Chapter Twenty-Six

CHAPTER TWENTY-SIX

Barrett

" C an I get some of the plywood in the yard?" I ask Colt as Abel and I roam the aisles of the hardware store. "Our windows haven't come in for the upstairs alcoves and it's supposed to storm tomorrow." It's the only way for us to protect some of the work we've already done. "They're three weeks behind, and it's starting to get annoying."

"Yeah, I saw the forecast,"." Colt whistles. "Looks like some crazy weather coming in."

"Vaughn's already planning on having to go out, and we're' not working tomorrow." Abel reaches forward, grabbing for a screw set he's' been eyeing. "I plan on sleeping late and playing some Call of Duty kind of like a snow day when we were kids and school was called off.""

"What about you?" Colt looks back at me as we head toward the yard.

The answer to his question is easy. "I'll probably get some work done on the inside of the house, and then head to the bakery to hang out. If it's' going to be as bad as they say, I don't' want the girls to be by themselves."

"You've got it so bad for her." He smirks.

"I do." There's no way I can deny it, and I don't want to. When we broke up, all I had wanted was another chance to prove to her that I was a good person to take a second chance on. "I want her to know she can count on me."

He blows out a breath. "I think she knows that."

But I never want to take it for granted. Taking it for granted is what fucked me over in the first place. I didn't realize that what was being said to her would be the straw that broke the camel's back. Now? I'm committed to being the man she needs in every aspect. "I appreciate you saying it."

"This what y'all' need?" We come to a stop at what we've' requested.

"Yup, give us three cut to thirty-six by twenty-four."

He nods, hefting the sheet up to go cut into pieces. When I pull my phone out of my pocket to see what's' going on in the world while I wait, there's' a text from Gabby. It scares me to death.

G: Your mom is here. I'm about to sit down for coffee with her. Wish me luck.

Fuck my life. This could make or break it all, and I throw up a prayer that this doesn't ruin everything we've worked so damn hard for.

Gabby

My hands shake as I put the cups of coffee and some sandwiches onto a tray. I take a calming breath, trying to stop the pounding of my heart, but it's not working. Too much is riding on her approving of me. It's basically the rest of my life, because I know I don't want one without Barrett in it. She holds it in the palm of her hand, and somehow, I know that she knows.

Pasting a smile on my face, I head over to her, and put the tray down on the table. "I hope you're hungry, I made some fresh sandwiches this morning. They're Barrett's favorite."

"Oh?" She raises a brow. "What is it?"

This is some sort of test. Like she thinks I've said something just to appear more important than I really am. My shoulders are tense as I pull my chair out, take a seat, and then reach over to serve both of us. "It's a roast beef with a horseradish mayo, havarti cheese, tomato, and lettuce on sourdough. I put red onion on his too, but it's too strong for me. I remember him saying you didn't like it, either."

"I don't, but the rest sounds absolutely amazing. Believe it or not, my mouth is watering."

Relief at winning this small victory washes over me. "Same, I haven't eaten yet, one of the worst parts of owning the place. You don't ever feel like you can sit down and enjoy anything if you're not working."

"When Barrett was a little kid, his dad and I got divorced, and I had to figure out how to make things work that I hadn't before. I took a job at a restaurant to make extra money, I'd work a few nights and most weekends while he was a kid. They allowed me to bring him in, and that's one of the reasons I took it to begin with." Her eyes get a far-off look as if she's remembering things with both a fondness and as if they are also painful. "Whenever I would sit down to take a break, it would feel like I couldn't, it's not like I owned the place, but how good it looked and how if I was able to expedite service, I'd make better tips."

She's trying to relate to me, and I'm willing to meet her halfway. "Exactly, if people come in and there's a line, or it doesn't meet their standards of what the place should look like they'll turn around and leave. I try to make it a habit to be sure I'm cognizant of that at all times."

She gives me a smile and picks up the sandwich. Her eyes are shining bright just like Barrett's. In this moment I can see where he gets his good looks. "I can't wait to give this a try."

"I'm anxious to see what you think about it. I'm sorry I don't know your name. We've never officially been introduced." I'm at a disadvantage. She knows so much about me, and I know so little about her. I want to change all of that. I need to know who this woman is. She means everything to Barrett, and I desperately want to mean everything to him too.

I watch as she takes a bite of the sandwich. She makes a noise in the back of her throat and closes her eyes. "This is ridiculously good." She talks around the food in her mouth. "And it's my fault the two of us have never been officially introduced. I was worried about the age difference between the two of you. I know that's stupid because he's a man, but there's an age gap between me and his dad. Barrett probably didn't tell you that because he doesn't think about it. For most of our marriage, he held it over my head, and it's one of the reasons we got divorced. He was older than me, and he never let a moment pass by that he couldn't throw it back in my face. So I may have let my own experiences color what I believed the two of you were dealing with."

I want to say that none of that matters, but I also don't want to minimize what she went through. "I'm so sorry."

"Please don't be. The older I've gotten, I thought that I had let those feelings go. Guess I haven't, and guess I was also pushing them off onto two people who obviously didn't need it. My name is Marie. It's nice to meet you."

I'm holding my breath, although I didn't realize it, until I'm able to let it go. "I'm Gabriella, but everyone calls me Gabby. It's really nice to meet you, too."