Chapter Seven
By Monday whenshe went to work, Letty still hadn’t figured out what was going on with her and Riley.What’s more, she didn’t know what she wanted to happen.She needed to talk to someone.A woman who wasn’t Riley’s sister.It wouldn’t be fair to talk to Val any more than she already had.She knew her best friend and she suspected Val was dreaming of weddings and babies.After all, what could be better than the brother Val loved and her best friend getting married?Even though she knew Letty’s feelings about getting serious with anyone, she still believed in the fairy tale.Who could blame her since Val’s own story had a fairy-tale ending?
Late that morning, Letty’s friend Cici McFarland came into the library.Cici wrote thrillers under the name Cici Bradley and had married Logan McFarland, who was a doctor at the hospital.She was one of Letty’s favorite authors and had become a good friend since she moved to Marietta.
“Can you get away for a quick lunch?”Cici asked after they’d greeted each other.
“Having problems with the book or just need to talk about it?”Cici liked to talk to Letty sometimes when she was dreaming up a new plot or was stuck.Since Letty was a librarian who loved to read, Cici said she loved brainstorming with her.
“Hey, that’s not the only reason I ever ask you out to lunch.Maybe I just wanted to see you.”
Maybe not the only reason, but often.“Okay.Where do you want to go?”
“Is Grey’s okay with you?”
“Sure.”
It was cold but they decided to walk anyway, since parking near Grey’s wasn’t always easy.“So, what’s been going on?”Letty asked Cici.
“I heard a rumor and wanted to ask you about it.”
“Let me guess.It’s something about me and Riley.”
“Of course it is.You can’t kiss someone in full view of the town, at the Stroll yet, and expect no one to talk about it.”
“Oh, the mistletoe kiss.All right, I’ll tell you about it when we get to Grey’s.”That made it easy for Letty to bring up what she wanted to discuss.
They found a booth, and both ordered a salad but they decided to split an order of fries.
“I think Grey’s has better French fries than almost anyone else in town,” Letty said and Cici agreed.
Cici waited until they’d ordered to pounce on Letty.“Okay, tell.What’s going on with you and Riley?”
“Nothing, yet.”
“That kiss didn’t sound like nothing from how I heard it described.I can’t believe I missed it.”
“True.It uh, kind of took me by surprise.”Not totally since the first time Riley kissed her had been pretty amazing as well.“Riley says he wants to date me.”
“Oh, yum.”
“Hey, you’re supposed to be happily married to a hunk.”
Cici laughed.“I am.But I have eyes.”
The server brought their food, which should have given Letty time to figure out what to say.But it didn’t.
“Riley is—” She hesitated, not sure how to describe him.Hot?Handsome?Yummy?
“Mighty fine,” Cici replied.“What did you say?Are you going to?”
“Probably.”Definitely, if she was sure he was okay with the fact that she wasn’t prepared for anything serious.“It just seems out of the blue.”
“Not if Thanksgiving is anything to go by.Riley was watching you the whole time.Even Logan noticed and he’s usually oblivious to things like that.”
She told Cici what had happened, including Riley ruining her effort to have a one-night stand and the kiss he’d given her afterwards.“That was the first time I realized he might actually be interested in me.”
Cici took a fry and dipped it in ketchup before popping it in her mouth.“Are you attracted to him?”
