A.N. Hey everyone! What a finale! Sad to hear that it may not return until next January. That's in so long! I need my zade fix! Anyway, I'll try an update this story and keep it going for however long this hiatus may be. I'm not sure how many more chapters to go for this story, I still see a lot of potential for it though. This finale just brought back that zade spark that has inspired me to want to write so much more zade. If anything, know this, once this story ends, I will definitely have another zade fic up and running because these two are just so great together. It's gonna be sad to say goodbye to them. But until then, I hope you enjoy the rest of my story.
What happened to
The plans we made
And that contagious smile upon your face?
It's all begun to fade
You used to be
So careful with me
Making sure that we would always be
Each others' missing piece
Well, we can still save
These tattered pages
What do you say we
Start over baby?
This is our chance
And you're all I have
Don't let me slip through your hands
You know I miss you, you know I wish you
Missed me too, baby, tell me you do
After Zoe had finished finalizing the guest list, she went back to the practice while Wade headed back to the Rammer Jammer for another shift. As Wade was about to enter the Rammer Jammer, he noticed the sign and took a step back. He immediately went inside and found Wanda.
"Has that sign always been there or am I hallucinatin?" he asked
Wanda looked at him confused and then realized what sign he was referring to,
"Oh, you mean the 'for sale' sign? That went up about an hour and a half ago," she answered with a smile as she went back towards the kitchen
Wade couldn't help but form a smile. He had always wanted his very own Rammer Jammer and now the actual Rammer Jammer could be his. He knew he would have to discuss this with Zoe and so sent her text message that he wanted to talk.
Meanwhile, Zoe was tending to her future father in law otherwise known as Crazy Earl.
"Rose tells me you're here for a physical?" she asked once she walked in after responding to Wade's message
"I am," Earl grinned
"Is there something going on, Earl? Most physicals aren't voluntary and I rarely get people grinning," Zoe asked
"You're good, doc," Earl's grin grew wider, "It just so happens that I'm in love"
It was now Zoe's turn to smile,
"In love? With who?" she asked
"Mae Ellen," he answered
"Mae Ellen Waterloo? The health inspector?" she smiled
"She's the one," he answered, "I've been five weeks sober yet I still ain't got the courage to introduce myself"
"You haven't drank in five weeks? Earl, that's amazing," Zoe grinned, "And don't worry about asking her out. I can totally help you with that" she finished
As Zoe helped out Earl, Wade ran into Wally Maynard who was fixing his sign at the Rammer Jammer.
"Mr. Maynard, just the person I wanted to see," Wade said as he helped him with the sign
"Hi, Wade," he greeted, "Let me guess, you want to talk to me about buying the Rammer Jammer?" he asked
"I'm only thinking about it now, but yeah," Wade replied
"Well, I can tell you right now that I think you'd do a great job with this place. You've been one of the finest bartenders to ever work at the Rammer Jammer," he said as Wade smiled, "My only problem is the money. I'm selling this place for roughly five thousand dollars. It's probably worth a bit more, but I just ain't got time to upkeep this place anymore. If you have the money, it's yours," he finished
Wade nodded as Wally headed back out the Rammer Jammer. Wade knew he couldn't ask Zoe for that kind of money, with the wedding coming up and with the fallout with Michael, he knew five thousand dollars was too much at this point. Before he could think about it any further, Zoe walked in.
"What are you doin here, babe?" he asked when he saw her
"If you must know, I was just helping out your dad," she admitted
Wade looked at her confused,
"With what exactly?" he asked
"He's got a date with Mae Ellen Waterloo," she stated
"What? No, Zoe that's a bad idea," Wade began
"No, just listen. He's really excited about this. He's even stopped drinking," she explained
"That happens five times a week, Zoe. Cause see that's what he does. He gets excited about something, excited turns to nervous, nervous turns to a bottle of beer. It's the Earl Kinsella cycle of life," he explained
"This is different. Believe me," Zoe finished before changing the subject, "Anyway, what was it that you wanted to talk to me about?"
Wade hesitated, unsure of how to bring up the topic
"I'm not sure this is exactly the place to talk about it," he admitted
"Oh OK," she said, "We'll talk tonight then"
As the hours passed, a familiar face passed through the Rammer Jammer.
"Lemon Breeland, what can I get for you?" Wade asked
"Wade, am I seein things or does that say that the Rammer Jammer is for sale?" Lemon asked
"Why yes it does, Lemon," he answered as he began to pour her a glass
"You know, I think this gives me an idea. Or maybe the perfect distraction," she began
"Distraction from what?" he asked
Lemon sighed
"Peter and I ended things last night" she answered
"Sorry to hear that. Should I make it a double?" he asked
She nodded as she explained,
"It was a mutual agreement. Though now I'm not sure I made the right decision"
"Listen, if Peter's the guy for you. He'll come back," Wade comforted
Lemon smiled as she grabbed her glass and took a gulp
"In the meantime, I've got the perfect distraction. I'm going to buy the Rammer Jammer," she stated
Wade looked at her as his heart sank. He knew Lemon would be able to come up with the money, meaning he would be left empty handed once again.
Once he arrived home, he found Zoe in his bed reading a book.
"Hey," she smiled
"Hey," he smiled back as he lay next to her and kissed her
Before they got too far, Zoe pushed him away
"We can't. Remember our deal?" she said
He sighed,
"I won't tell if you don't."
"It's only a few more weeks," she stated, "Besides, you wanted to talk to me about something?"
He closed his eyes for a few seconds,
"It's nothing," he stated
"Did it have something to do with the Rammer Jammer being on sale?" she asked
He looked at her, startled as she continued
"I saw it on my way out. Why didn't you just tell me?"
"I don't have the money, Zoe," he admitted
"Well, I did keep a few thousand from Michael and I can make some sacrifices-"
"No, Zoe. That's your money. You earned it. I can't ask you for it, I won't take it," he said
"Wade, we're getting married. It's our money. And don't think of it as taking my money, think of it as borrowing," she explained
"I thought you wanted to start lookin into buyin a house. We're gonna need that money, Zoe," he admitted
"Then we can hold off on buying a house," she reasoned
Wade sighed,
"If we do that, we won't ever move out," he stated
"Wade, I know how important owning a business it to you. I know how important the Rammer Jammer is to you. We can make it work," she comforted
"Zoe, I ain't takin your money. If I screw up at the Rammer Jammer then we won't have anything," he admitted
"It's a risk, I get that. But what I don't get is why you don't believe me when I say that I know you can do it. You keep finding excuses to not want to do this," she explained
"Because I've failed every time, Zoe," he stated, "I'm still the bartender while everyone else has got a long list of skills and knowledge."
"Is that what this is about, Wade?"
Wade didn't want to bring this up, but he knew it had to be brought up sooner or later
"I'm just tired of being the bartender, alright? At the rate I'm goin that's all I'll be. And I think you deserve better than that, Zoe" he admitted
Zoe didn't know what to say. She knew Wade had dreams of being more than a bartender, but she could see in his eyes how scared he was of never following through on his dreams. It made her quite sad because to her, he would never be just a bartender. He was way more than that and she knew the only real way to make him believe that is by helping him achieve his dream.
"You are more than just a bartender, Wade. But I know what it's like to have a dream so I'll let you figure it out on your own. I just hope that you know I'm here if you need help," she said as she kissed him softly on his cheek and left back to her room.
Wade knew Zoe wasn't angry with him because she wasn't. She was just sad that he didn't want her help financially when she was willing to give it to him. She just needed some space for the night. Meanwhile, Wade couldn't sleep that night. He missed having Zoe sleep next to him. But he couldn't take the money that they were going to use to build a life together. He would find another way, he just hoped he could beat Lemon to it.
The following morning, Wade and Zoe ran into each other in Lavon's kitchen.
"Morning," Zoe smiled, softly as she greeted Wade
"Morning," Wade greeted back, "Listen, about last night. I'm sorry, Zoe"
"I'm not mad, Wade. I understand this is something I can't help you with," she formed a small smile as she continued, "But to be clear, just because I can't help you, doesn't mean I won't be there to support you"
Wade smiled,
"Thank you," he said as they kissed
A few hours later, Wade ran into Lemon.
"Wade, sweetheart," she greeted with a mischievous smile
Wade looked at her, nervous
"It sounds like there's a favor attached to that sweetheart," he said
"Oh don't be silly. This is good news," she said as he looked at her questionably as she continued, "Well, not entirely good news for me, but good for you…I have a proposition for you. It seems that daddy is unwilling to give me all the money to buy this place and as you and I both know how long you've worked here, I only think it's smart to go into business with someone of your…experience."
"So, what you're askin me for is twenty five hundred dollars so we can be business partners?" he asked for clarification
Lemon took a moment and nodded as Wade pondered her proposition for a few moments.
"You've got yourself a deal, lady," he said handing out his hand
Lemon and Wade shared a firm handshake confirming their partnership. The only problem was that Wade would have to come up with $2500 and soon.