As soon as the words left my mouth, I regretted them immediately. Because the hurt that flashed over her expression looked genuine—and I hated that I sounded exactly like my bastard father.
“Lily, I didn’t—” I tried to pivot from what happened, but it was too late.
Now, it was her turn to cut me off. “No, you’re right.” She pushed off the counter, any emotion on her face gone. “Let’s not pretend.” With that, Lily turned and walked away.
I stared at the space she’d been standing long after she’d left, replaying the conversation in my head and how it would’ve been better if I saidliterallyanything else.
I could’ve stopped her. Insisted that I didn’t mean it. That maybe wecouldget to know each other, especially with all the time we’d be spending together.
But I didn’t do any of that. Even though I didn’t know her well, I was smart enough to know that getting close to Lily Richards was dangerous.
13
LILY
Thursday
The constant chatter,laughter, and whir of the coffee machine was music to my ears. It meant people were happy in my café, enjoying each other’s company, in addition to their drinks or pastries. Jules had stopped by earlier today to conduct a client meeting for her interior design firm Campbell Creations. It had been nice to see her during a busy week at work.
After interviewing a few candidates, I decided to hire Tiffany, who moved to Golden Falls about a year ago with her husband and five-year-old twins.
I’d gotten to know Tiffany and her family well over the last few months, and we got along well. She often popped into Purrfect Blend with her kids in the afternoons.
Tiffany had owned her own café before having kids but had sold it when life got busy. Now that her son and daughter were a little older, and her husband wasn’t traveling as much for work, she wanted to get back to her career. She wasn’t interested in opening her own business but wanted to find a job in theservice industry, and when she saw that I was looking for help at Purrfect Blend, she thought it would be a great fit.
I agreed.
I couldn’t wait for her to get started. I was going to take time this weekend to finalize onboarding materials and how to ease her into the routine here, which was honestly easier after going through a similar process with Gabe. Tiffany would mostly be helping me make and serve drinks, but she had a background in baking, too. I couldn’t wait to learn from her and have the help.
It would be one thing checked off the list—and one step closer to Gabe leaving Golden Falls.
I was busy making a toasted marshmallow chai for Layla, who owned Golden Finds Thrift Store and was one of my regulars, when I heard the door to Purrfect Blend open louder than usual.
Marnie sure knew how to make an entrance. Not only that, but her hands were filled with bags of groceries. Why would she get groceries andthencome here?
I was about to walk around the counter to help her when a mischievous smile crossed her lips. I stayed right where I was, confused.
But then, when I saw Gabe walking over from the table he was sitting at and asking Marnie if she needed help, I had a feeling about what she was doing. I rolled my eyes with a shake of my head.
“Oh, why thank you for your help. Gabriel, right?” Marnie asked as Gabe took the groceries from her hands. I’d seen Marnie carry twice as many grocery bags without any problems—even refusing help, for that matter.
“Of course. And just Gabe is fine. Did you want to sit at one of the tables or up by the coffee bar?”
Marnie locked eyes with me, sending me a wink. “Let’s go up to the coffee bar. I need to say hi to my dear Lily.”
Layla glanced over her shoulder then leaned in to whisper, “That’s Gabe Nelson?”
“Sure is.” I sighed. “I’m sure you’ve heard about the whole building thing.” I waved my hand. “He’s helping me out at the café for the time being while Hal figures out what’s next.”
She hummed in thought. “Okay, but not a bad deal…” She trailed off, biting down on her bottom lip before looking at me. “He’sreallyhandsome. No wonder Louise and her friends are fawning over him.”
While residents overall were still wary of Gabe, the older ladies in town were definitely the most intrigued. Turned out, Gabe made a better impression on Louise than I realized. And now with people seeing how helpful he was being to Marnie, that was only going to get him more points. What was his game here?
“He’s average looking,” I lied to Layla.
She raised her brows without a second thought, calling my bluff immediately, but I didn’t budge.
“Did you see the latest article? Nelson Group is proposing another high-rise in Milwaukee. I don’t want them anywhere near this building.” I finished making Layla’s drink and snapped the lid on the cup before handing it to her.
