“Do you want some of each?” I asked as I grabbed and assembled a medium-sized pink bakery box.
“Yeah, that’d be great. Let’s do four of each.”
“You got it.” With a pair of tongs, I carefully placed each treat into the box. “Are you excited for Christmas Eve and Christmas? It’s the first year Jules is celebrating with us.”
“I’m really excited,” he said, and I swore there was a twinkle in his eye. My brother was a big softie, especially for Jules. “I enjoy this time of year, but it’s different with her. There’s more magic year-round.”
I raised my brow, and he waved his hand.
“Yeah, yeah, you don’t need to give me shit about how fucking cheesy that was. I know.”
I tipped my head back with a laugh. “Hey, you said it, but I love that. You two are perfect together, and I’m so happy you found each other. She’s the best.”
“Really is, isn’t she?” A rare grin formed on his face. “I’m glad you two are such good friends. I’m excited for Jade to meet her eventually.”
I held my tongue, not saying that for our sister to meet Jules that would require her wanting to visit Golden Falls.
“Feels like Juliette’s been part of the family for longer. Her parents are flying in from Florida in a couple of weeks, which she’s excited about.”
“That’s great! You get to celebrate with us and with them.” I closed the box and set it on the counter. Once Tiffany finished up at the tablet, I stepped over to ring up Wes’s order.
His brows shot up to his forehead. I should’ve known with how observant he was that he’d notice right away I had a new tablet. Like, very new. Earlier this morning new.
“You finally got a new one of those, huh? When did that happen?” He tipped his chin with an amused chuckle.
“Uh, yeah, I did.” I cleared my throat. “This morning, actually. Go ahead and tap your card when you’re ready.”
Wes reached for his wallet but paused. “Wait. You’ve been adamant about how you didn’t need a new one and it’s not worth replacing it yet. What changed?”
What changed was that Gabe walked in this morning, set the tablet on the counter, and sat at what had turned into his usual table in the back right corner. A table that had a view of the front counter but also was next to the window looking into the cat room. When I insisted he return it, he gave me every excuse in the book: he couldn’t return it, he lost the receipt, it was past the return date.
Eventually, I gave up, thanked him, and started my day. Turned out, I wasn’t as persuasive as he claimed.
You’re hard to say no to, and maybe I like sweets more than I thought,Gabe’s low voice rumbled in my mind.
“Nothing changed,” I said, trying to sound casual as Wes tapped his card. “Gabe got it for me. He brought it this morning.”
My gaze drifted to Gabe. He was working at his laptop, his brows furrowed as he looked at his screen. His light blue-dress shirt was pulled taut across his chest. As if he knew I was looking at him, Gabe slowly lifted his head and met my eyes. He watched me for a moment, his expression not giving away anything that was on his mind. But I didn’t miss the way the corner of his mouth lifted and his eyes softened.
I rolled my lips to hide my smile, feeling a blush form on my cheeks. I turned my attention back to Wes, who was carefully watching me.
He raised his brows, sliding his wallet into his back pocket. “The same Gabe you’re competing with for the building? What’s his motive by getting you the tablet?”
A part of me understood where Wes was coming from, because a couple weeks ago, I would’ve also thought Gabe had an ulterior motive. Maybe about how he was trying to get on my good side or improve his appearances around town. But…it was just the two of us when he stopped by—not even Tiffany was around yet. I also knew him well enough now, and he wasn’t that type of person. He was…thoughtful, considerate, and told me how he didn’t want me to worry about the tablet. How I had enough things on my mind.
“There’s no motive,” I defended, my voice firmer than usual. “He knew I needed a new one and picked one up when he was at the store.”
“He just so happenedto pick one up?” My brother repeated. I knew the words were ridiculous as soon as they left my mouth, but hearing Wes say them back to me? A tablet wasn’tlike orange juice or eggs—you didn’t just pick one up when you were at the store. This required thoughtful planning, which was something I didn’t want to admit out loud. “Mom said he’s going to spend Christmas with us.”
“He is,” I confirmed. “And I don’t want you to give him a hard time. He’s…different than I thought. He’s not this ruthless, cold guy.”That I made him out to be.
Wes’s expression softened. “I’m not going to give him a hard time.” He tilted his head to the side, amending, “Well, I’m not going to give him a hard time for no reason. I don’t want to see you get hurt, but you know him better than I do. You two have spent a lot of time together these past few weeks.”
We had, which made me feel like I’d known Gabe longer than I had. We also opened up to each other more than I’d expected us to.
“I have your back, Lily, but I know you can hold your own.”
My heart warmed at my brother’s words, and I gave him a grateful smile. “Thanks, Wes. That means a lot. I’m excited for you to get to know him a little better.”
