“I’m so excited to see Marie’s open tonight. It’s going to be packed.”
He nodded. “I wish my parents could see it.”
I snaked one arm behind him and the other arm across his stomach before giving him a big hug. “Me too,” I murmured. “I hope they would have liked it.”
“They would have loved it.”
The past couple of days had been perfect. There was nothing better than that magical feeling at the beginning of a relationship when you couldn’t get enough of each other.
I had already decided there was no way I could leave this. Leave him. But I didn’t want to tell him that. I was still nervous about scaring him off. It seemed like it was going amazing right now, but what if he was fully planning on just saying our goodbyes whenever I left for Florida? He hadn’t so much as mentioned the topic of my imminent departure. I tried not to overthink it, but if he cared, shouldn’t he be more concerned that I was supposed to be leaving?
I shook the intrusive thoughts from my mind. I wasn’t giving him the option to get rid of me. Once I told Mike about Marie’s opening and the lodge being sold out for December, he agreed it made sense to keep me on for now. When he asked when I’d be ready to come back to Florida, I told him I wasn’t sure I wanted to. He wasn’t pleased to hear that, but I guess the PM department had been running relatively smoothly in my absence, so he didn’t have too much to fight me on.
Giles rested his chin on the top of my head. Guilt washed over me again. I should have mentioned all this to him, but I was too worried that he would talk me out of it. To me, this felt like an epic love story. What if, to him, this was just some seasonal romance?
“We’re here.” He squeezed my shoulders as we arrived at the lodge. Giles jumped out of the carriage and came around to my side to help me out. I was less than graceful with my crutches, but he managed to make helping me look effortless.
Instead of coming through the main entrance to the lodge, we arrived through the back parking lot that was adjoined to the street that led to the ski hill. This would be the main entrance to Marie’s. A sign now hung above the doors.
“It looks great.” Giles ruffled my hair, and my chest swelled with pride at his approval.
As soon as we opened the door, we were met with warmth, loud conversation, and delicious smells. The place was already packed with a boisterous crowd.
“Giles. Mattie. Over here!” Johnny shouted from across the room. He was supposed to be the informal host for the evening, and it appeared he was taking the informal aspect of his job extra seriously.
Bev was already seated at our table. Erin was standing next to her in an apron.
“Mattie.” She greeted me with a hug that I tried my best to return around my crutches.
“Hey, how’s everything going?”
“So far, so good. I’ve got everything prepped and ready to go.”
“Do you need help with any—”
“Shhh,” Erin cooed. “You just sit and relax. You’ve done enough.”
Giles pulled out a chair for me and helped me sit down before taking my crutches. Beaming, I looked around at the finished lounge. The artwork popped against the dark walls, and the chairs and tables looked great, especially the long one we had thrifted that took center stage. Even the neon sign behind the bar was the perfect touch. There was a small crowd of twenty-something girls taking turns posing for a picture underneath it.
“It looks perfect in here,” I gushed.
“Doesn’t it?” Erin said. “The whole town is buzzing about it.”
Bev nodded. “It’s great to see this place alive again.” Then she turned her attention to Giles and me. “So, did you two come together?”
I blushed at her forwardness, but Giles waved her off. “Don’t give Mattie a hard time.”
“Come on, spill,” Erin said.
I smirked and looked to Giles, who was now shifting in his seat. “It’s none of your business, but yes, we did come together. And you all know that, so I don’t know why you’re insisting on making a spectacle of it.”
He placed an arm around my chair as if claiming me, and I smiled at the whole group. “Did he tell you about the surprise he planned for me today? It was so cute.” I told them about the horse-drawn carriage as Giles continued to look uncomfortable. I could tell he was pleased with the praise, though. The corner of his mouth tugged up, and he kept squeezing my shoulder.
“Alright, it’s almost time for food. Johnny, let’s help with the plates.” They both shuffled off to the kitchen, and just minutes later, plates of delicious appetizers were set on the tables. I dug in without apprehension. Looking around, I realized how at home I felt at this moment.
* * *
Hours later,Marie’s started to empty out after everyone was completely satiated and content. I gave Johnny and Erin a hug as they headed home for the evening. Giles and I were some of the only people left, aside from a few stray guests lingering at their tables.
