Page 16 of Never Pucking Ending

He shakes his head, offering her a polite smile. “I’m fine, but I think we’re ready to place our orders.”

The subtle dismissal isn’t rude, but she frowns at the rejection anyway as she takes out her order pad from her little black apron. “Oh. Okay.”

Mom starts, then me, and Jesse goes last after his father asks a few questions about the seafood options. When he orders the chicken marsala, I narrow my eyes at him.

He lifts a shoulder once she walks away. “It sounded good.”

Mom reaches out and touches Jesse’s hand, a sympathetic look on her face. “We’re sorry about tonight, honey. But the team played well.”

His dad nods, sipping his whiskey. “You gave them a hell of a time. The fact you managed to tie for as long as you did says a lot.”

Jesse shifts in his seat, yet his hand never leaves my leg. He’s uncomfortable over the topic, whether because he’d rather not talk about it or it’s still sensitive, I don’t know. “Hopefully we’ll get them next time.”

It seems like a robotic answer, like he’s been telling a lot of people that. But I have no doubt they’ll get their winning streak back. They made it farther in their first season on the league than most people thought they would. I think he was shocked over how far they’d gone. They’re already making a name for themselves that other teams are noticing. That counts for something.

I can tell he doesn’t want to keep talking about it, so I decide to help him out. “I have something to share,” I say, smiling at our parents and him.

Mom’s eyes brighten. “Is this what you mentioned earlier at lunch? I’ve been dying to know what you had to tell us.”

From the corner of my eye, I can feel Jesse’s intense stare. Interest coats his expression, and gratitude for shifting the conversation away from him.

I nod at my mother, trying not to squirm and make Jesse’s hand move higher on my thigh. “I signed a lease for a new storefront here in Fairbanks. It’s on Main Street, so it’s prime real estate. And I’ve decided to make it into a bookstore café. During the day, I’ll serve coffee, food, and desserts, and at night I’ll serve alcohol once I get my liquor license. There will be books and lounges and I’m going to try hosting book clubs with the locals once a month. Maybe more if it gains traction. It’s the cutest spot, and there’s a two-hour parking down the street that’s walking distance so it’s easily accessible if we do pop-up signings with authors.”

Jesse’s hand tightens once before loosening, gaining my attention. “Why didn’t you tell me?” he asks, gaping.

I nibble on the inside of my cheek. “I wanted to, but…” But we weren’t really talking. We had other things going on. AKA you saw my boobs and heard me come so it didn’t matter. “But we were both preoccupied.”

He knows exactly what I mean, and his eyes flash. “You’re the one who leased the space.”

Confusion pinches my eyebrows. “What?”

He leans back in his seat, his hand finally falling away from my thigh. I miss it as cool air replaces where his hot body heat soaked through the denim and into my skin. “I tried to lease it for you, but the woman told me it wasn’t available anymore.”

He…? I blink at him. “You were going to lease it for me?”

He goes to answer, but my mother pipes in with an excited, “Oh that’s great, sweetie! Congratulations. You’ll have to show me your plans.”

Frank sets his glass down. “Does this mean Belle’s Place finally sold?”

I ignore the way Jesse stares at me and focus on his father’s question. “I close on Monday, actually. I used some savings and the earnest deposit to secure this space because it was too good to pass up.”

When Rae told me how much she wanted per month, I thought she was joking at how low the price was. It’s another reminder that I’m not in the Pittsburgh anymore. Back when I first opened Belle’s Place, I was barely getting by with rent and other expenses. It was almost a year after opening before I could make enough revenue to hire more help and breathe easier.

Mom grabs my hand and squeezes it. “I’m so proud of you, Belle. You have worked so hard.”

Warmth nips at my heart as pride shines in her eyes the way I see it shine in Frank’s when he talks about Jesse’s accomplishments. “Thanks, Mom.”

“Congrats, kid,” Frank tells me.

“Yeah,” Jesse says, voice low. “Congrats, Bells. I know how much you loved that space.”

When I turn back to him, he’s searching my face. He seems like he wants to ask me something but doesn’t. I want to tell him that he was the first person I planned on telling—that it killed me not to the second I realized I was going through with it. But things got in the way, and now he knows.

It’s for the better, anyway. I’ll be busy with the new business, he’ll have hockey. We’ve always gotten along better when we’ve had our own things going on. It made the time we did get to spend together that much better.

“Thanks.”

We keep staring.