Chapter 14 - THE PROPOSAL NOBODY EXPECTED
Six months later, Mercer Home and Living announced a new employee program.
Flexible scheduling.
Emergency childcare.
Transparent payroll.
Independent reporting.
And a scholarship fund named after Thomas Bennett.
Clare had been offered a corporate position.
She turned it down.
Daniel wasn't surprised.
"You don't want an office."
"No."
"What do you want?"
She smiled.
"To run the Franklin store."
Daniel raised an eyebrow.
"Why?"
"Because that's where everything started."
He smiled.
"Fair enough."
One December evening, Daniel asked Clare and Lily to meet him at the diner.
The same diner.
The same booth.
The same corner.
Thanksgiving decorations had been replaced with Christmas lights.
Lily immediately noticed the empty chair.
"This is where Daniel sat."
Clare smiled.
"Yes."
Daniel pulled out a chair.
"Actually, this is where I sat."
Lily shook her head.
"No."
She pointed at Clare.
"This is where you sat."
Then she pointed at Daniel.
"You sat there."
Daniel laughed.
"Apparently I'm being corrected."
The waitress brought three plates.
And one small box.
Clare stared at it.
"Daniel?"
He looked nervous.
For the first time since Clare had known him, Daniel Mercer looked completely uncertain.
He took the box.
"Lily helped me."
Clare looked at her daughter.
Lily covered her mouth.
"I promised not to tell."
"You promised terribly."
Daniel smiled.
Then he turned toward Clare.
"I spent years believing I had everything."
He opened the box.
Inside was a ring.
"I had money. A company. A house. People who answered when I called."
His voice softened.
"But none of that mattered when I went home to an empty house."
Clare's eyes filled with tears.
"You changed that."
He took her hand.
"You and Lily gave me something I didn't know I was missing."
He lowered himself to one knee.
The diner went silent.
Even the waitress stopped moving.
Daniel looked up at Clare.
"Clare Bennett, will you let me spend the rest of my life earning another card that says this is our table?"
Clare laughed through her tears.
"Yes."
Lily screamed.
The entire diner erupted in applause.
Daniel slipped the ring onto Clare's finger.
Then Lily leaned toward the waitress.
"I told you she'd say yes."
Clare laughed.
"You planned this?"
"Obviously."
Daniel shook his head.
"I'm beginning to think I married the wrong person."
Lily gasped.
"You're not married yet!"
Everyone laughed.
But outside the window, a black sedan sat across the street.
Inside it, a man watched the celebration.
Then he lifted a phone.
"It's done."
A voice answered.
"Are you sure?"
The man looked toward Daniel.
"Yes."
May you like
He smiled.
"Daniel Mercer finally has something worth taking."
