Page 11 of Daddy’s Naughty Bartender (Naughty Girls Book Club #5)

"That's my brave girl." He pulls me close. "We'll face them together. Show them that Karen Mitchell doesn't back down from bullies."

"What about the kids?"

"We'll talk to them. Really talk. Help them understand.

" He kisses my temple. "Emily's scared of losing the mother she knows.

Josh is trying to protect you the only way he knows how.

But underneath, they want you to be happy.

We just need to show them that happiness doesn't diminish who you are. Change is hard on people."

"You sound very sure."

"I am sure. About you. About us. About weathering this storm." His arms tighten around me. "I told you, baby. I don't run when things get hard. Not from you. Never from you."

That night, I stand before the town council in my best business suit, Jason steady beside me. The room is packed because there is nothing Prairie Harbor loves more than drama.

Betty Henderson sits in the front row, smug satisfaction written across her face. Behind her, I see the Naughty Girls, my staff from the bar, and surprisingly, both my children.

"Ms. Mitchell," the council president begins, "we've received concerning reports about conduct at The Gathering Place?—"

"Bullshit!" Susie's voice rings out. "Sorry for the language, but that's what this is. I've worked at that bar for five years. Never seen anything inappropriate."

"Ms. Patterson, you'll have your chance to speak?—"

"I'll speak now." Barbara stands, all seventy-two years of her radiating authority. "Karen Mitchell saved that bar when her husband died. Turned it from a failing dive into the heart of this community. And now you want to punish her for finding love again?"

"This isn't about her personal life," Betty interjects. "It's about maintaining law and order. We do not allow lewd behavior in public in this town. That’s not what we stand for. This is about community standards?—"

"Standards?" Elizabeth stands too. "Like the standard of judging women for being human? For having needs? For choosing a partner who treats them well?"

One by one, people stand to defend me. Regular customers, fellow business owners, people whose lives have touched mine over the years. Even Dale Morrison speaks up, praising both my business acumen and Jason's professional reputation.

But it's Emily who makes me cry.

"My mom," she says, voice shaking but determined, "is the strongest person I know.

She held our family together when Dad died.

Built a business. Raised us right. And if she's found someone who makes her smile again?

Who sees how amazing she is? Then shame on all of you for trying to take that away.

" Tears sting my eyes when she is done speaking. I’m shaking when I stand up.

"May I speak?" My voice comes out steadier than I feel.

The council president nods, and I take a deep breath, finding Jason's hand with mine.

"The Gathering Place isn't just a bar. It's Mark Mitchell's dream made real.

When my husband was dying, he made me promise to keep it alive.

Not just the business, but the heart of it.

The place where people come to celebrate and grieve, to find community and comfort. "

I pause, looking around the room at faces I've known for years.

"For five years, I've poured everything into honoring that promise.

I've served your drinks, listened to your stories, celebrated your joys, and mourned your losses.

This bar has been my anchor, my purpose, my way of keeping Mark's memory alive. "

My voice catches, but I push through. "But here's what I've learned. I’ve learned honoring the dead doesn't mean joining them.

Mark loved me with his whole heart. He wanted me happy, not just surviving.

He'd be the first to tell me that loving again doesn't diminish what we had.

It proves it. It proves that love is worth the risk, worth the pain, worth opening your heart even when you know how much it can hurt to lose. "

I squeeze Jason's hand, drawing strength from his presence.

"Jason Schaeffer hasn't replaced Mark. No one could.

He's not competing with a ghost or trying to erase the past. He's helping me build a future.

He sees the woman I am now. The scarred but strong, grieving but growing, woman.

He honors Mark's memory by taking care of the family Mark left behind. "

Josh moves to stand beside Emily, both my children showing their support, and my heart swells.

"You want to talk about community standards?

" I meet Betty Henderson's eyes directly.

"How about the standard of lifting each other up instead of tearing each other down?

The standard of celebrating when someone finds happiness after loss?

The standard of recognizing that love comes in many forms, and judging how consenting adults express that love is not what good neighbors do? "

I straighten my shoulders. "I've run The Gathering Place with integrity for five years.

I've never had a violation, never had a complaint until now.

And the only thing that's changed is that I've stopped being the tragic widow you could all pity and started being a woman who chose joy again.

If that threatens you, then maybe you need to ask yourself why. "

My voice grows stronger with each word. "Mark taught me that love multiplies.

Love never divides or subtracts. Loving Jason doesn't steal from what Mark and I shared.

It honors it. It says that what we had was so beautiful, so transformative, that I'm brave enough to risk that kind of connection again.

That's not disrespectful. That's the highest honor I can give to the man who showed me what love could be. "

I look at my children, my friends, the community that has held me up through the darkest days.

"The Gathering Place will always be Mark's legacy.

But it's also mine now. Mine and Jason's.

And we're going to run it with the same love, the same dedication, the same commitment to bringing people together that Mark envisioned.

Because that's what he'd want. Not a shrine to the past, but a living, breathing place where love in all its forms is celebrated. "

Taking a shaky breath, I finish, "So yes, I'm in love with Jason Schaeffer.

Yes, he's protective and caring in ways that might seem old-fashioned to some.

Yes, we're building a life together. And no, I won't apologize for any of it.

Because finding love after loss isn't a betrayal, it's a miracle.

And I won't let anyone make me feel ashamed of that miracle. "

I sit down, my whole body trembling. Jason's arm comes around me immediately, holding me steady as the room erupts. Some applaud, some murmur, but I've said what I needed to say. The rest is up to them.

The council votes. The complaint is dismissed as unfounded. Betty Henderson storms out in defeat.

In the parking lot afterward, Emily hugs me tight.

"I'm sorry," she whispers. "I was scared and stupid and cruel."

"You were protecting what you love," I whisper back. "I understand."

"He makes you happy?" She pulls back to study my face. "Really happy?"

"Really happy."

"Then that's all that matters." She turns to Jason. "But if you hurt her, I know where you sleep."

"Noted," Jason says solemnly, though his eyes hold warmth. "I'd expect nothing less from Karen Mitchell's daughter."

Josh joins our hug, and for a moment, we stand there. We’re a family reformed, different but whole.

"Ice cream?" I suggest. "Barbara's staying open late for us."

"Can Jason come?" Josh asks, surprising everyone.

"If he wants to."

"I want to," Jason says simply.

As we walk toward the café, Emily links her arm through mine. "Mom? That thing people are saying... about you being submissive or whatever?"

"What about it?"

"Is it true?"

I think about lying, deflecting. Instead, I choose honesty. "I've spent five years being everyone's rock. With Jason, I get to be soft sometimes. Taken care of. It doesn't make me weak, if anything, it makes me stronger."

Emily considers this. "I think I get it. Like... feminism means choosing what makes you happy, right? It’s the ability and right to have the choice and make it for yourself. Even if other people don't understand?"

"That's exactly right."

"Cool." She squeezes my arm. "Still weird thinking about my mom... you know. But cool."

“Well, if it helps, I don’t have a ball gag.” I laugh, feeling lighter than I have in days. The storm has come, as storms always do in small towns. But we've weathered it. Together.

And as Jason holds the café door open for us, his hand finding mine, I know we'll weather whatever comes next too.

Because if there is one thing I’ve learned over the last few years, it’s that love is worth fighting for.