Chapter Thirteen

Now…

The evening before had served as an epiphany.

Since Whitney’s accident, Trent and everyone else had been encouraging Whitney to slow down, take a breather, work less, and try to reduce her stress.

But the constant nagging was only causing his fiancée even more stress. She already felt the pressures of her job, and instead of being there as a source of support the way she needed him to be, he’d tried to get her to change part of who she was. That hadn’t been fair.

Her seeking silent comfort in him the night before had spoken volumes about what she actually needed. She didn’t often ask for help, but she shouldn’t need to. Maybe he needed to anticipate the help she might need but not be asking for, and then provide it.

Whitney may not even realize what she needed or how he could help, but the basics were obvious. She needed to eat, he knew that much, and instead of trying to “help” by suggesting dinner out or being home before nightfall to enjoy a hot meal with him, he’d bring food to her at the office so she could continue to work. He’d fork the food into her mouth while she typed if necessary.

Feeling more empowered and a lot more hopeful than he had in months, Trent packed up her favorite rotini noodle pasta, grilled chicken breasts, and two pieces of her favorite pumpkin pie and left the house.

In the Jeep, he cranked the music up and rolled the window down. The October breeze felt great, and the sights of the changing leaves on the trees and the ones covering the ground made him smile. He loved this time of year. The changing of the seasons, the cooler temperatures.

A few minutes later, he pulled into the parking lot of the mayor’s office, seeing Whitney’s vehicle and Scott’s Escalade in the lot. They were working on the pitch for the Race Across America show together, and he was happy that Whitney had finally started to accept assistance from the guy who was supposed to be her assistant. Maybe if they worked successfully on this project, she’d feel more confident letting Scott take lead on other projects. He knew she was worried that Scott might steal her job, being the mayor’s son and having a degree from a reputable university, but Trent hoped the mayor saw Whitney’s dedication and experience.

Getting out, he carried the food inside and entered the quiet office. The reception area was empty. Kim was gone for the day, and the office lights were all off, except for the one in Whitney’s office down the hall.

He headed that way, following the sound of voices, and nearly stopped, hearing laughter. Whitney’s laugh. Relief mixed with something else he couldn’t quite pinpoint. When was the last time he’d heard her laugh like that? When was the last time she’d laughed with him?

Weeks ago, at the pumpkin patch…

Didn’t matter who she was laughing with or why. The main thing was that she had found some joy in her working day, which he knew was often not the case. And it was a good thing that she and Scott were finally getting along. Maybe she wasn’t feeling as threatened by the mayor’s son anymore.

He felt better as he continued on and stopped outside the open office door. “Hey,” he said, seeing her and Scott sitting at her desk. Papers and photos were spread across the desk, and on the computer screen, video footage of Blue Moon Bay, gathered by a drone, played.

And in their hands were takeout Chinese containers. A noodle dangled from his fiancée’s mouth as she stared in surprise at him.

“Sorry to interrupt.” In hindsight, he should have texted or called first to see if she’d eaten. Not that she would have responded to a text…

“Hey, Trent,” Scott said with a nod. “Just took a break for a quick bite.”

Yep, he could see that. It wasn’t the sight of the food that surprised him, it was the fact that this guy had obviously talked his fiancée into stopping long enough to actually eat.

And laugh.

Whitney sucked the noodle into her mouth and set her food container aside as she stood. “What are you doing here?” she asked slowly as she walked toward him.

He held up the food. “I thought I’d bring you dinner, since you were working late, but it looks like I should have confirmed that you hadn’t already eaten first.”

“Sorry, I meant to text you, but I lost track of time,” she said, glancing at her watch. “We still have so much to do before this pitch material is ready—”

“We can pick this up tomorrow morning,” Scott said.

Whitney hesitated as she glanced at Trent. Obviously, she wanted to keep working.

“I brought the food to you. Eat it later if you get hungry. Stay and finish up,” he said, handing her the food.

She hesitated as she took it. “You sure?”

“Absolutely. There’s more than enough for two,” he said to Scott.

“Thanks, man,” Scott said.

“I’ll see you at home,” Trent said to Whitney.

He gave her a quick kiss on the forehead and left the office. He heard her tell Scott, “Give me a sec,” before chasing after him down the hall. “Hey, wait up…”

He stopped and turned.

“I’m sorry…”

“It’s okay,” he said, and he meant it. He was just content that she was actually taking time to eat. Didn’t matter that it wasn’t the meal he’d brought or that she was enjoying it with her coworker. He wasn’t at all jealous or intimidated by Scott. He had all the trust in Whitney and their relationship. He just felt slightly disappointed that what he’d hoped was a nice gesture had ultimately only made her feel bad.

That certainly hadn’t been the intent.

“No, really, I am,” she said. “I should have called or texted, but we were just wrapped up in this…”

“I get it. I was just worried about you, and you need to eat. I’m happy to see you were.” He touched her shoulders and gave her a sincere smile that he hoped conveyed that he really wasn’t at all upset.

“You can stay.”

She didn’t mean that. Whitney had always separated work from home life. The only time the two intersected was when she was working on promo for his bar.

Huh, maybe that was something he could use to bring them together again.

He’d been worried about adding more to her plate by telling her about the new location and asking for her help with a new marketing campaign, but now he couldn’t sign on the dotted line and finalize things on the new location soon enough. “I’ll just be in the way,” he said. “Enjoy the food if you get hungry again later. Try not to work too late. I’ll see you in the morning.”

“In the morning?” She frowned.

“I’m going to head into the bar, finish up some paperwork.” Sign the real estate agreement on the new building and hope to give the two of them something to work on together. “I’ll probably stay to close up.”

She nodded. “Okay…see you in the morning.”

Trent kissed her quickly again and started to leave as she returned to her office.

“This chicken is delicious. If you don’t marry him soon, I will,” he heard Scott say, and Trent grinned as the door closed behind him and he headed back to his Jeep.

…

In his office at the bar, hours later, Trent reviewed the last page of the real estate contract, then signed the bottom of the page. He knew in his gut this was the right decision. But he’d never actually bought a new place before without mentioning the plan to Whitney. He hesitated before he stood and slipped the pages into the feeder of the printer.

He wouldn’t second-guess this. Whitney would be happy when she found out. He’d have told her already if there had been an opportunity…a time when she wasn’t already preoccupied with her own stress and work obligations. He hated to add more to her plate. He could handle this on his own.

Angel popped her head into the office. “You’re still here? I thought you left hours ago.”

He checked his watch. It was after two a.m. He’d meant to leave earlier, but he’d wanted to really comb through the details of the contract. Read all the fine print and make sure there were clauses in there that allowed him to back out, pending an inspection. Of course, he knew the place needed a lot of work, but in case there were bigger issues like electrical or plumbing that he hadn’t been able to see by just touring the place.

He felt better knowing Wes hadn’t noticed anything serious when the two of them had driven out to look at the place the week before. He’d asked Wes to keep the news that he was planning to expand to himself for now, until Trent had finalized everything and officially announced it.

“I’ll be leaving soon,” he said, running a hand over his tired face. “You can take off if you want. I’ll lock up.”

She hesitated. “You sure?”

“Absolutely. Get home to the boys. How’s that going, by the way?”

She smiled. “Better. Really, the transformation in Eddie since he joined the football team is incredible. He even watched a movie with Liam and me the other night. I mean, he was texting his old friends on his cell phone, but he was at least sitting in the same room doing it.”

“Good. I’m glad to hear it.” The more he’d gotten to know Eddie and Liam at football practice the last few weeks, the more confirmation he got that they were actually really great kids, just struggling to adjust. Angel had raised them to be polite and respectful and hardworking. They were fitting in with the boys on the team, and Trent had seen Eddie hanging out at the arcade with several of his teammates when he worked the bar at the Game Room. No more fighting or causing trouble. “They are great kids.”

“Too bad my ex is such an asshole,” Angel said, a note of bitterness in her tone.

Trent frowned. “Still giving you trouble over the divorce settlement?”

She sighed, entering the office. “I wish it was just about the settlement. I actually don’t give a shit about the money.” She paused. “He’s starting to contest the custody situation.” She looked pained as she said it. “The boys don’t know it yet, but he’s filing an application to have them with him full-time in L.A.”

“Thought the kids were cramping his newfound freedom?”

“Me too. Turns out his new girlfriend has three kids of her own and thinks him being a father is wonderful. She wants to meet the boys, have them integrate into their new blended family.” She rubbed her forehead.

“That’s not fair to the boys. They’re just getting settled here, and they should be with you.”

“Courts may feel differently. The boys might, too. They miss him. And they miss L.A.” She sighed. “I’m not sure what I can offer—broke, single mom who’s moved them to the middle of nowhere, away from their…father”—she stumbled on the word—“and friends.”

Trent sat on the edge of the desk and touched her shoulder. “You’re so much more than that. You’re a fantastic mom who has their best interests at heart. Unlike their father, who sees them as a way to impress a new woman.” What would happen to the boys when Angel’s ex got tired of this new woman and no longer needed them around? Would he ship them back to Angel?

Angel looked unconvinced. “I don’t know what I’ll do if I lose them, Trent. Those boys are my world.”

His heart ached for her. He couldn’t imagine how hard this was. He loved kids, and he didn’t even want to imagine how tough a divorce would be if he were only able to see his children part of the time. It would break him up inside.

“Hey, chin up. You’ll get through this, and you’ll come out on top.” He paused. “And I’ll try to make Blue Moon Bay a little more appealing for the boys.”

She frowned. “How?”

“I could use some help with the construction on the new location. Sharrun’s Construction is doing the reno, but the boys could learn hard work and earn some extra arcade cash by helping out at the jobsite.” He’d need to run it past Wes, but he knew it wouldn’t be a problem. Trent would pay the boys for the work himself.

“Really? That would be… Wait. New location?” Her eyes widened. “You found one?”

Trent took the papers from the scanner and handed them to Angel. “About an hour away. Prime location on the beach.”

She scanned the pictures and the details. “Definitely needs some work, but I can see this looking great once you’ve turned it into a Trent’s Tavern,” she said excitedly. “This is really fantastic.”

“Thanks.” He appreciated her support. It felt good to tell someone… He just wished he were sharing the news with the most important person to him, the person this impacted the most, besides him.

His fiancée.