Page 31 of The Wish List
“Work your magic?”
“Something like that.”
Beth could just imagine the type of magic Declan might be capable of working. She cleared her throat. “Does he stock Pinot Grigio?”
“I think so, but I can’t vouch for the quality of it.”
“I’m not picky.”
He flashed a grin so wide and disarming, it caught her off guard. “I find that hard to believe.”
“I can choose not to be picky when it suits me. I’d like a glass of wine. How about you show me your plans for the bar?”
“I can do that and buy you a drink.”
She knew this wasn’t a date, but her heart didn’t get the message. “I’m the one who should be treating you.”
“We can argue about the tab when it comes. I bet you’re fun in a debate.”
They walked toward the bar with Beth greeting people she knew along the way. She answered several questions about her mom, and her heart stuttered again. May was doing better, but it was still questionable whether she’d be able to come home permanently before Christmas. And her mom was still so sweet and kind every time Beth or her sisters visited.
The neurologist believed the change in personality resulted from the stroke. He couldn’t tell them when things might change again or go back to normal or if this was how their mom would be on a permanent basis.
Beth couldn’t help imagining how her childhood would have been different if she’d had this version of her mom growing up. She knew better than to focus on things she couldn’t change from the past.
“What do you normally do for Christmas?” she asked Declan.
“I work. Things aren’t always as Norman Rockwell as they appear in Magnolia. Bars are crowded around the holidays and not just because of office parties. Plenty of people don’t have the greatest memories surrounding Christmas past. They want to drown their sorrows and forget.”
“Are you one of those?”
He shrugged. “I’m not a fan of memory lane, but I gave up drowning my sorrows several years ago. Turns out getting so plastered that you forget the night before doesn’t make for a great coping mechanism.”
“Yet you’ve carved out a career working in bars?”
“It’s what I know and what I’m good at.”
“Have you thought about settling down?”
“I’ve never found anything worth settling for.”
She swallowed. “Good to know.”
He held open the door, and the smell of roasted peanuts and the sound of voices almost made Beth turn around and tell him she’d changed her mind. She wasn’t very good at being casually social. Most people in town knew her as either May’s uptight daughter or one of the nurses who ordered them around when they had a sick family member.
Freya was the fun sister and Trinity the sweet sister, leaving Beth as neither.
Declan put a hand on her back, the barest hint of a touch, but it propelled her forward like she belonged because she was at his side.
Bill was still doing his Santa duties, but Declan waved to the current bartender like an old friend. Several of the patrons called out to him.
“Exactly how long have you been in Magnolia?” Beth asked.
“A couple of weeks now.”
“I think you have more friends than I do.”
He chuckled, and it reverberated through her. “That’s not true. You don’t give yourself enough credit. You need to get to know people or let them get to know you.”
