“It doesn’t sound like it’s been what you’ve envisioned though,” Ezra replied.
“Not exactly. Being the manager of a place that’s so busy hasn’t allowed me to interact with people on the level that I wanted to. So, I guess if I could do anything, I’d own my own hotel.” She paused. “No, I’d own an inn, or a bed and breakfast. Something quaint in a cute small town where people get to know each other, and nature is all around.
“I’d want it to be somewhere peaceful. I’d love to decorate it, make it into one of those Victorian-era places. Something old-fashioned and inspired by the looks at the time. It’d give me the chance to talk to people, listen to their stories. I don’t know. I’d like to create a lovely space for people to be.”
She smiled at the thought of it. Ezra loved the dreamy look in her eyes. “Maybe someday,” she said. “How about you? If you could do anything, what would you do? Though I mean, I guess you are kind of already doing your dream job.”
“I am,” he nodded. “Though I don’t know, it’s been different than I thought it’d be. Maybe I’d take on a position where I could do more cooking, yet somewhere I could still be creative. I love making menus and having such an active say in food quality, ingredients used, plating, all that intricate stuff. But I also miss the cooking aspect of it sometimes, so I’d move more in that direction.”
“You should explore it more,” Clara said. “You have the money to create the life you want. Why not take some time to try to find a job like that?”
“Maybe I will,” he said, an idea taking root and blossoming in his mind.
6
Clara’s footsteps dragged as she entered the apartment Friday night. She was grateful she had the weekend off and only hoped she wouldn’t get called in to clean up some sort of mess someone else made. It had been a long week and she needed some time with Ezra to make it right.
When she opened the door, she was surprised by the scent of pizza warming their apartment. Ezra wasn’t due to be home yet. He always worked late on Friday nights. But the lights were on and she found him in the kitchen, grabbing some plates for the pizza.
“What are you doing home?” she asked. She would’ve been more concerned if they didn’t have a million dollars waiting on them, but there still was some worry there. Ezra hadn’t reacted normally to his father’s death, and she couldn’t help but wonder if the grief would still come out in other ways.
“I took the weekend off,” he said. “Vince has said a few times that I could take time off to process the death of my father, so I told him the grief has caught up to me and I need the weekend off. We’re going for a little trip. I already have your things packed. You just have to eat dinner and get ready to go.”
“Go where?” she asked, setting her purse down. He slid a plate with Hawaiian pizza over to her. Her hunger outweighed her curiosity, so she took a big, greasy, cheesy bite. It was just what she needed after such a stressful day.
“We’re going to look at properties,” Ezra explained. “I have a couple of hotels booked for the weekend, and some properties chosen to check out. We’re meeting with the realtor tomorrow so you can share some ideas of places you’d like to see if you have any.”
“What do you mean?” she asked, her mind spinning as she sat at the kitchen island. She was too tired to keep up with his crazy energy, but he looked like sleep hadn’t crossed his mind ever. He bounced on the balls of his feet, fueled by a happiness she hadn’t seen since his father passed.
“I was thinking about what you said, and I want to make that dream come true,” Ezra explained. “I haven’t known what to spend my father’s inheritance on because nothing seemed right. I don’t want to blow it on frivolous stuff, and that amount of money isn’t something to be taken lightly. I want to use it to better our lives and this is the perfect way to do so.
“I want us to buy a bed and breakfast together. We can fix it up, rent it out, and live in the home of your dreams. We’ll buy a nice property in a small town and get away from the crazy streets of Chicago. I’ll cook real meals that people will enjoy. It’ll give me the chance to make a menu, get creative, be in charge, while still truly using my skills and enjoying my passion. It’s the perfect way for both of us to do what we love, follow our passions together.” He paused as he looked at her with an abundance of hope and excitement. “What do you think?”
“That’s a lot,” she admitted. “A huge change. Are you sure it’s what you want to do? You always said you wanted to be a head chef at a renowned restaurant. This would be stepping away from that dream.”
“It’d be stepping away from that dream and onto something better. That’s what I wanted before, but I’ve realized it doesn’t make me happy the way I thought it would. I think this will though. I think it’ll be a good change for both of us.”
Clara took a moment to assess the situation. She wanted to make sure Ezra was doing this solely because it was what he wanted to do, rather than being driven by grief or reckless impulsivity.
“I think so too,” she admitted. She smiled and left her pizza for a moment to stand and hug him. The promise of leaving her job behind was a relief she never thought she’d be gifted. A huge, overbearing weight lifted from her heart.
She always felt
