Page 109 of The Good Luck Cafe
“Me too,” Darla said. “How’s Gil?”
“He’s good. He’s already at the new parking lot.” Moira started the engine and reversed out of her driveway.
“Well, tell my future son-in-law that I’m proud of him.”
Moira and Gil weren’t engaged. Not yet at least. The topic of marriage hadn’t even come up, and Darla was well aware of that fact. Instead of correcting her mother, Moira laughed the comment off because both of them knew it was just a matter of time before she and Gil were married. “Proud of him for what?”
“For doing what’s right for the town. And for making you happier than I’ve seen you in quite a while.”
It was true. Moira was happy. She’d always been so vocal about not needing a man to be content in life. And that was true. She didn’t need a man. She’d proven to herself and everyone who would listen that she was more than capable of taking care of herself. She’d discovered that she liked having someone to take care of her once in a while though. She liked having Gil. And she took care of him just as much as he did of her. They were a good team, the two of them. “See you at the ribbon-cutting ceremony, Mom.”
“See you there,” Darla said.
Moira disconnected the call and finished driving, pulling up to an available spot halfway down Hannigan Street. The new parking lot wasn’t officially available for parking just yet, so she still had to make the long trek to where Sweetie’s Bakeshop used to stand. Moira and her friends were meeting up at the diner now, and while it wasn’t the same, sometimes change was good.
One thing that didn’t change, that never would, was that they gathered in Lakeside Books every Thursday like clockwork under the guise of discussing books. The true discussion, however, went much deeper than words on a page. The book club was about life and friendship. Now that all of them were in relationships—even Tess’s employee Lara—there was also a lot of talk about love, marriage, and babies.
“Moira!”
Moira turned toward Reva Dawson’s exuberant cheer. Not even the town’s nosiest member could dull Moira’s mood today. “Hi, Reva.”
“Good to see you. If you’re looking for Mayor Gil, he’s over there.” Reva pointed a manicured finger in the direction of where Sweetie’s Bakeshop had sat until a month ago. “Doesn’t he look handsome?” Reva asked, leaning in to Moira.
Moira tore her gaze from Gil and eyed Reva. “He’s taken.”
The blogger chuckled, enjoying Moira’s mock jealousy a little too much. “He’s much too young for me, dear. Don’t worry. I always knew you two would end up together.”
“You did?” Moira asked, wondering at the comment.
“Of course. When I dubbed him the Most Eligible Bachelor of Somerset Lake last year, I hoped the attention would encourage you to fight for what was always yours.”
“And what is that?” Moira asked, intrigued.
“His heart. It was so obvious, dear. Everyone in town could see it a mile away. Even those who aren’t as nosy as I am.” She dug her elbow into Moira’s side.
For once, Moira didn’t want to flee from Reva. “Well, you can play matchmaker for some other unsuspecting singles now,” she teased.
“Yes, I can. And you better believe I’m planning to.” Reva rubbed her hands together. “Matchmaking keeps one young.”
Moira could practically see the wheels turning in Reva’s brain. She wondered who the next lucky guy or girl in Somerset would be.
Excusing herself, Moira headed in Gil’s direction. When he saw her coming, his face seemed to light up. Had it always done that? Was Reva right? Was it always so obvious how he felt about her? Moira wished she had let him in so much sooner. Then again, things always worked out the way they should. Isn’t that what her mom used to tell her? In this case, it seemed to be true for everyone involved.
Gil wrapped his arms around her as soon as she was in front of him. “Hey, you,” he said in a low voice, his breath tickling her skin. “I have a proposal for you.”
Moira pulled back and searched his face.
Gil cleared his throat. “Um, let me rephrase. I have anofferfor you. How would you like to do the honors of cutting the ribbon for this ceremony?”
“Me?” Moira pressed a hand into her chest, where her heart was still beating fast from the mention of a proposal. Didn’t a man know not to utter the P-word without a ring to back it up? “Really?”
“Yeah. I’ll be right beside you, but you should be the one.” Gil hugged her closer. “What do you say?”
Moira’s eyes stung. She wasn’t about to cry, but her emotions felt raw today. It was a bittersweet occasion, and she was glad to share it with the man she loved. “I’d like that.”
“Good. Me too.”
Moira cleared her throat, eying Tess, Trisha, Lucy, Della, and Lara huddled toward the front of the crowd. “The cutting isn’t for fifteen minutes, right?”
