Page 104 of The Good Luck Cafe
“So Gil knows all of this?” Tess asked.
Moira nodded. “He does now. Back then, he thought I was ransacking his apartment because I was upset with him,” Moira said. “I felt so awkward around him for so long. I didn’t want to face him. I felt foolish and embarrassed. I just wanted to forget that whole weekend.”
“Like you said, you were young.” Della stepped over to the couch where Moira was sitting, and sat on the edge of the coffee table, facing her. She leaned forward and wrapped her arms around Moira. “I’d tell you to forgive yourself, but there’s nothing to forgive. You were just being human, lashing out at the things in this world that don’t make sense. We’ve all been there.” She pulled back and looked at Moira. “Maybe we all haven’t trashed someone’s apartment, but we’ve all wanted to. Trust me.” She smiled at Moira. “The truth is out now. You can stop letting it haunt you. It’s time for you to get back up on that horse and ride it.”
“What horse exactly are you talking about?” Lucy asked, making everyone laugh.
“It’s a figure of speech,” Della said with a slight eye roll. “We’re here for you, Moira. That’s the point.”
“I know, and I love you ladies. All of you.” Moira fought back her tears. These were happy tears. She was so lucky to have friends like these in her life.
“Where is this Felix guy now?” Lucy asked, sitting back down.
Moira shook her head. “I have no idea.”
Tess pulled her laptop to her thighs. “Felix Wilkes, right? Wasn’t that his name?”
“You’re searching for him online?” Moira wasn’t sure how she felt about that. What if he was out living his best life? What if he was the mayor of some other town?
“Bingo!” A few minutes later, Tess looked up and met Moira’s gaze. “He’s in jail, serving an eight-year sentence.”
Moira’s heart dropped into her belly. “Did he…was he…?” If he hurt another woman, some part of her would feel guilty—even though she never could have pressed charges against him anyway. Nothing had actually happened. Not that she could prove, at least.
“No.” Tess shook her head, calming Moira’s worries. “Apparently, Felix had a prescription drug habit, and he also got into selling. He wasn’t a good guy.”
“Understatement of the year,” Lucy said, folding her arms over her chest.
Moira sniffled. Some part of her felt relieved that Felix was serving time. That meant he couldn’t hurt anyone. He couldn’t hurt her either, unless she let him.
Chapter Twenty-Nine
The tavern was crowded tonight, filled with laughter and music. So much so that Gil could barely hear the guys at the table. Probably for the best. He wasn’t in the mood for socializing. He just wanted to stay home with Goldie or maybe take his boat out on the lake. It was Doug who had pushed him to come here tonight. Sometimes Doug tagged along. He liked Gil’s friends, and Gil’s friends liked Doug. Actually, Gil’s friends had stopped being just Gil’s friends a long time ago. They were Doug’s too.
“Why so quiet tonight, Gilbert?” Jake asked.
Gil didn’t even have it in him to roll his eyes at being called Gilbert. “I’m just listening to you-all.”
“He’s sad that Moira isn’t talking to him,” Doug explained.
Gil glanced over at his brother. “Thanks for sharing that.”
“You’re welcome,” Doug said with a smile. He reached for his Coke and drank it.
“Did you two get in a fight or something?” Miles asked. “Is she upset about ending her campaign for mayor? And that you’re still running?”
Gil shook his head. “It’s not like I won. She dropped out. There’s a difference.” He ran a hand through his hair, debating whether to get into this with his friends tonight. “She’s ignoring my calls. She doesn’t want to see me. The last time I saw her, I basically told her I loved her.” He offered up a quiet, humorless chuckle. “In hindsight, I guess that might have been a mistake.”
River cringed across the table. “Your timing might have been off by a little bit. Wasn’t she still reeling from the news article?”
Gil took a sip of his Coke. “I stupidly thought it would put good news on top of the bad. I was trying to make her feel better, but it just made things awkward between us. Mine and Moira’s timing has always been off.”
“So you don’t really love her?” Jake asked. “You were just trying to make her feel better?”
Gil looked at his friend, wondering how honest to be. He swallowed past a tight throat, his chest aching due to Moira’s absence in his life. “Just breathing right now hurts because I know I can’t see her tonight. Or tomorrow. I can’t taste my food. I can’t enjoy a sunset. Nothing feels good right now. Not without her.”
“Wow,” Jake said. “I knew you liked her and all, but I didn’t know you liked her that much. That sounds like love to me.”
“Me too,” Miles agreed.
