He Made an Exception for Her. I Made Him My Ex Chapter 2

Laughter spilled out of the Rose Room.

Through the window, I saw a dozen women around our largest table. Sunflower seed shells covered the embroidered cloth I'd brought back from a trip.

Behind the bar, Chloe was opening a bottle of my father's wine.

He'd bought it before he died. My mother had given it to me on my wedding day, and I'd kept it ever since.

The cork snapped. Wine splashed across the counter.

One of the women laughed. "Chloe, this place is lovely. That man of yours really spoils you."

Chloe blushed. "Don't say that. Adrian would be upset if he heard you."

"Only a matter of time. Childhood sweethearts always find their way back to each other."

I opened the door. The bell rang, and everyone turned.

Chloe moved the bottle behind her back.

"Nora! I thought the restaurant was empty today, so I brought Mom and her friends here for her birthday. Adrian said you wouldn't mind."

I looked at the wall behind her. Our photograph was gone. In its place hung a picture of Chloe in front of my roses, holding my cat.

"Where's my cat?"

"Mom's allergic. Adrian took her to a boarding place. He paid for a whole year."

A whole year.

The door opened again. Adrian came in carrying a cake. The moment he saw me, he frowned.

"What are you doing here?"

He set down the cake, took my wrist, and pulled me toward the door. I shook him off.

"Don't make a scene," he said. "It's Diane's birthday. They're only using the place for an afternoon."

"Does that include opening my father's wine?"

"It's one bottle. I'll buy you ten."

I looked at him. "Do you remember why we opened this restaurant?"

In our second year of marriage, I'd had a miscarriage. I couldn't sleep for weeks. Adrian had brought me to this empty storefront and said we could grow flowers here, cook together, and start finding our way back.

On opening day, he'd carried in the first rosebush himself, dirt all over his hands.

Things will get better, Nora.

Now he was letting Chloe use it to impress her mother's friends.

"Stop bringing up the past," he said. "Diane's just out of the hospital. Go inside and say something nice. Don't embarrass her."

"Last year, my mother was injured. Did you ever worry about embarrassing her?"

"That was different."

"How?"

He had no answer.

Chloe came out with a tissue in her hand, her eyes red.

"Please don't blame Adrian. This was my idea. I thought you hardly came here. I can ask everyone to leave."

Adrian stepped in front of her. "No one has to leave."

He turned to me. "Enough, Nora. Are you going to hold what happened to your mother over me forever? I gave you money for her hotel."

I took out my phone and called the man who collected old furnishings from the restaurant.

"Mike? It's Nora. Can you come by? I have some table linens and chair covers to clear out."

Twenty minutes later, his truck pulled up.

In front of Diane's friends, I stripped the seed-covered cloth from the table and carried the chair covers outside.

Diane stood. "What's wrong with you? We only borrowed the place for a few hours. Is this how you treat someone older than you?"

I dropped the last cloth into the truck.

"Trash doesn't stay overnight. It's our house rule."

Adrian's face hardened. "Nora."

I took the share-transfer agreement from my bag.

"You're selling your part of the restaurant?" he said. "Have you lost your mind?"

I moved it out of his reach and signed where Jess had marked.

"It's my share."

"I helped build this place!"

"And now you bring people here to ruin it."

Chloe touched his arm. "It's okay. She probably just doesn't like us."

Adrian stayed in front of her.

"If you walk out that door," he told me, "don't expect me to come after you."

I put the agreement back in my bag and passed him.

"When have you ever come after me?"

The bell rang as I left. Behind me, something hit the floor.

Outside, I got a text from the hospital. My mother's prescription was ready for pickup.