Page 17 of Temporarily in Love

Kelsey looked back at me in shock. “Really? I would be dying. Bri can’t get enough of me, and me him. Well…that’s the hormones.”

I eyed her and then jumped up and hugged her. “Wait, is that how you’re gonna tell me you’re pregnant again?”

She laughed. “Yup. We weren’t trying, but you know Bri, he’s one of five. It must be genetics.”

I laughed and hugged her again. “I’m so happy for you!”

“Sit down. You’re making me nauseous.”

I did as she asked and took another sip of my beer. Damn the MacGregors for making such a good beer. I wanted to be mad about it, and annoyed that Declan still helped my family even though I tore apart his heart, but I couldn’t be. It meant a lot that, despite it all, he still cared about my family. Even if he probably had a dartboard with my photo on it.

“When do you go back to work?” Kelsey asked, pulling me out of my drifting thoughts.

I let her question hang in the air while she finished making my sandwich.

“Lila?”

“I quit.”

“What?”

“I quit and told Chad to get his stuff out of my house. When Mom called about Dad wanting to sell, I knew I needed to come back until the bar was settled.”

She put the grilled cheese on a plate and brought it to me. I ate it silently while she made herself her own sandwich.

Kelsey fixed me with a look. “So, what’s your plan?”

“Not sure. I had to go get the web admin password from Declan, so that was awesome,” I muttered with a hint of sarcasm.

She cringed.

“Yup. And Gemma said we can share the table with them at the Harvest Fest this weekend.”

Her eyes lit up. “Really? Gem mentioned that to me. That’s awesome.”

I nodded. Gemma seemed nice… excitable, but she knew what she was doing when it came to marketing. I wished I could hire her instead of sifting through freelance sites looking for someone that could help.

“Are you going to apply for a new job in the meantime?” my sister asked.

My lack of employment wasn’t an enormous concern. I had a healthy savings account, so I’d be fine for a while. Saving the family bar was more important to me.

I waved her off. “I’ll have no problem finding something, but I’m not sure I want to work in tech anymore.”

“What do you want to do?”

“I want to save the bar,” I blurted.

“Okay, but you’re doing that already. Then what?”

I cocked my head at her. “Dad wants to sell. But what if he sells it to me?”

“Brian wanted to buy it, but we can’t afford it. You know how much we love the bar and want it to stay in the family. But what’s the plan? You buy it and go back to California?”

I took a sip of my beer in thought.

“I miss Philly,” I admitted. “I miss Mom and Dad, and being a part of your lives.”

My sister looked at me with her mouth agape. “Sis, I would love for you to come home for good, and Mom would be over the moon, but you need to think about this. You have a solid career and made a name for yourself as an IP lawyer out in California. You’re upset about your breakup and not thinking straight.”