Page 20 of Lovewell Lane

I nodded. There was more to the story. Something sad, probably, from the way his eyes darkened while remembering it. But I didn’t push.

“Why hasn’t she ever been to this yearly party before then?”

“I always invite her.” His head finally turned back to look at me. “This is the first time I’ve seen her away from the Inn with someone other than Sienna. How did you do that?”

I cocked my head at him. “I can be pretty charming.”

He snorted and shook his head in disbelief. “I’m learning that. First my brother, now Lila. You enjoy collecting hard-to-impress people don’t you?”

Before I could answer, a very frazzled-looking Lila came rushing back in through the door. She started speaking to us before she even crossed the room. “I have to go. Sienna’s blood sugar crashed.”

I hopped out of my seat, but Sam beat me to it. “Is she okay?”

“She will be, yes, her babysitter got it regulated. I just need to be with her, she’s going to feel pretty shitty for the rest of the night.”

“I’ll drive you,” Sam volunteered. I looked down at my nearly empty glass. I wasn’t tipsy, but I was also planning on drinking a tall glass of water before driving to be extra safe.

“Okay, thank you,” Lila said. “Is that okay, Margo?”

“Of course, go be with your kid.”

“You’re sure? I don’t want to leave you here.”

“I have a car and a perfectly good vodka soda. Please, go check on Sienna.”

They hurriedly headed toward the door as I stood up to grab my jacket. Time to make friends.

-

“The integrity of a grilled cheese lies in the quality of the bread. Anything you add to it after that is just the sprinkles on top. Trust me, bacon, diced tomatoes, and a blend of Cheddar andGruyere. A bit of ranch slathered on the inside of two slices of freshly baked bread. To die for.”

The middle-aged woman I’d been chatting up for the last five minutes looked enamored at the idea. Despite her traditionalist view that only cheese belongs on a grilled cheese sandwich five minutes ago. If there was anything I could convince people about, it was a grilled cheese.

“I’m opening a new diner over in Honeyfield, show up sometime and I’ll make you one for free,” I insisted.

“Alright, I’m sold,” she said.

The tall man that sat on my left was dressed like he came straight out of 2014 Tumblr. He had on skinny jeans and a red flannel, and the outfit was accompanied by tasteful guyliner. He leaned over and asked, “You live in Honeyfield?”

I nodded. “Mhm. Just moved there.”

“Welcome, I grew up there.” He reached his hand across the bar and shook mine swiftly. “Michael.”

“Margo.”

“I didn’t know we were getting a restaurant. I must have missed one too many town hall meetings,” he joked. “I would have applied.”

“Applied?”

“I’m a chef. If you need anyone, I’m professionally trained.”

“Oh,” I said, fully turning in my seat to face him. “We definitely need to chat.”

-

“Have a great night!” I called, waving at nearly the entire bar. The band had left an hour ago, and I’d somehow turned myself into the entertainment for the night. It was like a drunken, jolly debate club, and I was the mediator.

I hurriedly got in my car and turned the key in the ignition. There was an extra nip in the air tonight, the Georgia weatherwas nearly as unpredictable as me. Frowning, I tried to turn the key again. Shit.

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