Page 4 of Middle Ground

I grin, slapping the counter. “Hell yeah, you are!”

At my outburst, Atticus perks up, just now realizing I’ve arrived. He smiles. “Auntie M&M!”

I move toward his table, holding out my fist for Atticus to bump. He does, and then we both make explosion noises with our mouths.

“Attie, did you keep our pinky promise?” I ask.

He nods emphatically. “I was good all week. I brushed my teeth when Mommy askedandI didn’t sneak out of bed once!”

I tug the package from the back pocket of my jeans. Atticus’s eyes glitter when he spots the iconic M&M’s branding.

“Knew I could count on you.”

As soon as he could chew them, I’ve been sneaking him packages of the coated-chocolate candy. It’s my go-to bribe and special treat. Atticus knows it, too, which is why I’ve been known as Auntie M&M ever since he could properly speak.

Pippa shakes her head, but a smile tugs at her lips. “Areyou planning to come hang out while he’s bouncing off the walls later?”

I turn toward her with a winsome smile. “You see, Iwould, but I kind of have an inn to run.”

Now she rolls her eyes. “The inn would still be standing if you took a day off, Meyer.”

I shake my head. “I’m not in the business of tempting fate.”

Pippa goes to reply, but her attention snaps to her son instead. “Atticus, one at a time! You might choke.”

“S’okay, Mommy. I’m apofessional,” he insists, shoving another handful into his mouth.

She tips her head to the sky. “I’m going to go grey prematurely.”

Although she gets exasperated with the best of them, there’s no doubt she was meant to be a mother. The love she has for Atticus, and the love he has for her in return, is the most wholesome thing I’ve ever witnessed.

And I’ve been lucky enough to tag along for the ride. They came into my life when Pippa and I were both nineteen and a little lonely, so we became fast friends. The three of us have been a tight-knit trio ever since.

I make a face at Atticus. “Your mom is a drama queen.”

“Don’t I know it,” he replies with an exaggerated huff.

Pippa chooses to ignore her son’s dig. Instead, she asks me, “Any idea when it might happen?”

As my best friend, Pippa knows all about Mom handing the business down to me. And how bittersweet it is.

I shake my head. “Not sure, but I think soon. Mom’sarthritis is flaring up more often than not these days, so the inn isn’t something she needs to worry about.”

Pip offers me a soft smile. “I’m glad she has you. At least with you taking over, it won’t feel like she’s giving the place up completely.”

“It’s going to be strange, having no one to answer to but myself.”

She nods, chewing on her lip. “Who’s going to replace you as restaurant manager?”

I bite back my grin. My first order of business as owner of Dog Days Inn: promoting Pippa to restaurant manager. There is no one I would trust more with my former role. I know if I tell her now, she’ll try to refuse it. So I’m taking theask for forgiveness, not permissionroute.

“We’ll see” is all I say.

As I wait out the lull, I spend the next ten minutes straightening the supplies that Pippa has already meticulously organized. I’m miraculously caught up on paperwork for once, so I need something to do with my hands.

“Hey, Dec!” Pippa calls.

I pause my unnecessary tidying to look up at the newcomer. Declan Rhodes looks, at all times, like he’s just stepped off a cover shoot forWorking Man Monthly. His strawberry blonde hair is shaggy, and his stubble makes him look rugged. He completes the look with work pants and a pair of Timberlands. And, just like always, he flashes me that megawatt grin that softens his face, giving him the countenance of a lovable golden retriever.