I stood in the doorway of the kitchen, taking another moment to appreciate how in love my parents were, even after all these years.
My dad looked up, a warm smile on his face as he saw me. “There’s our Lily bear.” The nickname brought a wave of nostalgia. I loved the nickname growing up but then found it childish in high school. It was only recently that I found myself not minding it too much. “You’re the first one here.”
My mom walked over and pulled me into a hug.
“As usual,” I chimed happily to my dad. “And it smells amazing in here, Dad. Pot roast tonight?” I guessed.
“You got it. With homemade sourdough.”
My mouth watered. “Well, wecouldstart dinner early,” I teased, causing my dad to chuckle. I peeked into the dining area and saw the table hadn’t been set yet. “I’ll help with setting the table. Who’s showing up tonight?”
My parents liked to host dinners regularly for whoever was available that night. Whenever the weather was nice, like over the summer, my dad grilled and we’d eat outside. Every other time we ate family-style in the dining room. These were some of my favorite nights, because nearly everyone in my close circle was together. The only person missing lately had been my older sister Jade, who was in Hawaii for work as a travel nurse. Wetried to FaceTime her in when her schedule matched up, but in the past couple of months, it had been less and less.
My mom tilted her head to the side, listing on her fingers who all was coming. “Wes, Jules, Cooper, Eliza.” She paused. “Hal has poker, so he won’t be here tonight. And I can’t remember if Marnie has her knitting club or not. So, let’s set the table for eight, and if Marnie isn’t here, we can take that place away. Here, I’ll fill the waters while you set the table.” My mom grabbed the pitcher before we both walked over to the dining area.
I got my love of Christmas and decorating from both my parents but especially my mom. Most of the decorations I had in my apartment were from her, since she had saved so many over the years. This year, my mom was going with a simple white, silver, and red theme but still had decorations in nearly every corner of the house. Various snowmen, Santas, reindeer, ribbon, and garland. It was impossible to escape—and I loved it.
Mom picked up the first water glass. “How did your meeting with Hal go, by the way?”
I let out a heavy sigh, grabbing the plates and carefully setting each one. “It was…something,” I said. “Hal wants to sell, but he needs time before he makes his final decision. It’s between me and Gabriel, so I have a decent chance, but Hal has someconditionsin place.”
I proceeded to tell my mom about Hal’s concerns about selling the building outright to me and his conditions for both me and Gabriel, including working in the café and completing my winter wish list together.
“That sounds like Hal.” My mom shook her head with a gentle laugh. “He’s always up to something, but he sees things others in town miss.”
“I just…I don’t want him to think Ican’tdo it.”
My mom shook her head. “I don’t think it’s that. He knows how capable you are, and he has never doubted you. Not for asecond. I know it might not feel like it now, but it’s also a push to get you thinking about how to continue your business. You can’t do it all, right? And the last thing I want is for you to get burned out. I mean, I think about your dad and me running Lake Ridge. It wasa lotat times, and it was the two of us plus a small staff. You’re running Purrfect Blend on your own. You’ve wanted to hire help so you can focus on other things. Hopefully, having Gabriel around will help you with that.”
I nodded in agreement. “That’s what Eliza and Jules were saying, too, and that’s how I’m trying to see it. I’m trying to think of it as setting me up for my future plans instead of an obstacle.” I sighed heavily. “I wish I didn’t have to be around Gabriel to do it,” I muttered.
My mom’s eyes softened, and she reached over to gently squeeze my arm. “It’s not easy. I completely understand that. But…see how things go. See if you can give him a chance.”
Stubbornly, I shook my head, grabbing the silverware and setting the forks and knives on the table a little more forcefully than I should’ve. “I don’t want to give him a chance, Mom. The articles about Nelson Group, all their projects, that’s not what Golden Falls is about. Yes, I’ll admit I don’treallyknow why he wants the building, but all the signs point to him wanting it for some sort of luxury project. A project that wouldn’t have space for my café or Eliza’s yoga studio or the apartments. This is his first time in town. He didn’t even come back for Vera’s funeral.” I shook my head again, frustration bubbling inside me. “That’s not someone I want to give a chance to or get to know.”
Something I always appreciated about my mom—both my parents, really—was how well she listened. She let me speak, voice my feelings and frustrations, and saw what I needed. And always managed to drop some sage advice…even if I didn’t want it in the moment.
“Oftentimes, there’s more to the story, and more than one thing can be true. Keep that in mind, Lily.”
A pang of guilt twisted in my stomach, heavy and unsettling, because I knew my mom was right. Multiple things could be true, and I didn’treallyknow Gabriel. I thought I did…and it was easier to dislike him when I didn’t know much about him. “Right.” I gulped. “I’ll, yeah, I’ll keep that in mind.”
She finished filling the final water glass and came over to where I was standing on the other side of the table. She pulled me into another hug. “You’ll figure it out, Lily. I know you will.”
Christmas music played softly through the speakers my parents had in the kitchen and living room. Apart from the music, there was a comfortable silence, reminding me how much I enjoyed being around my parents, even if we weren’t talking about something.
That silence didn’t last for long, though, because right at six thirty, the door opened and everyone came barreling in within a few minutes. Laughter and conversation (and a little bit of bickering) filled the house. I made my way toward the front door, seeing Eliza, Cooper, and Marnie entering, with Wes and Jules not far behind them.
“Cooper, I told you I could drive Gran,” Eliza huffed to her older brother while sharply pulling her coat zipper down.
“And I told you her house was on my way, which is why I picked her up,” Cooper, who sounded equally annoyed, responded.
When Eliza’s eyes met mine, I offered her a sympathetic smile. She dramatically rolled her eyes—silently sayingCan you believe him?—before smiling at me in return. With how long we’d known each other, communicating without words was second nature.
“But that was after?—”
“Eliza, I saved you time. This shouldn’t?—”
“Will you two stop it?” Marnie cut in, which had both Eliza and Cooper shutting their mouths. “Had I known this would cause this big of an issue, I would’ve walked the four miles and met you both here.”
