The Windfall (26 page)

“So, I guess it’s true then,” a scruffy voice echoed across the bar.

I turned to see Chris lounging in the doorway, his arms crossed over his chest. I took a deep breath and tucked my hands in the pockets of my suit pants. “What’s that?”

“That barboy is about to be my boss,” Chris replied, his hard expression not wavering as he stared at me.

“How do you feel about that?” I asked casually, knowing I had to win him over in order for my plan to actually work. When it came down to it, Chris practically was this bar and every employee respected his opinions. If he wasn’t cool with this, I was going to struggle. I had no intention of laying anyone off or losing anyone, so this was a pivotal moment for me.

He shrugged his massive shoulders. “You know, I really don’t know how I feel about it. Are you just gonna go around and snatch up bars and get waitresses to fall in love with you?”

I grinned, finding the mere idea of his suggestion funny. I didn’t know if he actually believed that or if he was just pulling my leg. Either way, I was about to set him straight on my plan.

“I have no intention of purchasing any other bar besides this one and there is only one waitress for me, always will be.”

I stepped forward, pulling the papers out of my pocket and handing them over to Chris. “Here, I’m going to need for you to sign these.”

“What’s this?” he asked, confusion on his face as he looked hard at the papers.

“These are papers regarding the new ownership of Keefer’s. The bar is part yours,” I said with a smile on my face. “Free and clear. You know how to run it a hell of a lot better than I ever will. The only thing I require, and it’s in the contract, is that we set aside a percentage of the profits for an education fund. Any employee who works in this bar will be eligible to apply for tuition assistance. I will be establishing an initial deposit to get us started. You will see in the paperwork that you own eighty percent of the bar.”

“Wait. You’re giving me this place?” Chris asked, his voice low and full of surprise. “But why?”

“You are this bar,” I explained. “People come here just to eat your burgers. The staff respects you, and you make sure they are all taken care of. I talked to Emma and she agrees with me, this is already your bar.”

Chris looked up from the papers in his hand, and I was surprised to see a glimmer of unshed tears in his eyes. “This is . . . wow.”

“This is the right thing to do,” I said softly, my heart full of gratitude and happiness knowing that I had done the right thing. I could have stayed on, owned this bar like the one back home, but it wasn’t my place. Just like the bar back in Atlanta wasn’t mine. Everyone was right, including Uncle Bill. My life was different now, and I couldn’t hide from it anymore. I had to embrace it and move on. This was the first step of many for me over the next few days, and I could only hope the next steps would go as smoothly as this one had.

Chris sniffed and refolded the papers carefully, tucking them into his back pocket. “You know, you aren’t so bad, barboy.”

“Neither are you, fry pan man,” I grinned, holding out my hand. “Thank you, Chris, for everything.”

Chris reached out and pulled me into a brief hug, stepping back to look around the place. “So, I guess I’m gonna have to find a new waitress soon, huh.”

I shrugged and grabbed my keys off the table. “That’s totally up to her. If she wants to continue to work here, then I will respect that. Emma’s her own person. But you are probably going to have to find a new bartender.”

“She picked a good one this time,” Chris replied as I turned to go.

I turned back and gave him a smile, pulling my sunglasses over my eyes. “I will try my best to be.” I walked out into the sunshine, heading for my car in the parking lot. One deed down, a few more to go.

* * * * *

“Is everything okay, Cooper?”

I smiled at my family as they sat in the living room. “Everything’s fine, Mom. I hope I didn’t scare you guys with my text. I just have some things I wanted to talk to everyone about.”

After leaving the bar, I had headed back to Aunt Sophia and Uncle Bill’s house, sending a text to both of them and my mom asking for them to meet me in the living room. By the looks of it, they were concerned I was going to deliver bad news.

“First of all, Mom, I had a moving company pack up all of our stuff from the apartment back in Atlanta,” I said, watching her expression carefully. “I don’t think we ever want to go back, am I right?”

“I . . . yes, you are right, son,” she said, looking over at her sister. “I really love it out here. This is where my family is.” I nodded, thinking about the phone calls I had made that morning to arrange for our few belongings to be brought to California. I had also made a call to Jane, telling her essentially the same thing I had told Chris. I was only a twenty percent owner, but I wanted to give the bar back to the people. Plus, I was looking at the same fund there as well, giving people an opportunity to go to get their higher education and get off the streets. I didn’t want to see the same thing that happened to Felix to happen to others.

“I thought so,” I finally said, looking directly at my uncle. “Uncle Bill and I have been talking and I bought the lot next door. We are going to have a small detachment built off the side of the house for you. That way you are close but there is still plenty of privacy if you want it.”

There was a small, empty lot that hadn’t been purchased, mainly because it would be the smallest house possible if someone wanted to actually build in the upscale neighborhood. No one wanted something that inferior to the neighbors. But, to build a small apartment-type structure off the existing house and just extend the space, the lot was perfect. I had already made the phone calls, and Paul had arranged for me to purchase the property at a really good price.

My mom looked over at me, tears in her eyes as she clapped her hands over her mouth.

“Oh, that is perfect,” Aunt Sophie said, looking over at her husband with tears in her own eyes. “Are you sure, Bill?”

“Anything to make the sisters happy,” my uncle replied, giving her shoulder a squeeze. “It only makes sense, Sophia. I told the boy she could just live in the house. We’ve certainly got room.”

“No, no this is perfect,” Mom replied, wiping her eyes with the backs of her hands. “This way we will all have the privacy we need. Oh, Cooper, you are just the best son ever.”

I stood up, reaching over to hug her and then giving Aunt Sophie a hug as well. “And you are the best family ever. Uncle Bill knows more about this construction deal than anyone else so he will be in charge.” I watched the happy faces of my mom and aunt for a few minutes, taking the moment in until I realized the time. “I’m sorry to rush off, but I’ve got to go. I have to meet with Emma’s dad, remember?”

Mom beamed at me. “Good luck, my sweet boy. I hope and pray that he hears you out.”

“Thanks, Mom. I’ll let you know how it goes.”

Chapter Twenty-Seven

Cooper

I sat nervously on the couch, my leg bouncing as I waited for Emma’s dad’s response. If I was being honest, the last time I had sat in Joseph’s living room hadn’t been as nerve-racking. As it turned out, having a gun pointed at you wasn’t as terrifying as facing your girlfriend’s father. But I needed to talk to him alone. I was happy when he had allowed me over the threshold to even speak with him. I wanted to do this the right way.

“So, you want to marry my Emma?” he finally asked, his voice filling the silence of the room.

“I-I do, sir,” I said, wiping my sweaty palms on my jeans. Of everything I had done today, this was probably the most important and the most intimidating. There wasn’t a doubt in my mind that Emma was the love of my life and I had no intention of ever letting her go. But I had to convince her father of that. She loved her dad and if he didn’t approve of me marrying her, I was sunk. “I love your daughter more than anything in this world, sir, and I will do everything in my power to take care of her and provide for her. I hope with your blessing that I can make her happy for the rest of her life.” I wanted to travel with her, give her opportunities that she had only dreamed about. And even if she wanted to continue waitressing, then I was okay with that as well. Whatever she wanted to do was fine with me as long as I never had to live without her again.

Her dad sighed and looked down at his hands. “I know you love her, son. It was apparent in the misstep you attempted with the money and with the way you protected the both of us with all that mess here at the house. And I think she loves you as well. You make her happy, Cooper, and to me, that’s all that matters in life.” He then gave me a half smile. “I give you my blessing. You can marry my little girl . . . if she’ll have you.”

I grinned from ear to ear, a weight lifted off of my shoulders. “Thank you, sir. I promise I will do my best to make her life the happiest it can be.” I cleared my throat, not sure how to approach the next subject. “There is one other thing I’d like to talk with you about.” I hesitated just long enough to let him urge me to ask.

“Well, spit it out, son.”

“I would like to send you for a second opinion, sir. I did some research and there is a doctor out east who is making great strides in cancer research. It can’t hurt to try.”

Her dad looked at me for a moment, his eyes widening in surprise. “How did you know?”

I shrugged, trying to look at him without seeming too pushy. I didn’t have much medical knowledge, but there had been something about the way Emma had mentioned his need to cut back on meds so they could make ends meet and how hard it was for him to do that. It didn’t sound like a man who was on the mend. It sounded almost like a man who had given up. His cancer was back, and he hadn’t told Emma yet. “I think you should tell her.”

“I know,” he sighed, sitting back in his chair. “I just didn’t want her to worry. She has spent too much of her life worrying about me and not living her life. I wanted to give her at least a few months where she could concentrate on herself before I dropped the news.” He then chuckled, looking up at me. “And look what she found. I’ve never seen her happier.”

“I will keep her that way for as long as I can,” I said, thinking of her smiling face. “And part of doing that means making sure you have the best care possible. Will you at least think about the trip?” This was something that I could do for this proud man and his daughter at one time. I knew Joseph wasn’t the type to accept charity so instead of forcing the trip and the money I had put back for his treatments, I was giving him the option.

“I will,” he finally said. “Thank you, Cooper. You have a kind heart. Must be why she loves you. I think I’ll enjoy having you as my son-in-law, and I don’t mean because of the money either.”

“Thank you, sir,” I replied, the knot in my stomach loosening just a little. I wanted to take care of all of them, but I didn’t want them to resent it in the future either. I wasn’t worried about anyone using me for money anymore, for these were the people in my life who had accepted me for me before the money. It was the least I could do for them.

“So when is this proposal gonna take place?” her dad asked. “I don’t wanna tell William just yet. That man can’t keep his mouth shut. He’ll let the cat out of the bag before you get a chance to.”

“I appreciate that, sir,” I laughed. “I hope to do it soon. I will let you know.” I already had the ring, I wasn’t going to wait much longer.

Chapter Twenty-Eight

Emma

“Come on, Cooper. Can I take off the blindfold now?”

I huffed in frustration, feeling the warm touch of his fingers on my bare shoulders as he steered me into a cool interior, wishing he knew how much I hated surprises. I hated being caught off guard like this, but he had insisted on the blindfold as soon as I had gotten into the car. We rode for a while before I felt the car come to a stop and he helped me out. Now I wanted to rip the thing off to see what was such a big surprise.

“You know . . . we are supposed to be surfing right now,” I teased.

Surprises may not have been my thing, but Cooper had been on a pretty good roll with them in the past couple of weeks. He’d told me about the bar in Atlanta and how he’s set his friend, Jane, up the same way he had Chris. I couldn’t describe what Cooper’s gesture had meant to Chris. There was a different air about him, and I knew he was going to do a great job. It had definitely been a pivotal moment in my life to see what kind of man my Cooper really was, and I was so thankful that I had not walked away from our relationship. This man really did have a heart of gold and I woke up every day smiling, knowing that he was mine. He was the best thing that had happened to me, and I just hoped I made him as happy.

After several steps and a couple of turns, Cooper stopped and removed his hands from my shoulders. “Okay, you can take it off now.”

Curious, and maybe a little concerned, I removed the blindfold and gasped as I looked around. The space was airy with sunlight streaming in through a wall of windows. I was standing in a house, more specifically a living room, one entire wall overlooking the ocean. It wasn’t as big as his aunt’s house, more like Malibu’s version of a cozy little beach house vibe. I stood on beautiful, dark, hardwood floors flanked by walls painted a cool creamy blue. I had no idea why I was standing in an empty living room.

“What’s this, Cooper?” I asked softly, my heart hammering in my chest.

“Well, some people call it a house. You see, it’s this thing—”

“Smart ass, I know it’s a house,” I interrupted him. “Why is this my surprise?”

He grinned. “I’m thinking about buying it,” he said as I walked into the kitchen, taking in the stainless steel appliances and breakfast nook that overlooked the back deck. The deck was ample, and I couldn’t help but smile as I saw the hot tub in the corner and the sloping stairs leading right down to the sand. It was beautiful.

“There are three bedrooms upstairs,” Cooper continued. “Each with views of the ocean.”

I walked around the space, thinking of how perfect this place was for him. To wake up every day with the view out of the windows was enough to keep one at peace and happy for the rest of their lives. After everything Cooper had been through, he deserved this. “It’s beautiful, Cooper,” I finally said, looking back at him. “Do you think you would be happy living here?”