Page 73 of Dream Weaver

With him around, the whole shop seemed brighter and cheerier, like the colorful bag from the Cactus & Curry Thai restaurant.

I threw Cooper a smile, then turned back to my anvil. “I’ll be right there. Almost done.”

“My uncle always says that. You know what my aunt says?”

“What?”

Cooper gave me a pointed look. “Almost doneis the best place to quit for the night. It makes starting the next morning that much easier.”

I laughed. “Very wise. But seriously, I’m really close.”

“My uncle says that too,” he sighed, sounding a little…exasperated.

I stared at the ax head, knowing exactly where the next few blows would go. But my heart thumped in warning. I stood to finish one ax or lose a friend. Which was more important?

I put down my hammer and flicked off the forge.

“Sorry. I’ll be right there.” I untied my apron to show him I meant it.

As I scrubbed my hands, Cooper dragged something across the floor to one of the rear doors. Then he scurried back and forth a few times. What was he up to?

Leaving the bathroom, I stepped to the shop’s kitchenette, but it was empty. I shifted my gaze toward the rear doors, and—

My breath caught.

“Okay with you?” Cooper asked.

He’d pulled a workbench to the threshold and set out dinner there. And not just dinner.

“It’s beautiful,” I breathed, taking in the flickering candles, yellow placemats, and purple napkins, all under a backdrop of the starry night.

He blushed. “The guy in the restaurant insisted on throwing all this in.”

“He did not.”

“He did!” Cooper swore. “He said, life is short, so live big.”

“Smart man,” I murmured while making an inner pledge to send all my future takeout business, modest as it was, to the Cactus & Curry.

“Not too chilly here?” Cooper asked.

I shook my head. Not with happy vibes warming my body and soul. “All good.”

I sat slowly, soaking it all in. When was the last time someone had treated me to something like this?

Well, Claire sometimes did, with handcrafted notes and baked goods Pippa helped her with. My sisters and their fathers were great about making a big deal out of my birthday, too.

I gulped, reminding myself how lucky I was.

Still, the point remained. When was the last time someone outside the family had done something like this for me?

“Chicken mango for you…” Cooper handed over my order. “Beef stir fry for me…” Then he set out a tiny wine bottle. “Non-alcoholic. You’ll have to excuse the juice glasses, though.”

Ha. It beat drinking out the bottle, as Jay would have done.

I frowned, then banished the man from my mind.

When Cooper took a seat, we raised our glasses.

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