Page 63 of The Good Luck Cafe
He held up his hands. “I just don’t want you to think I’m being old-fashioned or a brute somehow. I know that you are perfectly capable of opening your own door.”
“I’m not looking for a reason to end this date, Gil,” she said as he opened the door. She stepped past him and got inside. “I’m glad this date is happening. I’m excited about it, actually.”
He looked at her. “Yeah? Me too.” After closing the door, he took his time walking around to the driver’s side, breathing deeply and willing his heart to slow down. He’d known Moira for his entire life. They were friends until they weren’t quite friends. Now they were friends again, even though they were also rivals. It was complicated, but also simple. This was Moira, and more than anything, he wanted to spend the evening with her.
He got in his truck, reversed out of the driveway, and headed down the road.
“Where are we going?” she finally asked.
Gil glanced over. “I guess it would be nice if I told you, huh?”
“I wasn’t sure if it was supposed to be a surprise.”
He shook his head. “Not at all. I’m taking you to my place.”
When Moira didn’t immediately respond, he glanced over. Her face was suddenly pale, and her lips parted.
“That came out wrong. Let me rephrase. I’ve cooked you dinner and prepared us a table outside by the lake. It’s waterfront dining without the nosy onlookers.” He dared another glance at Moira, who seemed to have relaxed again. “I figured I could come off cheap or romantic. One or the other.”
“Romantic,” she said decidedly.
***
Moira wasn’t sure if she’d ever had a more romantic evening. The moon was full, the stars were out, and the air was crisp against her skin. Gil had tried to light a candle at the center of the table, but the wind kept blowing it out. They had wine. Moira had shied away from having alcohol on dates since Felix. She trusted Gil though. The lake also added to the ambiance of the evening.
“I had no idea you could cook like this.” Moira scooped another bite of her eggplant Parmesan.
Gil shrugged. “I live alone. I cook all my own meals by necessity.”
She tilted her head. “You live next door to your parents. I kind of imagined that you went to their house every evening for dinner.”
Gil laughed. “No. I value my independence. Doug values his independence as well. When he wants to get away from Mom and Dad, all he has to do is cross the lawn and come here. Which he often does.”
“You are a great brother,” Moira said with a growing smile.
Gil reached for his wineglass and took a sip. “So is Doug. He’s the one who first suggested I become mayor, you know. He was reading a sign that saidBryce Malsop for Mayor, and he replaced the name with mine.Gilly for Mayor. That’s what he calls me. He was joking, of course, but it resonated so deeply that I just knew. It was like a lightbulb went off in my head, and I thought,Yeah, that’s what I want to do with my life.”
Moira looked down at her plate, feeling a tiny pang of guilt. She was going after a title that belonged to Gil. He was passionate about what he did, and he was good at it. She moved her fork around her plate, chewing on her thoughts momentarily.
“What’s on your mind?” Gil asked, picking up his own fork.
She looked up. “I know it’s not your fault that my mom’s bakery is on the chopping block. I also know that you have a lot of pull in this town. You could change the council’s mind. You could find an alternate location. You could do more than you are.”
Gil rolled some noodles around his fork as he listened.
“Sorry. I know this isn’t date-worthy conversation.”
“If it’s weighing on your mind, it is.” His lips set in a small frown. “Moira, you should talk to your mom about this.”
“My mom? Why?”
He shrugged. “I don’t know. She mentioned retiring when we were in the jail. I believe everything happens for a reason. If the new parking lot does go in the place of Sweetie’s, maybe it’s a good thing for your mom too. Maybe retiring right now isn’t so far-fetched.”
Moira stiffened. “Nonsense. She’s only fifty-five, Gil. And no one wants to see their life’s work demolished.”
“Is that why you’re running for mayor? Because of the bakery and the parking lot?”
Moira hesitated. “Maybe that was my reason at first. Now it’s about something more though. I don’t know.” She searched for the right words to describe this raw excitement accumulating inside her. “I feel like a lightbulb kind of went off in my head too. I want to make a difference. I want to be a vehicle for change.”
