“Indeed,” Dottie says, but her gaze lingers on me. “And when is your young man coming back?”
“His flight’s supposed to come in tomorrow.”
Hannah rolls her eyes. “But you’re convinced he’s fallen madly in love with San Francisco, and he’s not coming back.”
“He made you that robot,” Briar reminds me.
“And you know what happened with that. He’d be a fool to keep coming back for more.”
“Then you’re in luck, my dear,” Dottie says, “because we’re all fools for love.”
Maybe.
Logically, I know Cormacwillcome back, if only to gather his belongings and his dog, but I have a hard time believing he’ll stay. He told me he needs to “discuss something,” which sounds serious, and in my experience, serious discussions lead nowhere good.
I’ve also noticed the excitement in his voice when he talks about the foundation. He’s won’t find that kind of energy here in Asheville.
I’m not going to try to convince him to stay. But I’m going todo my level best to show him how much I love him. He deserves that much from me.
I'm reaching for my glass to take another sip when I notice Dottie staring at me. “Look, Dottie, you may be a wizard, but not even you can read the future from the ice cubes in a glass of iced tea.”
“I don’t need the leaves. I never have. I can readyou. And I can read that young man. From the moment I saw him kiss you at your mother’s wedding, I knew you’d found your perfect match. Yoursoulmatch. I felt it here.” She places a hand over her heart, and I’m surprised by the lurch of emotion in my chest.
“I love you guys,” I say, glancing around at them. “I really do. Jonah’s a piece of shit.” I raise my glass. “But you know what? Here’s to Jonah the jailbird. Without him, we wouldn’t have each other.”
“I’ll drink to that,” Briar says with a smile, lifting her glass.
“Holy shit, when the schnapps hits, it hits hard,” Hannah says, grinning as she hoists her nearly empty glass into the air.
“We love you too, Nora,” Sophie says as we all clink glasses. “And it’s good to see you letting other people in.”
“Yeah, yeah,” I mutter.
I’m smiling, though, and I feel a kernel of hope inside of me as I sip the tea. It’s small but bright and powerful, and life has not yet extinguished it. I hope it won’t.
“Did you ever talk to the loan officer about The Ginger Station?” Briar asks.
“On Monday.”
The thought unsettles me. I’ll have to put it all on the line, again. I’ll have to open myself to a no that could crush me. But if I can do that with Cormac tomorrow, then surely I can manage to do it with the loan officer too.
I know which prospect is more daunting…
If I can’t buy The Ginger Station, then I might be able tostay and work for the new owner. Or start another business later down the line. But I can’t find a new Cormac. Cormac is the most unique man in the world, and if I can’t have him, I doubt anyone else would satisfy me.
“Don’t get mopey,” Hannah warns.
“There is a remarkable power attached to positive thinking,” Dottie says.
“I’ll drink to that too.” Sophie lifts her glass, and we all follow suit. I feel that kernel of hope in my chest again, trying to grow.
It’sdark when I pull up in front of Cormac’s house.
I expect Cookie’s usual cacophonous greeting as I reach the gate, but she’s surprisingly silent, and alarm ripples through my chest. Did she somehow escape the house?
Nope, not happening. I’d raze the whole neighborhood to get her back.
I rush through the gate, and as I’m unlocking the front door, I finally hear the familiar peals of her bark.
