It hadn't occurred to Madelyn, that at the age of 34, possessing an advanced degree, married, divorced, successfully employed in the professional career of her choosing, that she would ever again be a participant in the walk of shame. Still, here she was, clad in an oversized t-shirt belonging to Harry, last night's jeans (sans underwear), her hair damp from their shower. At least Harry was with her, holding hands, creeping through the stillness of Etta's, hoping no one else was around to witness.

The deep rumble of a clearing throat and a soft chuckle told them they were not, in fact, alone. Murphy and Becca were seated at one of the long, center tables with takeaway pastries and paper coffee cups. Spread before them were open files, documents strewn about.

"Morning, you two!" bellowed Murphy.

"Yes, it seems to be a very good morning," added Becca.

Madelyn stifled a shriek of surprise.

"Shit! You scared us to death! It's so quiet in here, I thought the place was empty."

Becca smirked, blue eyes twinkling, "Well, it's all quiet now. Not so much earlier."

"I really need to look into some soundproofing for that apartment," Murphy raised his brows at Harry.

Madelyn blanched, closing her eyes momentarily and burying her face slightly behind Harry's arm. "Oh my God," she whispered. "This is not happening."

"Come on, come sit down for a few minutes." Murphy was using his hand to motion them over. "We'll play nice."

Harry laughed, "You okay?" he nuzzled into her hair, slipping his fingers from hers and placing his hand at the back of her waist. Madelyn nodded, though a blush was evident across her cheeks.

Becca and Murphy slid their neighboring chairs out simultaneously and soon the men were facing the women over the table. Harry recognized the jumble of paperwork in front of him as the business plan that he, Murphy and Becca had worked on when it was decided that he would be joining them as a partner in Etta's and the upcoming expansion.

"Alright, both of you, all kidding aside, what's going on?" Harry asked.

Murphy wasted no time in explaining that the owner of a property they had expressed an interest in, had contacted him early that morning. The man wanted to give them first crack at his newly reduced price. He chose to make the offer to them first as he appreciated the way they operated; he had explained that of all the interested parties, he thought they would be the most likely to enhance the neighborhood. Etta's downtown location pulled in a healthy number of college students and staff, but this piece of real estate was directly across the street from campus. The foot traffic alone would be astronomical. Etta's would be good for the location; the location would be good for Etta's.

"Harry," Murphy spoke directly to him, his shoulders hunched, bearing the weight of his upper body on his forearms, "if we go through with your plan to bring in locally brewed beer on tap, we could turn a profit in the first year in that location. We would have to be diligent in our responsibility to serve only patrons that were of age. I don't want to be that place that lets minors slide; there's a responsibility to keep the kids safe. But there is no place else near campus or the surrounding residential area that is providing table service with alcohol on the menu."

Mimicking Murphy's body language, Harry looked to Madelyn over the table, then drew a solid breath. "If we kept it clean, ran a tight ship, say only trained servers handled the booze, it could be done safely. Maybe keep the same hours we have here, you know, so we're staying in line with being a restaurant, not a bar."

Murphy and Becca nodded in unison and a knowing look passed between them.

Becca cleared her throat before speaking. "Based on the conversations we had last night, I'm assuming it is acceptable to discuss your partnership with us in present company, yes?"

Harry tilted his head in the affirmative. "Madelyn knows about my plans and that I am buying into the partnership when I'm done with my master's in April. She knows everything about my involvement."

"Harry, this is private business. I should wait for you in the car." Madelyn began to slide her chair back, but Harry halted her movements when he grasped her hand under his.

"Sit, please. I want you to stay. Business is your strong suit. Well, one of them," he winked. "Go ahead, Becca. What's on your mind?"

"Okay, the current owner wants out from underneath the property immediately. Some kind of personal situation is forcing him to relocate and he doesn't want to leave the place on the market with an agent. I suspect he also needs the cash." Murphy pushed a sheet of paper with a column of numbers toward Harry.  "He reduced the initial asking price by 20%, if we are willing to come in with cash, he will take it down to 30%. He will wait for a building inspection and lawyers, but he doesn't want to sit in escrow. We have 24 hours to make a decision. After that, he goes to the next person that expressed an interest."

"We think it's a superb offer, Harry. The guy isn't worried about the inspection because he just had the place renovated." Murphy went on to explain to Madelyn that although the building was once a large residence, the area was now zoned commercial/residential and the entire main level and the basement had been worked over to accommodate a restaurant and storage; the upper level was laid out as a two-bedroom apartment.

"It sounds great, what's the catch?" Harry glanced between Murphy and Becca.

"Cash," Madelyn spoke up plainly.

Murphy nodded. "She's right. Money is the catch, specifically, cash. If we want this property at this price, we have to pay cash upfront and we don't have it without you, Harry. I know we said we would wait; we all agreed that you should finish classes before we took on the full expansion, but this offer... we won't get a better one."

"We considered taking a pass," Becca explained, "but whether we have signed the contracts or not, you have been in this partnership for the better part of a year, Harry. It is only fair that you take part in this decision. If you want to wait, we will understand. It is a huge step, after all. On the other hand, we would only be pushing things ahead by three months if we make our move now. Murphy and I will do all we can to keep your time obligation where it is right now. We don't want to get in the way of you finishing school."

It was a lot to absorb and Harry's head was spinning. Yes, they were only speeding up the inevitable; a plan which had been in place for months. Papers had been drawn up, lawyers had cleared the transaction as safe and beneficial for both parties, he had the money sitting in the bank, waiting, and they wouldn't get another shot at a property so perfect again. But... his academic pursuits were peaking, he was putting in more than part-time hours at Etta's already, and now he had Madelyn and a commitment to her to consider.

He twined his fingers through hers atop the table.

"We have 24 hours to make a decision?"

Becca answered, "Yes. He wants an answer by 9:00am tomorrow morning."

"It's okay to say 'no,' Harry. We would understand, and nothing would change. We can continue looking at other places."

He trusted them. They were good people, solid and honest. As business models went, Etta's was impeccable. Murphy and Becca put heart and fairness into practice. In a climate that had most businesses scrambling to make cuts and overwork employees for less than equitable wages, these people were taking care of their workers and their community. They had soul. Harry wanted to be a part of it. He also wanted to do it correctly.

"I'm not saying 'no,' but one of the things I've been taught is that if you are allowed time to think things through before making decisions in business, take it. I'd like to have the rest of the day. Can I call you tonight by 8:00 with my answer?"

"Of course, Harry. Let us know this evening and Murph can call the guy first thing in the morning." Becca smiled sweetly and reached out to pat the top of his hand that wasn't holding Madelyn's.

They said their goodbyes and left through the front door just as the early shift employees were making their way in. Harry had his arm loosely over Madelyn's shoulders as they stood aside to allow a cluster of three young women to enter. He felt her stand taller and stiffen beneath his embrace. Following her line of vision, Harry saw what, or rather who had caused her to bristle. Katelyn, the server who had ignited Madelyn's temper the previous evening had come to a halt and was staring her down, eyes lingering on the shirt that clearly belonged to Harry.

"Ladies, Katelyn, I think you've met my girlfriend. Madelyn, this is Alyssa, Kari and of course, Katelyn," he nodded to each, in turn, his arm never leaving Madelyn unprotected.

"Hi, Harry," chorussed two of the three.

Drawing Madelyn in more tightly, he spoke loud enough that he was certain Katelyn could hear, "Come on baby, let's get you home, we have a busy day and I want some time alone with you."

Madelyn could not stifle a small giggle as she allowed Harry to direct her out the door and toward his Jeep. She wondered if Katelyn had managed to pick her jaw up off of the floor yet.

Halting him momentarily on the sidewalk, Madelyn stood on her tiptoes and brushed a kiss over his lips.

"Well played, Styles. Well played."