Page 40 of Hold Me Instead
“Apparently, she has someone lined up already. Some daughter of a friend or something,” Magnolia said.
“That you haven’t met?” Charlie asked.
Magnolia hummed as she took another sip.
“Your boss is frustrating,” Amber said.
“It’s fine. It’ll all work out,” Magnolia said, brow furrowed as she stared at her glass.
“Can I help?” Charlie asked.
“Uh, don’t you have enough going on right now, with Daniel being out and his son occupying your physicalandmental space?” Amber challenged.
Charlie was known to stretch her time a little thin, but she could use the distraction. Besides, Magnolia had been under a lot of pressure since arriving in Elmwood Falls. She hadn’t planned on moving across the country to open the shop’s second location, only to face majorconstruction mishaps. Plus, Charlie knew there was more on Magnolia’s mind than she let on. Which was fair. They’d known her less than a year.
Charlie gave her cousin a look. “I’ll need a new project, okay? Besides, I’m happy to help.” She turned a reassuring smile to Magnolia.
Magnolia squeezed her arm in acknowledgment, then looked down. “Goodness, this shirt is soft. It’s like butter.”
“I know!” Charlie looked at her emerald-green wrap top, its neckline just daring enough to make her feel like she could evoke "I know how to use my body" vibes without drawing too much attention simultaneously. “It’s from the company you told me about!”
“Really? That’s where mine is from. Sustainable, washable silk right here.” Magnolia tugged at her own blouse, then turned a pout at Charlie, her dark brown eyes glazed. “I’m so touched you ordered from them. Even my family is slow to jump on some of these businesses I tell them about.”
“She’ll probably buy one of everything in your shop when you open too,” Amber teased with a loving smile.
“Alright, I really need to hear more about the young Dr. Lee, cause I don’t remember. We barely talked about him on Halloween. Someone was too busy trying to score us free drinks,” Cleo said. She smirked at Amber’s playful shove.
“There’s nothing to tell.” Charlie dodged.
“I’ll start!” Amber said. “He was the love of young Charlie’s life—”
“No! He wasnotthe love of my life. You’re making it way more dramatic. Don’t say shit like that!” Charlie sighed but couldn’t help giggling at the tipsy satisfaction on Amber’s face. “Fine. We met when I was in high school, working for Daniel as an office assistant. Zachary worked on weekends home from college and over school breaks, so webecame friends. But when he graduated and finished up his residency training, he married his girlfriend and went to work for her father’s veterinary practice in Chicago. I hadn’t talked to him since he left. Now he’s back and filling in for his dad.”
Amber shot up in her seat. “You forgot to mention he’s hot!”
Magnolia burst out laughing, and Charlie reached across the table to smack her cousin’s hand, even though Amber was wiggling in her seat with a victory dance.
Cleo shook her head at Amber, amused. “You’re such a menace. Though, Charlie, that’s pretty much the gist I got from her already. With the detail of him being hot added in, of course.”
“You’re welcome,” Amber said, flipping her ponytail.
“How long has it been?” Cleo said, eyes glittering with excitement. “Wait, is he still married?”
“Yeah, give us more dirt!” Magnolia’s eyes were glassy with boozy consolation.
“Six years. And no, divorced.”
Amber clapped her hands excitedly, causing all three women to turn their attention toward her. “What? Makes this the perfect opportunity. You adore Daniel, he adores you. Now you and Zachary have reconnected and get to share that cozy little office together, day in and day out. Things are gonna get juicy.” Amber wiggled her eyebrows again, taking another sip of her drink.
Magnolia’s face twisted. “I hate that word.Juicy,” she added in a whisper.
Charlie and Cleo laughed as Amber grinned with satisfaction, gesturing for Magnolia to keep drinking.
“You’re jumping to a lot of conclusions, Amber,” Charlie said. “Seriously, there’s no dirt. He’s not as friendly toward me anymore. I mean, aside from yesterday. He gives very comforting hugs. And this morning, I guess. Getting me my favorite cookies to make up for my bad day was really thoughtful. What…”
Amber had both hands pressed firmly on the table, eyes mockingly wide. Cleo rubbed her lips together, trying to hide a smirk. Magnolia grinned openly.
“You guys touched,” Amber said in a measured tone.
