Sophia was already pulling up building plans on her computer. “What if we build around it? Mixed development. Keep Morrison’s garage on the ground floor. Put our flagship store on the upper levels.” The silence on Marcus’s end was different this time. Thoughtful instead of angry. “That’s actually kind of brilliant. Blue-collar meets high fashion. It’s unique. Investors might eat that up.”
Sophia felt hope flicker in her chest for the first time in days. “And we partner with him. His garage services our customers. Everyone wins.” Marcus was already typing. She could hear the keyboard clicking. “Let me run the numbers. If this works, Sophia, I’m giving you a raise and also admitting you were right, which I hate doing.”
Two days later, Sophia walked into Evergreen Cafe and her heart nearly stopped because Jake was there with Lily having hot chocolate. And the second Lily spotted her, the kid launched herself across the cafe screaming Sophia’s name. Sophia caught her and held on tight while Lily whispered, “I knew you’d come back.” And Jake stood up, looking guarded in a way that made Sophia want to cry because she’d done that. She’d made him put those walls back up.
“Can we talk?” Sophia asked, and Jake nodded, told Lily to go sit with Harper for a minute, and they slid into the same booth where they’d had their first date that felt like a lifetime ago. Sophia pulled out a folder with shaking hands. “I owe you an explanation and an apology.” Jake’s jaw was tight. “Okay.”
Sophia took a breath. “My company wanted to buy your property. The garage. We were going to demolish it for a flagship store, and I didn’t know it was yours until Lily mentioned the address.” She watched Jake’s face go through about seventeen emotions in three seconds, ending on something that looked like betrayal mixed with resignation. “So you just disappeared?” His voice was flat, and it hurt worse than if he’d yelled.
“I was trying to figure out how to save my company without destroying yours.” Sophia slid the folder across the table. “Partnership proposal. We build around your garage. Mixed development. You stay on ground floor. We expand above. Fifty-fifty partners on the whole property.” Jake opened the folder like it might explode. Read through the proposal with his mechanic’s hands that she’d watched fix her car, leaving smudges on the expensive paper. “You did this for me.”
Sophia shook her head. “I did this for us. All three of us. You keep the garage. Honor Sarah’s memory. I save my company. And Lily gets what she wished for.” Jake looked up and his eyes were wet. “You’re serious about this?” Sophia reached across the table and took his hand. “I’ve never been more serious about anything in my life.”