“How can you look so fresh when we went to bed at the same time?” I groan.
We had stayed at the pizza shop until midnight, ensuring that everything would be ready for the grand opening today. We’ll throw the doors open at eleven in the morning. All the hard work has culminated at this moment.
“I’ve never been to a grand opening,” Marian says. “I’m so excited.”
“You have work in the morning,” I remind her. She has a few appointments that she was unable to reschedule.
“I wish I were coming straight to the shop,” she says.
“We did everything last night,” I tell her. “You’re awesome,”
“Thanks,” she says and sits up. “And now, we do need to get up. This day is going to be great.”
I love Marian’s outlook on life. She’s completely back to herself now. A couple of weeks ago, she was stressed, but that’s all gone now, and she seems happy with our lives.
We shower together and afterward, go to our respective bedrooms to dress. I put on a company-branded button-down shirt and black trousers. Marian whistles when she comes into the kitchen where I’m making coffee.
“I love that look,” she says. “I want a branded top as well.”
“I’ll have one custom made for you,” I tell her. “Two. One to wear only at home.”
She giggles as she takes her coffee. “And what will be the design for the home one?”
“Mmm, for starters, it will be tight,” I say. “I’d like it to come up to here.” I draw an imaginary line across her chest, just below her nipples.”
She laughs and cocks her head. “I love how cool and calm you are about such an important day. Does nothing faze you, Mr. Carter?”
“We’ve done the very best we can, and everything’s in place. That’s not to say that nothing will go wrong, but we’ll deal with whatever comes up.”
We chat a bit more about work, and then it’s time to go. We stand outside the front door to hug, and then Marian goes to her car, and I go to mine. Ace calls while I am on the way. He wants to know if I need him and Lexi to come in early.
“Everything’s under control,” I tell him. “Thanks for the offer, guys.”
Adrenaline flows through me as I near the pizza shop. I catch sight of the decorations already put up at the entrance. I park in my usual spot and hurry to the front, where I pause for a few seconds to revel in the moment.
I remember the grand opening of the pizza shop in Santa Monica. Ace had been in Afghanistan, and my father had not had the stroke then. My parents had attended the opening as well as Park and Rachael.
Lexi had been heavily pregnant, and Ace had not even known that he had a baby on the way. How things changed in just a few years, I muse.
I don’t expect my parents to attend the opening. My mother and I haven’t spoken since I threatened to cut her off from my life. Park and Rachael will be here, of course, and so will Ace, Lexi, and Vanessa. As well as the guys from the fire station.
I’m greeted by the usual chaos of an operational pizza joint when I step through the doors. I grin at the colorful red, yellow, and white balloons and decorations hanging from the roof.
“It’s finally here, boss,” my manager says.
I grin and playfully punch his shoulder. “We did it.”
It had been a journey. Finding the perfect location, getting permits, hiring, and training staff …
For the next three hours, I’m all about overseeing the prep work of the pizzas. It’s going to be a madhouse later if our estimates of the people who’ll come are correct.
I take a final look around. It’s exactly as I envisioned. The seating arrangements, the décor, the scent of baking crusts. My staff stands near the doors, and when I peer out, there’s already a small crowd. When I throw the doors open, cheers ring out.
And the madness starts. I feel as if I’m walking on air as I greet everyone and welcome them into the store. Ace, Lexi, and Vanessa get to work as the crowd grows and my staff starts to get overwhelmed.
The guys from the fire station come in minutes later. I spot the Deputy Chief, Lucas, Michael, Jason, Collins … almost the whole crew is here. Park and Rachael come in next, and I spend some time chatting with them. I work the room, making sure everyone is comfortable and that they’ve ordered what they want.
I glance at the door just as Judy and Josh walk in. I’m pleasantly surprised as I hadn’t thought they’d make it all the way from Arlen so early. I excuse myself and go to them.
“Judy,” I say and kiss her cheek and then shake hands with Josh. “I didn’t think you’d make it.”
“Nothing would keep us away,” Judy says. “We’re family.” She looks around. “Those are gorgeous colors.”
“Thank you,” I tell her. We talk a bit about the pizza shop. “Marian is coming up to Arlen this coming week,” I tell Judy. “I’ll drive up with her.”
She grows solemn. “You’d better if you want to keep her.”
“What?” I say.
“She never told you, did she?” Judy says.
I have no idea what Judy is talking about.
“Judy,” Josh says in a warning tone.
Judy glances at him, defiance in her face. “He should know. I believe in openness in relationships.”
Josh sighs. “Excuse me; I’ll go order a pizza.” He disappears.
“What’s this about, Judy?” I have a bad feeling about this.
“Do you remember when Marian came to Arlen a few weeks ago?” Judy says.
I nod, and she proceeds to tell me an unimaginable tale. I try to reconcile the Marian I know and the one Judy is telling me about. As I was worrying about Marian and hoping that Leonard was not making life difficult for her, she was contemplating going back to him.
I feel cold and then hot. My eyes
