I nod. “You’re right.” Then I nod toward the door. “We can talk in the restaurant. I have to get in the kitchen earlier now because a certain foodie’s review has us booked out for months.”
Chuckling, he follows me out the door and down to the restaurant. “Yeah, about that. Nice touch with my assistant. It was kind of funny when you thought she was one of my aliases.”
Sheepishly, I turn to face him. “Please tell her I’m sorry. She must think I’m a major bitch.”
He bursts out laughing. “On the contrary, she had fun telling me how stupid I was for what I did.” We have a few minutes, so I walk over to the bar and sit down. Instead of sitting beside me, he swivels my chair around so that I have to face him. “Do you really want me to delete my review?”
With a heavy sigh, I glance around the place I call my home. It’s everything I could’ve hoped it would become. “Yes and no,” I reply honestly. “I want to know my success came from me, not you.”
“Maddy, it did come from you. Don’t get mad at me, but I saw your numbers beforehand.” My eyes widen and he holds up his hands. “I promise I didn’t snoop. Your spreadsheet was on the table and I saw it. Judging by my calculations, by the end of the year, you would’ve been just as slammed as you are now. That’s how good you are. My review just tipped you over the edge early.”
I want to believe he’s right. I’ve worked hard for what I have. “Just answer me one thing and I’ll let it go.”
He nods. “Anything.”
“Was your review a totally unbiased opinion? No sugarcoating? No lying, whatsoever?”
“It was all the truth,” he answers genuinely. He glances around the restaurant. “I love everything about this place. I can see you in it all.”
“Why did you become August Cahill in the first place? You were never really into the whole food stuff until you met me.”
“I did it because of you.”
My heart skips a beat. “What do you mean?”
He reaches down for my hands and keeps his eyes on our intertwined fingers. “Just like I said, I did it because of you. You were what inspired me.” His eyes lift to mine and he sighs. “It was the only way I could feel close to you. As much as I thought I’d get over you after I left, I never did. That’s why I turned to food. You taught me so much about the mechanics of it all. It fascinated me. That’s why I decided to start a food blog. Then, one thing led to another and my reviews went viral.”
“Are you still going to do it?” I ask.
It’s obvious he can see the uncertainty on my face. “You don’t want me to, do you?”
I shrug. “It’s not that, Adam. I just know how terrified a lot of people are of you. You saw it yourself with me. I was sick with worry that you would give my restaurant a bad rating and it’d shut me down.”
He looks away, his expression pained. “That’s what kills me. I never wanted anyone to go out of business. It’s weighed heavily on my soul since you told me. All I did was give my opinion.”
I squeeze his hands. “And it’s obvious thousands and thousands of people value your opinion. It just breaks my heart because I know restaurants can have good and bad days, depending on what’s going on. I know I’m not perfect.”
A small smile spreads across his face when he looks at me. “Actually, you are.” He takes a deep breath and kisses my hand. “If I could go back and change things, I still don’t know if it would’ve been smart to tell you the truth. At least, not before you fell in love with me again.”
“Why?”
He shrugs. “Because I could hear the disdain in your voice when you told me about those other restaurants closing down because of my reviews. If you knew that August was me, I feel like you wouldn’t have given me a second chance. The more time I spent with you, the more I wanted to be just me.”
Sliding my hands away from his, I cup his cheeks. “I love you, Adam. And just so you know, I trust you. The review can stay. I might as well use you for something.” I wink and it feels good to see him smile.
“I think it’s time August Cahill retires. He’s caused way more harm than good. Besides, I don’t need him anymore.”
Hopping out of the chair, I wrap my arms around his neck. “Oh yeah? Why’s that?”
He holds me around the waist. “Because all that I need is standing right here in front of me.”