Vanessa’s eyes widened. That wasn’t the story she’d been hoping to hear. “Oh no! Was it okay? Did it get damaged too badly?”
“Thankfully, no. Just some decorative pieces that came loose. Lincoln felt terrible about it and helped me put everything back together.” Imogen smiled. “He was really helpful, actually.”
“That was nice of him to help,” Vanessa said, proud of how innocent she sounded. “What was he doing at the shop? Just wanted to pick up another chocolate order?”
“Actually, he was there for the Secret Santa exchange,” Imogen said, and Vanessa had to bite her lip to keep from grinning. “It was a crazy coincidence—we ended up drawing each other’s names.”
“Really?” Vanessa forced herself to sound surprised, and her voice went a touch higher than she meant for it to. Imogen raised her eyebrows.
“I mean, the odds were against it, but I guess it’s notthatcrazy.”‘
“No, it’s pretty crazy,” Vanessa insisted. “I can’t believe it. What a coincidence, really.”
Imogen narrowed her eyes slightly, and Vanessa tried to dial it back. “Well, what did he get you? What did you gethim?”
“You’re really invested in this Secret Santa,” Imogen said with a laugh, and Vanessa realized she might need to dial it back a little more. “It was really sweet, actually.”
The waiter chose that moment to show up with their food. Vanessa tried to hide her impatience as he set down her grilled chicken salad with winter pears and Imogen’s venison burger and fries, assuring him they had everything they needed as she tried not to bounce in her seat. All she wanted was more details. Surely the gift exchange had sparked something romantic. Surely Lincoln’s thoughtful present had reminded Imogen of all the reasons she’d been attracted to him in high school. Surely they were now planning their first official date in fifteen years.
“Well?” Vanessa prodded, and Imogen smiled.
“He gave me this gorgeous music box with a carousel inside, that’s also a jewelry box,” Imogen said, her expression softening. “He found it in an antique shop. It’s exactly like one I told him I wanted when we were in high school. One of those things I always dreamed about owning but never did.”
Perfect.Vanessa felt her heart skip with excitement. Lincoln had remembered something that personal and detailed? That was exactly the kind of romantic gesture that should have rekindled old feelings.
“That sounds incredibly thoughtful,” she said encouragingly. “What did you give him?”
“Ugg boots,” Imogen replied with a laugh. “He used to joke about wanting a pair all through senior year. He was obsessed with them.”
“Oh my goodness,” Vanessa said, her excitement growing as she felt sure that Imogen was going to tell her very shortly that she and Lincoln had decided to start trying to date again. “You both remembered specific things about each other from high school. That’s so sweet and meaningful.”
“It was,” Imogen agreed. “It was really special to realize that we’d both paid attention to those kinds of details about each other all those years ago and still remembered them. I’m glad I ended up doing the exchange.”
Vanessa waited again, expecting Imogen to continue with something like: “and then we realized we were still perfect for each other” or “and that’s when we decided to go to dinner together.” But instead, Imogen simply reached for her water glass and changed the subject to ask about how Mabel was handling the business at the Christmas tree farm.
Vanessa tried to hide her impatience, filling Imogen in on George’s illness and the farm and the toy shop. Imogen listened, both of them enjoying their lunches. She talked about the chocolate project and everything she needed to have ready for theSweet Confectionsphotoshoot. By the time their checks came, Lincoln and the gift exchange hadn’t come up again.
It was clear by the time they paid and were ready to go that despite how meaningful the gifts had turned out to be, Lincoln and Imogen had not spontaneously fallen into each other’s arms and declared their undying love. In fact, from everything Imogen was saying, it sounded like they’d treated thing as a sweet moment between friends rather than a romantic moment straight out of a movie.
That didn’t mean they were going to give up, Vanessa decided firmly as she and Imogen said their goodbyes and she headed back home. Clearly, her and Mabel’s matchmaking efforts were going to require more patience and effort than they’d originally anticipated. Lincoln and Imogen were both clearly meant for each other—their gift choices proved that—but they seemed determined to maintain the safety of a friendship rather than venturing into the unknown of trying to rekindle a romance.
But they were obviously perfect for each other, and Vanessa’s mind spun with possible schemes. Instead of heading back home, she decided to go to George’s, where she knew Mabel would be, to go over what they could possibly do next about uniting Lincoln and Imogen.
If they weren’t going to move forward on their own, it was clear more meddling was necessary. She knew Mabel would agree.
To her surprise, she found George and Mabel both downstairs in his living room, with George dressed in jeans and a sweater, sitting by the fire and looking more lively than he had in days. “You look much better,” Vanessa said happily as she came in and sat down, glad to see the improvement in his condition.
“I’m feeling much better,” George replied, his voice stronger. “Still tired, but more like normal tired than sick tired, if that makes sense.”
“It makes perfect sense,” Vanessa assured him. “And Mabel, you look more rested too.”
“I actually got eight hours of sleep last night,” Mabel said with a smile. “I didn’t realize how much I needed it until I woke up feeling like a human being again.”
“Well, now that you’re both feeling more like yourselves,” Vanessa said, settling back in her chair, “I have news about our matchmaking project.”
Mabel immediately perked up. “How did the gift exchange go?”
Vanessa explained everything, and she saw Mabel’s eyes brighten at the explanation of the gifts, then immediately dim again when she explained that they’d apparently just taken it as evidence of what good friends they were.
