Noel chuckled. “You give me too much credit.”
Hunter had to get back to work, and Kevin had some errands to run, so they said their goodbyes. We finished our doughnuts, then hopped into the car to drive over to Riverton.
We had a whole list of items we needed for our upcoming events at the farm, and it was best to grab them on a day the farm was closed. I drove us to a party store, where we could buy extra decorations, ornament sets for the tree-decorating contest, and more lights for the dinner party.
Next, we stopped by a bed, bath, and supply store, where Noel spentforeversorting through table runners, china, lanterns, vases, candles, and other materials for table centerpieces. When I grumbled about how he was spending too much on this, he just shrugged. “We want their night to be perfect, Hop. Besides, you heard Miles. Maybe the farm will host events again in the future.”
My heart missed a beat. “But you’ll be gone. Won’t you?”
He sent me a small smile. “So, you’ll hire in caterers. You don’t need me.”
I wanted to disagree. More and more, Ididneed him. The idea of carrying on without him ached like a wound in my chest.
“It wouldn’t be the same,” I said gruffly.
“No,” he agreed. “I know.”
Noel finally made his purchases, and we stopped by the larger hardware store to pick up some lumber.
“What do we need this for?” Noel asked.
“Just some signs I’m thinking of making for the scavenger hunt,” I lied.
I had another project in mind, but I didn’t want to share it just yet.
By the time we’d finished our shopping, it was three in the afternoon—and my stomach growled loudly. We’d had doughnuts at ten, and we’d skipped lunch. We could go back to the farmhouse and reheat some of the delicious leftovers from Noel’s menu planning, or…
“How would you feel about going out to eat?” I asked.
He looked surprised. “Oh. Do you want to?”
I shrugged. “You’ve done a lot of cooking for everyone since you got here. Let me feed you for a change.”
His lips spread into a pleased smile. “That might be nice.”
CHAPTER 19
NOEL
Hopper triedto take me to the fanciest restaurant in Riverton. When I saw the sign for the Silver Spoon, I shook my head with a laugh. “Please, god, no more gourmet cuisine. I’ve been eating nothing but my dinner party creations, and I’m sick of it!”
“Okay.” He drove past the restaurant and hooked a right onto the main drag through town. “What do you want instead? There’s a new Indian place, but it’s drive-thru only. I think there’s a small Thai spot over by the college, or…”
“I want something with grease,” I said, mouth watering at the prospect. “Something fried.”
“But you’re a chef,” he said, appalled. “Isn’t your palate supposed to be all refined and shit?”
I laughed. “I’m still human, and there’s a reason these places are so popular. It’s comfort food, you know? Fine dining is my work. I want torelaxwith a burger.”
Hopper nodded. “I know the perfect place.”
Riverton’s downtown was dressed for Christmas. The city had strung garland between streetlights, creating a canopy we drove beneath. It wasn’t dark yet, but I could see strings of lights festooning the rooflines of the shops.
We passed a bar I didn’t recognize with a sandwich board outside that read,Festive Football Season!The antique toy shop beside it had a silvery retro Christmas tree displayed in its windows, with one of those Christmas tree trains running around the tracks beneath it. We passed three more stores before I spotted Sauced, a pizza parlor that had been around in my day. I’d hardly ever gone there, because I wasn’t sportsyorpopular, but it was reassuring to see something familiar.
“This town has changed so much since we were in high school,” I said. “The Hungry Goat is gone?”
“Yeah, the owner died, and his children didn’t want to run it.”
