Page 67 of The Last Goodbye

The time and thought and persistence that had gone into making this happen for Jovi.

For me.

Knowing that I’d been worried about my sister being disappointed.

Briar Sinclair had not only shown up for my sister—she’d shown up for me.

A thick lump formed in my throat. I had no words at the moment.

A text message didn’t seem like the right way to thank her.

But I planned on doing it in person as soon as I got back home.

sixteen

​. . .​

Briar

The windows were going in today, so I arrived early at the new restaurant to meet Wayne. Subcontractors typically liked to start early in the morning, and with me being an early riser, it worked out well.

I’d gotten in my run, and of course I’d run past Bass’s houseboat this morning, since that had become my new favorite path.

I’d chosen that path because I liked running along Blue Sky Lake—not because I was hoping to see my favorite grumpy chef in his gray joggers.

Of course not.

I assumed he was back in town but hadn’t heard anything, nor did I get lucky enough to catch him out on his deck this morning.

Why was I so nervous to see him?

I honestly had no idea if he was going to be angry that I’d helped his mother, or if he’d thank me. His text message was a little cryptic. I didn’t know what to expect.

But then again, I never knew what to expect from this man.

“Good morning,” Cutler and Gracie said at the same time as they walked in together. Cutler was obviously here to check on the job, and I’d asked Gracie to meet me here to take a look at the flooring samples I was going to show Bass when he arrived. I wasn’t an interior designer, but I’d taken several interior design courses in college, and I’d had a lot of experience with renovating commercial spaces. But Gracie was an expert in her field, and I valued her opinion.

“Hey, thanks for coming by,” I said.

“I just wanted to thank you for what you did getting Jenna to New York,” Cutler said. He flashed me a smile as he dropped Gracie’s hand and moved toward the kitchen. “It meant a lot. I’m going to go check on Wayne and let you two go over the samples.”

“Thanks again,” Gracie said, giving me a tight hug. “That was truly so nice of you, Briar.”

“Of course. And thank you for coming by to help me with the flooring options. I need to get the order placed as soon as possible, so we can make sure it’s in stock or that it can ship quickly.”

I had all the tile and wood options laid out on the floor, and we both stared down at them.

“Wow. You brought a lot of options.” She chuckled and added, “And I have to say that I’m super impressed with what you chose.”

“Thank you. I know he’s set on doing LVP,” I said. Luxury vinyl planks were a great option for the dining space, and they were what he had now in the current restaurant. “But I also brought some engineered hardwood. It’s a bit more high-end, and it fits well with the aesthetic in this space. And then I loved these large black-and-white porcelain tiles that we could lay out in a checkerboard pattern. They’re popular on the East Coast, and they might be a fresh and cool option for the reopening of Bennett’s. They’re elegant and durable as well, with just a little different vibe.”

She nodded. “I really like the look and the size.”

“And then I wanted to also show him what it would look like to do a polished concrete, which is modern and durable as well.” I pointed to the concrete samples.

“I’m impressed. These are good choices,” she said as she moved in a circle around all the flooring. “I would narrow down the samples of the LVP and engineered hardwood. He’ll get overwhelmed by all the color options here. I would do one sample of each, and then the black-and-white tile option and the concrete sample. Personally, I’d go with this medium-tone wood color for both. You can tell him that if he doesn’t like the color, you have others to choose from. But this is similar to what he has now, and it’s a good starting point. Sometimes too many choices can overwhelm people, and then they can’t get past it.”

“Got it.” I bent down and stacked several of the wood samples and set them to the side, leaving one of each out.