Though part of me wanted to get out of here for the night, O’Malley’s was actually perfect. I just needed some help.
Come up around six.
To the bar?
Yep.
She sent back a confused face, which I laughed at but otherwise didn’t say anything. Then, closing down, I headed back to the inn where I found Pia arranging flowers at the check-in counter. Perfect.
“Can I have those?”
She looked at me like I was crazy. “Excuse me?”
“I know you always have fresh flowers around. I also need some candles. Any idea where I can get a bunch of them?”
Pia crossed her arms. “Can you please start from the beginning? You’re making no sense.”
I explained about O’Malley’s and told Pia my plan. “I don’t know if it’s a good idea or not. The last thing I want is to pressure Mae into staying to have her end up bored or regretting staying in Cedar Falls. On the other hand, I can’t let her go. Not without a fight. What do you think?”
Pia and I had bonded since she’d come to Heritage Hill. Mason’s wife was warm and funny, fitting right in with us from the start. It had taken a bit to crack the hardheaded ex-army guy she called her husband, but she did it. And now I needed her help.
“First of all, let Mae make her own decisions. If she wants to stay in Cedar Falls, she will. If she wants to move to Manhattan or France or wherever else, no one knows what’s best for Mae more than she does, even if she’s a little confused at the moment. You know I love you, Beck, but there’s nothing worse than a guy trying to ‘save’ a woman from a life she hasn’t even asked to be saved from. Let her choose. Got it?”
I’d expected Pia not to pull any punches, but… shit. I swallowed.
“Got it.”
“Second of all, as you’re so fond of saying, I’ve been hearing about how much you adore Mae since I got here last year. From you. From Mason. The guys. There’s a friggin’ rule just for you. She’s back. Sans a fiancé. And feels”—she cleared her throat—“more than just friendly feelings for you too. Obviously there’s chemistry between you two. Stop overthinking it.”
“I’m not,” I insisted. “I’m trying to think ofher.”
“And you’re doing it in the best way possible. By being the best version of yourself. You want her to choose Cedar Falls for herself, which is great. But you need to choose yourself because it’s who you want to be. Not just for Mae.”
“How the hell did you become so wise?”
Pia shrugged. “Therapy. Listening to people who know more than me. Which is why you need to listen to me now.”
I laughed. “And so humble too.”
She handed the just-finished flower arrangement to me. “Third of all, yes, you can have the flowers. We have a stash of candles in the second-floor storage room. Take as many as you need. But one thing… if you have to close down, is it safe for you to be in there?”
“It’s safe. The line’s shut off completely and tagged. No gas flowing in until the guy comes tomorrow.”
“What guy?”
Mason walked in, and for a second, it was as if Papa Bennett had come back to life. His stride. His stance. I would tell him later. No doubt, his father would be proud to see what he’d done with the inn. If Mason could go from NYPD to an attentive husband and innkeeper extraordinaire, anything was possible.
“Bar was shut down, fire department had to come out after Spence smelled gas. Was just a faulty valve but we’re shuttered until tomorrow morning when Nate Coops can come out.”
“That sucks. Welcome to our world.” He addressed Pia. “I was just in the Madeline room. You’re right, there’s a leak that’ll need to be looked at.”
“Parker around?” I asked, knowing he’d do it.
“I think he and Delaney went out to dinner. Speaking of, what are we doing?” he asked us both.
Pia looked at me.
“Not sure what you two are doing,” I said, “but I’m off to Bella Luna’s to grab some takeout after I raid your candle stash. Pia will explain.”
