Her Maine Squeeze (When in Maine)

Epilogue

Seven Months Later

I fiddle with a strand of hair, tying it in a knot as I examine my building. There’s a new sign in the window that says Lindy’s Lunch Box in swirling calligraphy. And on top of the building there’s a sculpture of a giant hoagie. “Do you think it’s too much?”

Oz gently pulls my hands away from my hair, clasping them in his. “Not at all. I think it’s perfect.”

I chew on my lower lip. “People are going to see it…”

Oz laughs. “That’s the point, sweetheart.”

“Yeah, but… what if too many tourists start to come, and the locals feel pushed out? I don’t want to lose my regulars.”

“The locals will continue to come,” Oz assures me. “They love your sandwiches and your pickles.”

“I don’t know, Oz… is it too late to change my mind? Maybe I should just keep things the way they’ve always been.”

Oz gazes into my face. “Lindy, I know you’re afraid of change, but growth is impossible without change. The two are a package deal.”

I sigh, thinking of the staff I’ve been training this week. I’ve hired three employees to help run the sandwich shop and an additional person to manage the laundromat. They’re all excellent hires, and I have complete confidence in their abilities. “I guess it wouldn’t be fair to my staff to turn back now,” I concede.

“It also wouldn’t be fair to you ,” Oz says. “It’s your time to shine. Lindy’s Lunch Box will be the best lunch spot in all of Maine.”

I smile gratefully. I couldn’t ask for a better partner than Oz. “Thank you for believing in me. Your support means more than you can know.”

Oz pulls me into his chest for a hug. “You’ll always have it.”

I nestle against him as he wraps his arms around me. “Don’t be surprised if I run to your office tomorrow for a hug in the middle of the lunch rush.”

Oz started an architecture firm and set up shop in a building two blocks from the laundromat.

Not just the laundromat anymore, I remind myself. Now it’s the laundromat and Lindy’s Lunch Box. Two distinct businesses.

“Sorry, but that’s not possible,” Oz says. “I won’t be at my office tomorrow.”

I pull away from his embrace to peer into his face. A sudden sense of panic overwhelms my senses. I need him to be nearby. I can’t do this without him. “Why not? Where will you be?”

He chuckles. “Here, of course. I wouldn’t miss your first official day as Lindy’s Lunch Box.”

The panic disappears in an instant, replaced with a warm feeling of affection. It fills my chest almost to bursting. I’m head over heels in love with this man.

And I want to spend the rest of my life with him.

When I gaze into his face, I see my love reflected in his eyes. “Oz…?”

“Yes?”

“I’m ready.”

“I know,” he says in earnest. “Lindy’s Lunch Box will be a smashing success.”

I shake my head slowly. “I hope so, but that’s not what I mean. I’m ready to be your wife.”

His face breaks into a jubilant grin. “Are you sure?”

I return his smile. “I’ve never been surer about anything in my life.”

“In that case—” He kneels down on one knee and gazes up at me.

My hands fly to cover my mouth. “You’re proposing now?”

“You said you were ready,” he points out, raising his eyebrows. “Have you changed your mind?”

“No!”

“Good,” he says, grinning at me. “Because I’ve been carrying this around for long enough.” He reaches into his coat pocket and removes a ring box. He opens it, showing me the dazzling solitaire diamond ring it contains. “Lindy Donovan, will you marry me and make me the happiest man in the world?”

Tears brim in my eyes as I nod my head vigorously. “I absolutely will.”

For Luke and Charley’s love story, be sure to read The Maine Attraction today!