CHAPTER EIGHT
Owen sat at the breakfast table at the Sweet Tea. Rebecca had made a delicious breakfast and he was relaxing with a second cup of coffee.
“Mind if I join you?” Rebecca came in with a mug of coffee in her hand. “I’m letting the skillet soak. Thought I’d take a little rest.”
“No, please, join me.”
Rebecca sat down across from him. “So, are you here for much longer?”
“Yes, actually, I need to be here for a while longer. Do you still have room for me for a bit?”
“Yes, that’s not a problem. We have a group coming this weekend, but I’ll still have room for you. Larry will be pleased that we’ll be completely full.”
“Great.” Owen wasn’t in the mood to change to another place to stay. He liked Rebecca and Larry’s B&B. He liked being able to walk to everything here in town. Then, of course, there was Izzy. He sure wasn’t ready to say goodbye to her yet.
“Have you been finding things to keep you busy? I know a small town must be very different than Chicago.” Rebecca took a sip of her coffee.
“I have. Been taking my time exploring the town. Even went out for a picnic last night.”
“Really? Who with?”
“Izzy Hardy.”
“Who?” Rebecca wrinkled her brow. “Izzy Hardy? Oh, you mean Bella Amaud. Everyone calls her Bella, except Jenny and Becky Lee, who for some reason have always called her Izzy. Both nicknames are short for her real name, Isabella. She owns Bella’s Vintage Shop down the street. She goes by her maiden name again since she and Rick split up.”
The world tilted and spun around him.
No, he couldn’t possibly mean Bella Amaud. He meant Izzy Hardy. Not the woman who owned Bella’s Vintage Shop. The shop in the building he had just bought for his brother. The woman who was getting kicked out of the building at the end of the month.
Izzy. Isabella. Bella. His heart plunged.
“She owns Bella’s Vintage Shop?”
“She does. She’s done a fabulous job with it. Built it all up on her own after her husband left her. She lives above it with her boys. Didn’t she tell you?”
The sinking feeling got worse. He was going to throw Izzy and her boys out of their home too? Things couldn’t get more messed up. He sure hadn’t put the name Bella with Izzy. She was going to hate him, and he didn’t blame her one bit.
“You okay? You don’t look so good.” Rebecca peered at him closely.
“Well, it appears I’ve made a bit of a mess of things.”
“What do you mean?”
“I’ve bought the building that she has her shop in. I gave it back to my brother and his mother. It had been in their family for generations.”
Rebecca put down her mug. “Your brother? Jake Landry?”
Owen was so rattled that now he had broken his promise to Jake. He’d told about their connection. “Well, darn it. I didn’t mean to say that. Yes, Jake is my half-brother. I just found out a while ago and came to find him. My father never acknowledged him, but that doesn’t make it right. He is my brother. This seemed like the least I could do for Jake and Sylvia. But, please, I told Jake I wouldn’t talk about our relationship. It’s Jake’s decision to tell people about us if he wants. It appears he doesn’t want to.”
Owen now could add breaking his promise to Jake to his list of transgressions in this town.
“I won’t tell anyone. We’ll let Jake figure it out in his own time. I’m sure Sylvia will love having her building back. Is she going to open the restaurant back up?”
“Yes, but a different kind. A fancier one, serving wine and beer. She’s actually all excited about figuring out a new menu. They’re planning on living upstairs in the apartment.”
A brief worried look crossed Rebecca’s face. “Well, I know the town could use a nice restaurant with all the business we’re getting here these days. I reckon Sylvia is so excited to have a restaurant again. But poor Bella. It was such a nice arrangement for her.”
Owen scrubbed his hand over his face. “Not that Magnolia Cafe or Best Friends Diner aren’t nice. They are. Comfortable. Good food. This will just offer up a different kind of food. Nice wines.”
Rebecca looked worried. “I hope Bella can find a new place for her shop and a new place to live.”
“I didn’t know that Izzy owned that shop, or that she lived above it. I just didn’t connect the dots. Now, it’s too late. I’ve given it to Sylvia and Jake. Sylvia is so happy. I heard that she’s just recently recovered from cancer treatments. I thought it would give her a reason to, well, jump back into life now that she’s feeling better.” Owen leaned back in his chair. “I’ve really done it this time.”