London leans forward and kisses me. It’s chaste but perfect. As much as I’d love to make out with her, I have a feeling her mother is lingering by the window.
“You know, I saw a barn behind the house. I’ve never done the ‘roll in the hay’ thing.”
A hand comes down hard on my chest and I cower. “Sorry,” I mutter while trying to control my laughter. I look deep into London’s eyes and say, “In all seriousness, London. Come back to Newport with me. Be my partner at the marina, but more importantly, in life. I don’t want to spend another night without you by my side. Three years has been long enough.”9LondonONE YEAR LATER – SeptemberMax has done it again with another Kingstown Regatta win! I stayed long enough to be by his side for the main interview, but I had to get back to our restaurant. That’s right…our restaurant. The past year has been a whirlwind of craziness. Sometimes I don’t even think it’s all real. Max won the regatta again without Vance and Yates as his mates. They competed against him, but they were no match for Max. And tonight, we celebrate. Not at the yacht club, and not at any of the other hoity toity places Max used to frequent all the time, but at our own pride and joy…Dawson’s Restaurant and Marina. We could’ve named it something else, but Max wanted to restore the old place to its original charm. It belongs to us both, Mr. and Mrs. Max Richmond. That’s right, we’re married! Instead of having a huge wedding, we eloped to the Maldives and only had our close family and friends there. It’s been the best five months of my life. So far, at least. I know more good times are about to happen.
I hop out of my car and hurry to the restaurant entrance. Everyone will be showing up shortly and I have to make sure tonight is perfect. Ever since we opened, we’ve been booked solid. The one thing I made sure of when I agreed to open the restaurant with Max was that it must appeal to everyone, not just high society. I want everyone to feel welcome.
When I walk inside, Kim is in the dining room, checking over all the tables. She looks up at me and smiles. “Everything is all ready for tonight, Mrs. Richmond.” The sound of my new name never gets old and she knows I love to hear it.
“It smells amazing in here,” I gush, feeling my stomach growl.
A couple of the best chefs in Rhode Island work for us and we’ve already been featured in several magazines. Even August Cahill, a foodie expert who travels around the world to various restaurants gave us a stellar review. It’s all been a dream come true.
Cars start pulling into the parking lot and the growling in my stomach turns to quivering nerves. I want tonight to be epic. Max deserves all the success in the world. He’s done so much for me. All I wanted was to be a manager of a restaurant and now I’m the proud owner of one. When he isn’t helping me with the restaurant or the marina, he spends his spare time on the water, giving young sailors the chance to learn from the best. I have no doubt he’s training future regatta winners.
Derek, one of our servers, rushes out from the back and waves when he sees me. “Congratulations, Mrs. Richmond.” Then he grins at Kim. “And to you too.”
Kim beams. “Yeah, if it wasn’t for my boyfriend helping Max out, there’s no way he would’ve won.”
She winks at me and I laugh. After last year’s regatta, Max ditched Vance and Yates and hired two brothers to help restore the marina. It turns out they had sailing experience and they ended up replacing Vance and Yates. They didn’t come from wealthy families, but they’re hard working and just all out good men. When Kim met Jason, the oldest of the brothers, she fell in love with him instantly.
“And if it wasn’t for my husband, you wouldn’t have met Jason,” I quip back.
She nods. “True. I owe you guys for that.” Boats start pulling into the marina and we watch them dock. There’s one vacant boat slip, waiting for its owner. Our crew has already decorated it with balloons. I knew without a doubt that Max would win again.
It doesn’t take long for his boat to come into view. Everyone piles onto the docks, jumping up and down with excitement. Camera crews are in the parking lot, lights flashing as they record this epic moment.
“I bet our old boss at the yacht club is pissed,” Kim says happily. “Their business has gone downhill since we opened. How many of their staff have left there to come here?”