Mabel’s heart sank. Of course Imogen would question everything now. Of course she would wonder whether Lincoln’s apparent interest was real or manufactured. “Oh, honey,” she said softly, “Lincoln had no idea about any of our planning. None whatsoever. He was just as surprised by everything as you were.”
“Are you sure about that?” Imogen asked, biting her lip, and Mabel rushed to try to patch things up further.
“Absolutely certain,” Mabel assured her. “In fact, he didn’t believe the sleigh ride story at all. He thought the whole thing sounded fishy from the beginning.”
Imogen’s expression softened slightly, but she still looked on edge.
“And,” Mabel continued, feeling as if things were turning around, “even if we did orchestrate the circumstances, we couldn’t orchestrate his reactions. We couldn’t force the conversation you two had last night—Henry said he could hear you both laughing from a hundred yards away when he was walking up to rescue you.”
“Henry was eavesdropping on us?” Imogen asked, looking mortified.
“Not intentionally,” Mabel said quickly. “He just said it was clear that you were both having a wonderful time, even being lost in the middle of nowhere.”
George cleared his throat gently. “Perhaps we should pay for our fudge and let Imogen get back to her work,” he suggested diplomatically.
Mabel flushed. “Of course,” she said quickly, although every fiber of her being wanted to continue the conversation until she was absolutely sure that her matchmaking hadn’t backfired completely.
They paid, waving goodbye to Imogen, even though Mabel wanted to stay and keep working things out. But George was right, she supposed… it would take time for Imogen to think about it and come around.
By the time they reached George’s house, Mabel was thoroughly dejected. She helped George get settled, fussing more than he probably needed at that point, then retreated tothe kitchen to start on lunch while her mind continued to spiral through worst-case scenarios.
What if Imogen decided that she couldn’t trust anything that had happened between her and Lincoln? What if Lincoln found out about the matchmaking and felt manipulated and embarrassed? What if they both felt so awkward that it not only ruined the budding romance, but also their friendship?
Mabel chopped vegetables furiously, her anxiety spiraling until the phone rang and made her nearly jump out of her skin. She wiped her hands on her jeans and answered, relieved to hear Vanessa’s voice on the other end.
“Mabel! I’ve been dying to call you all day. How did the sleigh ride go? Katie came home last night absolutely glowing about the horses and telling Jackson all about how romantic her mother looked sitting in the sleigh with Lincoln. Did it go well?”
Mabel felt her stomach clench with fresh anxiety. “Well…” she started weakly, sinking into a kitchen chair.
“What’s wrong?” Vanessa’s tone went from excitement to concern. “Did something go wrong? Did they not have a good time?”
“No, no, they had a wonderful time,” Mabel assured her quickly. “At least, I think they did. They got lost for a while, but Henry found them, and from what I could gather, they had some good conversations and really enjoyed each other’s company. I think they really reconnected.”
“That’s fantastic!” Vanessa exclaimed. “So what’s the problem?”
Mabel took a deep breath. “I told Imogen about our matchmaking. By accident.”
There was silence on the other end of the line.
“You what?” Vanessa finally said, sounding alarmed.
“I accidentally told her that we’d been orchestrating everything,” Mabel said miserably. “George and I went to buysome fudge this afternoon, and I got so excited talking about how well everything was working that I just blurted it out.”
“Oh, no,” Vanessa exclaimed. “What did she say?”
“She was very polite about it,” Mabel said. “She said she understood that we meant well, and she didn’t seem angry exactly. But she looked hurt and confused, and I could tell she was starting to question everything that happened last night.”
“This is a disaster,” Vanessa said worriedly. “What are we going to do?”
“I don’t know,” Mabel admitted. “George thinks we should just step back and let them figure it out for themselves. He says if their feelings are genuine, they’ll work through this.”
“And what do you think?”
Mabel considered, staring out the kitchen window at the snow that had begun falling again. “I think I’ve done enough damage for one day. Maybe George is right. Maybe the best thing we can do now is give them space to sort through their feelings without any more interference from us.”
“That’s probably wise,” Vanessa agreed reluctantly. “Although it’s going to be torture not knowing what’s happening between them.”
They talked for a few more minutes about Vanessa’s evening watching Katie, and George’s health. By the time Mabel got off of the phone, she wasn’t feeling much better about the entire debacle.
