The corner of Wes’s mouth tipped up, and he shook his head with an amused chuckle before turning to me. He searched my face, narrowing his eyes as he observed me. “What’s on your mind? You look stressed.”
“Everything’s great!” I replied, hoping my cheery voice wasn’t too over the top. Things were fine, but I knew if I used that word, Wes would start asking a million questions. He’d learned well over the years growing up with two sisters and now being with Jules.
Fine did not mean fine.
“Okay,” he said slowly. He wasn’t pushing it, but I could tell he didn’t quite believe me either. “I’ll leave you two to it.” Wes nodded before walking over to Cooper and Gabe.
I turned to Hal, suddenly feeling nervous, which I never felt around him. “Think we can chat for a moment?”
Hal’s eyes softened. “Of course, Lily. However long you need. Here, let’s sit down.” He gestured for me to follow him toward one of the booths, giving us a quieter place to sit and talk compared to the front of the bar. I appreciated the privacy, especially since you never knew who was listening in our small town. Gossip spread faster than one of my cats zooming around at midnight. Luckily, it wasn’t only bad news that moved quickly. Good gossip spread just as easily.
“What did you want to talk about?” Hal asked once we sat across from each other.
“Well”—I let out a heavy sigh—“I wanted to see what you were thinking about the building. It’s been about two weeks now… Do you think you’re closer to making a decision?”
I held my voice steady and calm, although the nerves were buzzing inside me. My fingers fiddled with the threads of my distressed jeans under the table.
I hoped he was closer to figuring this out. I hoped it was now obvious that I was capable of handling this. While I imagined that Gabe had good ideas, I still didn’t think he was right to own the building.
An amused smile came across Hal’s face. That wasn’t a good sign.
“Let me ask you this, Lily.” Hal’s voice was gentle but firm—also not a good sign. “Have you and Gabe finished your list yet?”
I opened and closed my mouth. “Well, no. Not yet. But we’ve made good progress. We decorated the cat room and made Christmas cookies. It’s been nice to have Gabe’s help.” That much was true, but I also wondered if it would help butter Hal up. It was his idea to have Gabe helpandhe was his grandson. “Plus, I hired Tiffany.”
“I’m glad he’s been helpful, but I think you answered your own question. You need more time. You still have seven items to complete, right?”
“Right,” I muttered.
“Which is good, because I’m not ready to make a decision yet. And I said this to Gabe, too, but I’m putting a pause on talking about the building until the end of the month.”
That was the exact thing I didn’t want to hear. I didn’t want more time—I wanted to know who Hal was going to sell the building to. And this conversation added additional worry I didn’t expect. I was still in the running to own the building,but my chances didn’t seem as good as I initially thought. What should have been a no brainer was something Hal was actively considering.
“Lily,” Hal said gently. “Trust me on this. When have I ever steered you wrong?”
He must’ve read the disappointment on my face. I never was very good at keeping my feelings hidden. I let out a sigh, lifting my gaze to meet his. I honestly couldn’t think of a single moment. I’m sure there were little things here and there—Hal was human, after all—but nothing that came to mind immediately. “Never,” I muttered.
“I always have your best interests in mind. I promise. I think you’ll see that if you let yourself enjoy the journey.”
“How’s your winter wish list coming along, Lily?” Jules asked, shaking red pepper flakes onto her pizza slice. Eliza, Jules, and I tried to get together at least once a week to watch a movie and catch up, even when our schedules were hectic. Tonight, we were watchingThe Holiday, which was one of my and Jules’s favorites. Eliza hadneverseen it. Thankfully, that was changing.
I let out a sigh, setting the slice on my plate and picking up my glass of wine.
Eliza and Jules both laughed.
“Well, I think I got my answer,” Jules said, shaking her head.
I swallowed my gulp of wine and wiped the corner of my mouth. “Maybe that was a little dramatic. It’s…” I paused, thinking through what I wanted to say. “It’s going okay. Honestly, I’ve enjoyed getting to know Gabe more, when he letsme in. He seems…” I twisted my lips to the side. “Very guarded, and I think it has to do with his dad or work. Both, maybe. When we’ve let our guards down, things have been good. We actually work pretty well together. But I don’t think we trust each other, and how can we? We’re on opposing sides.”
I got up from the couch and walked over to where my purse was, shuffling through the bag to pull out my list. I plopped back down on the couch and handed the list to Jules and Eliza to look. “We’ve done three things, but that leaves seven.”
“Well,” Jules started, “what if the next thing you did was get dinner together at Pasta Fresca? That might be a good opportunity for you to get to know each other and come up with a game plan to tackle the rest of the list.”
Eliza nodded in agreement. “Plus, you deserve to treat yourself. You hired help for the café—something you’ve been talking about for months. That’s such a big accomplishment, Lil, and worth celebrating.”
I looked at both of my friends and couldn’t believe how lucky I’d gotten to have two incredible women supporting me, cheering me on, and helping me celebrate my wins. “You two are the best. I appreciate the reminder to celebrate. It’s so easy for me to skip ahead to the next thing that needs to be done.”
Although I wished I could celebrate at my favorite restaurant with my best friends, I started to get excited about the idea of getting dinner with Gabe as friendly rivals. There was one item on the list that was causing me more anxiety than the rest. My eyes zeroed in on number six:romantic kiss under the mistletoe that takes my breath away. We didn’t have to do that one, right? I took another sip of wine to calm my nerves.
