. “Has to be red or green,” she said. She tapped each color to see how it looked.
He said, “Why not both? We can put red inside and green outside or even mix ‘em up.”
“Oh, or group them in color blocks to mark the sections for wait staff!” she said, snapping her fingers. “I’m a little worried about breakage though, with ceramic.”
He reached across and tapped her screen, opening the detailed notes on the table. “Says here’s they’re installed with cushioning under the tiles,” he said, “It reduces breakage risk, and they come with a lifetime warranty. A tile breaks, they’ll replace it.” He glanced at her face. “This is your favorite, set, isn’t it?”
She nodded, scrolling to the next section of the document, which displayed a dozen light fixtures. “Especially if we go with these.” She pulled the iPad her way and tapped and tapped.
After the light fixtures, they looked at the second cooler options for the kitchen and a smaller secondary cooking surface for special orders.
“I think we should let Hyram pick those,” Ethan said.
“Oh my gosh, he’ll love that!” She looked at him smiling. He’d become lighter the minute they’d focused on plans for the cantina. “Good then, I think that’s it.”
His eyes were on her face, and they turned serious. A hole bigger than the Gulf of Mexico opened up in her heart. Hell, he was going to end it between them once and for all, wasn’t he?
She set the iPad aside, took a breath, closed her eyes. “Whatever it is, just say it.”
She felt his palm on her cheek and opened her eyes again.
He held her gaze firmly and said, “I have to leave.”
The heartbreak in her eyes was plain as day, even though her expression didn’t change on the surface. It was subtle, and yet as clear as a shout. “Leave? Now?”
He nodded. “Ang wants me out gigging to support the single. Big venues. And he’s flogging me for the next album.”
“Is he aware you can’t do both of those things at the same time?”
“I made him aware of it. But I had to admit I’m not writing a damn thing. Or haven’t been, till recently. So he’s found some promising freelance songwriters with pieces he wants me to try out.”
“But you wrote all the songs on your first album. People will expect?—”
“I know. But I had to weigh that against the power of strikin’ while the iron’s hot.” Ethan knew he was full of shit, of course. He didn’t want to leave; he had to leave. That call had come in the nick of time to prevent him from driving a wedge into his family, if it wasn’t already too late. “The new single will stay on the charts for a couple of months, but after that, I need to have something ready to go. At least another single. A new one.”
“Oh.”
The word was as heavy as if it had been coated in lead before she’d spoken it. And then, her head still lowered so he couldn’t see her eyes, she asked, “What about the honky-tonk?”
“I’m gonna have to ask you to manage the renovations without me.”
“But—”
“I know you can do it, Lily.”
She raised her head slowly. “I have no doubt I can do it. But you…I mean, we…” She got up onto her feet and walked a few steps away from him. Without turning to face him she said, “What about us? You drop this news on me like nothing has happened between us, but it has, and you can’t just pretend…”
