Lauren wasn’t quite sure how to handle her new normal. In order to get the restaurant up and running, she had to relinquish control of other things. That meant not spending every waking moment dealing with the food trucks. Ed and Javier still ran the second truck, but she’d hired someone to help Amy work the first truck. She developed the daily menus a week in advance and let Amy and Javier handle the details.
It was a big step for her, but in order to keep everyone gainfully employed and funds coming in, the trucks had to keep going for now. Especially with business booming after the exposure of the pop-up night. Once the restaurant was open, perhaps she could keep hiring on folks to run the trucks and move her main crew to the kitchen. They knew her food better than anyone and she would need their support to make it a success.
But that was a decision for later. Right now, she had plenty of things to think about that had to be dealt with immediately. She’d already signed the lease on the restaurant space, so every day that went by without them making money, the more nervous she became. That meant she had to move quickly on choosing contractors for repairs, paint, carpet and more. Things she wanted to focus on—namely the menu—had to take second place to all the environmental decisions.
Thankfully, she had Gracie to help. The new millionaire and investor wasn’t quite as silent a partner as Lauren had expected, but it had turned out for the best. Gracie wanted to help with as much as she could, so Lauren was turning over a few decisions on the decor and furnishings to her. So far, she’d chosen flatware, plates and even the new fixtures in the restrooms. Furniture was on order. That took a few worries off Lauren’s plate.
It actually took enough off her mind that she found her thoughts straying periodically. Normally, she was too busy to think much about her life and how it was going. But now that she had a little time, her brain seemed all too happy to put aside menu ideas and circle back to thinking about Sutton and the look on his face as she drove away. About how much she missed him. And how she’d run out on him without explaining why or what happened.
With a sigh, Lauren dropped her pen back onto the counter and sat back. Thoughts of shrimp and grits went to the wayside as she glanced over at her phone. She had six missed calls. All from Sutton, although they were coming less frequently now. Soon he would stop calling entirely, a reality that both relieved and terrified her.
She needed to explain herself. To explain to him why she ran off. But it seemed stupid every time she tried to come up with an answer. The truth was ugly and hard to explain. How do you get the town golden boy, the millionaire playboy tycoon, to understand that she had low self-esteem? He wouldn’t understand. And yet, he’d contributed to it, likely without even knowing what he was really doing.
Lauren already spent most of her time feeling insecure. His constant suggestions about her business, coupled with running into Kaylah at the club of all places, was just too much. She didn’t feel good enough for this town most days, but that afternoon she’d gotten confirmation that she was right. She was a great chef and could happily serve the elite of Royal amazing food, but she would never be one of them.
The sooner she admitted that to herself, the easier it would be in the end. She might love Sutton. And he might be infatuated with the idea of her. But he would never love her. His family and friends would never accept her. So the next time the phone rang and it was him, she would continue to ignore it. It was easier on her heart this way.
As if on cue, her phone started to play the ringtone she’d assigned to Sutton. She sighed and turned away from the phone. Instead of answering, she got up and made herself a glass of iced tea. But the moment the phone stopped ringing, her doorbell pinged loudly through the house.
Lauren frowned and made her way to the front door. She couldn’t keep up with the packages showing up of late. She opened it, expecting to find a delivery man with eight cases of dinner plates, but instead found Sutton on her porch with another bouquet of herbs in his hands.
Her heart leaped as she saw him, ignoring the sinking feeling of dread in her stomach. It seems he wouldn’t take no for an answer when it came to her and she loved that about him. And hated it at the same time. How was she supposed to convince herself she could move on without him in her life if he wouldn’t let her try?
“What are you doing here, Sutton?” she asked in a defeated tone. She hadn’t answered the phone because she wasn’t ready to talk to him. Showing up on her doorstep just forced her to face the feelings and words she was too emotionally exhausted to deal with right now.
He smiled and held out the bouquet. “I’m here because I’m not sure what happened between us, but I’m determined to fix it.”
“You don’t have to fix it, Sutton. Or fix me. I’m supposed to be your girlfriend, not a pet project for a bored businessman trying to avoid the problems in his own life.”
He looked confused and slightly stunned by her sharp words. “What are you talking about?”
She wasn’t sure what he was missing from the conversation. What was he talking about? His befuddled look made her just as perplexed. She just shook her head. There wasn’t time for this. “Just go home, Sutton.”
“I was home,” he said. “But it felt cold and empty without you there with me. Nothing feels right since you ran off and I don’t know what to do about it, because I’m not sure what I did wrong. So tell me and let me do something about it, because I need you.”
“You didn’t do anything wrong,” Lauren replied, trying not to react physically to his bold words. She felt cold and empty without him, too, but she wouldn’t say so.
“Then why did you run out on me at the club?”
“Because you deserve better!” she shouted.
Sutton’s jaw dropped at her forceful words. Then his expression softened with sadness in his eyes. “There isn’t anything better than you, Lauren.”
Now it was her turn to be struck silent by his words. He meant it. She could feel the truth of his proclamation down to the soles of her feet. But she couldn’t understand why. Everyone seemed to realize their relationship was doomed but Sutton. He was just too stubborn to see it.
“May I come in?” he asked softly.
Lauren relented and stepped back to let him inside. She took the herbs he offered and carried them into the kitchen to put the cuttings in some fresh water. They would be good for a chimichurri or pesto sauce later. Even then, a chef’s brain never fully switched off.
With that settled, she ushered Sutton into her small living room and the comfortable set of chairs she had there. They sat on opposite ends of the loveseat, only inches apart, but it felt like miles to Lauren. She wanted to scoot in and find sweet solace in the nook of his arm. But she stayed in place.
“Despite what you might think, Sutton, I’m not good enough for you. I’m not the right kind of girl for your family and friends. I don’t fit in with the club crowd and despite your best efforts, my trip there only reinforced what I already knew. What we’ve had is fun, but it isn’t built to last.”
Sutton’s eyes narrowed as she spoke, his jaw flexing with suppressed irritation. “Where do you get off deciding that you’re not good enough for me? Shouldn’t I be the one to make that decision?”
“You didn’t have to make it. Good old Kaylah Anderson took care of the dirty work for you. One quick conversation and the fantasy was over, with my feet instantly back on the ground. I know I’m fighting an uphill battle I’m destined to lose, now.”
Sutton frowned and then his eyes met hers. “Are you talking about the brunette at the club? The one sitting near our table in a blue blouse?”
“That was her.” Of course, he would notice a woman like Kaylah. Everyone noticed her, with her golden hair, big blue eyes and huge chest. And if they didn’t, Kaylah was quick to make them notice her.
“What does she...?” His voice trailed off and his eyes widened as he seemed to piece it all together. “Wait. Was that woman the same Kaylah you mentioned from the homecoming dance at the club?”
She nodded. “It was a quick discussion, but one I needed to hear. I’d let things go too far between us. Overreached, just like with Jesse. I was just going to get hurt.”
“And what about me getting hurt? I was already feeling down, but then you ran out on me without a word and refused to return my calls. It hurt me that you would pull away without even trying to talk to me.”
Lauren scoffed. “You’re Sutton Wingate. You’ll have some buxom, poised socialite on your arm in no time and you’ll forget all about me and how hurt you are.”
“Forget about you?” He sounded incredulous. “I can’t forget about you, Lauren. Believe me, I’ve tried. Those days after the masquerade party, I couldn’t get you out of my mind. You haunted my dreams.”
“That girl wasn’t me. She was glamorous and elegant and all the things I’m not. That night was a fluke and you fell for nothing more than some fancy window dressing courtesy of the Cinderella Sweepstakes. Take away the masks and the makeup and all you have left is me.”
“Take all that away and all that’s left is a smart, talented, caring, sexy woman who means more to me than anyone else. You talk about yourself as though I could ever be disappointed in who you are or how you look. I fell for you without even having seen your face. And once the mask was gone, things only got better. The real woman is so much more amazing than the mystery could ever be. And when I thought I’d driven you away by the mess my life had become, I wanted to kick myself.”
“Driven away?” Lauren asked. “What do you mean?”
Sutton sighed. “When we went to the club that day, the laughter on the other side of the room was all I could hear or think about. The others joking about my family’s misfortune and how we’re all just criminals doomed to wind up in jail... It taunted me from almost the moment we stepped inside. I knew that going to the club was a mistake then, but it was important for me to keep it together and help you get over your fears—” regret tightened the corners of his mouth “—That’s why I had to take a minute away. I was embarrassed by the talk, but didn’t want you, or them, to know it. When you vanished, I thought maybe you’d heard enough and decided I wasn’t worth the trouble. You would’ve been right if you had. Because I think you deserve better than a mess like me.”
Lauren’s mouth dropped open, her expression one of utter disbelief. “How could you believe you’re not worth the trouble? You’re an incredible man. An innocent man. And seeing you through these rough times is absolutely worth it.”
He was relieved that she thought so, but he still felt the need to explain himself. “And when I came here today, you were right about me constantly trying to fix things. I have probably made you feel worse about yourself with my misplaced drive to succeed. You don’t need fixing and I never meant to imply that you did.”
“Sutton, I—”
He held up a hand. “No, please let me finish. This needs to be said.” Swallowing hard, he continued. “I realize now that your business is yours to run however you want to. If you want food trucks or a restaurant or a hot dog stand, that’s your choice and I’m happy to stand by your side whatever you want to do. The truth is that I wasn’t pushing you because you weren’t good enough. I was pushing you because I felt useless. I’ve had all this power and control from the moment my brother and I took over the business from my father when he got sick. And in an instant, the bottom fell out on us all and it was stripped away.
“I had everything and suddenly, I had nothing. Choosing which coffee to make in the morning was as close as I got to making an important decision. Then I found that helping with your business made me feel useful again. I was able to help you build and grow and achieve goals that you may not have even had, but I couldn’t stop myself. I’m sorry for turning your life into a project.”
Lauren moved closer to him on the couch and reached out to place her hand over his. “Don’t apologize. You got me to dream bigger than I ever would have on my own. Because of you and your help, I’m opening my dream restaurant. Without you, Sutton, it would’ve taken me years to work up the nerve to even try. You refused to let me stand behind imaginary barriers and pushed me to be my best self—” she released a ragged breath “—Yes, I worried that you were pushing me so I was good enough for some standard society had set, but I went along with it because I wanted to be worthy of someday being a Wingate, and—”
“Wait,” Sutton interrupted. His heart stuttered at the words she’d just said. “Did you just say you wanted to be a...a Wingate?”
Lauren’s cheeks flushed red and her lips pressed tightly together as she tried to suppress her embarrassment. She’d obviously said more than she intended to. “I didn’t mean anytime soon, obviously. There are other factors at play, of course. And we’ve just started, really uh...”
“I love you, Lauren.”
It was the first time he’d said those words aloud to anyone aside from his close family, and even they were not a particularly touchy-feely group. He’d certainly never even come close to saying it to a woman before. The phrase felt amazing on his lips so he said it again. “I love you.”
“I heard you the first time,” she said with wide eyes. “I just thought perhaps I was imagining it.”
Sutton leaned in and took her hand into his own. “You’re not imagining anything. I love you. And I love you just as you are. I don’t care if you’re wearing fancy gowns, sweatpants or your chef’s whites. You are perfect and I’ll never try to change who you are.”
Lauren sat silent and still as he spoke. After a moment without a response, he reached out to caress her cheek. “Lauren?”
“I love you, too,” she blurted out as she snapped back to life and took a deep breath of relief. “Even after you said it first, it was still a little scary to finally say the words out loud.”
“You scared me for a second,” Sutton admitted with a smile. He leaned in and pressed his lips to hers. He’d missed the feeling of touching her these last few days. Actually, he’d missed everything about her, but didn’t want to push her if she wasn’t ready to talk. Now he had her back in his arms for the second time and, this time, he wasn’t letting go.
The warm sensation of love filled his chest for the first time and urged him on. He told himself before he came here today that he was going to say everything that was on his mind. If she rejected him, he would cope with that and move on, but so far, so good.
Forcing himself to break off the kiss, he sat back and looked into the golden brown eyes that had first captivated him at the party. “Lauren, I know that you have a lot on your mind with the restaurant and all. But do you think you can answer one more question for me?”
“Of course,” Lauren said. “What is it?”
“I’ve been thinking a lot about us these last few days and about what I would say if you finally answered the phone again. I’ve run it over in my mind dozens of times. And the most important part is not only that I love you, but that I can’t envision my future without you in it any longer. I want to be there when you open the doors of The Eatery for the first night and the hundredth night and the thousandth night. And I want you to be at my side when we walk back into the family estate with our names cleared at last.”
Sutton clutched her hand and slipped off the couch onto his knee. “But most importantly, I want to spend the rest of my life with you, Lauren. Which is why I was so happy to hear you say you’d thought about becoming a Wingate. Because honestly, truly, the only thing I would ever change about you...is your last name. Will you marry me?”
Tears started welling in Lauren’s eyes. Thankfully, a smile spread across her face and allayed his fears. “I will,” she said. “Absolutely, yes!”
Sutton leapt to his feet and pulled Lauren up with him. He wrapped her in his arms, hugging her tightly against him before capturing her lips in a sizzling kiss. There was a time this week when he thought he might not get to hold her again. And now, he had his bride-to-be wrapped in his protective embrace.
When he could finally bear to pull away from her, he reached into his pocket and pulled out a small jewelry box. “I picked this out, but if you don’t like it, we can absolutely take it back for a different design.” He opened it up and held up the engagement ring he’d chosen for her. It was a bezel set, round, two karat solitaire with channel-set diamonds in the platinum band. It was beautiful, but it was even more important to him that the ring would be easy for her to wear. She was in a constant state of putting on and removing food service gloves and he didn’t want it snagging or, God forbid, falling into someone’s meal.
Now he just held his breath and waited for the verdict. And it came when she plucked it from the box and slipped it onto her finger, beaming with pride.
“It’s perfect,” she breathed. “Actually, it’s beyond perfect. I never dreamed of anything as lovely as this is.”
“Do you mean it? I didn’t want it to interfere with your work, so I chose a setting that was mostly flat.”
Lauren admired it for another moment and then caressed his cheek. “I do mean it.”
“I’m glad. And I know you’re busy ramping up the new restaurant, so I don’t want you to worry about the wedding right now. There’s no hurry. Maybe by next summer, you’ll be comfortable enough to take some time away and could use the break. And if I’m lucky, maybe the Wingate Estate will be back in our hands. If so, we can have a beautiful wedding there. Or wherever you want, really. It’s entirely up to you.”
“All I care about is the food,” Lauren said with a smile.
“I thought you might say that. It’s going to be hard to find a caterer talented enough to make you happy, but I look forward to taste testing until we find one.”
Lauren shook her head and looked at him with eyes full of love and excitement. She had the same expression on her face as she did when Gracie offered to invest in the restaurant. He’d been jealous that day that he hadn’t been responsible for making her dreams come true. But now, as she looked at him with the same unabashed joy, he realized he’d succeeded. She had more than one dream and he was a part of them all.
“You are amazingly thoughtful, Sutton Wingate. You bring me bouquets of fragrant herbs instead of pretty, but useless flowers. You choose an engagement ring that won’t snag on anything so I can wear it always. You offer to eat your way through Texas with me to find just the right caterer. Who would’ve expected that underneath it all the big, bad wolf was such a softie?”
“Don’t tell anyone,” he said with a grin. “You never know when you might need your wolf to huff and puff and blow someone’s house down.”
“What a big heart you have.”
“The better to love you with, my dear.”