Page 64 of The Good Luck Cafe
“But you do make a difference. You save lives,” Gil said gently.
Moira shook her head. “No. I take calls for the people who do the lifesaving.”
“Doug thinks differently.”
“Well, I left my post, risked getting fired, and crawled through a doggie door to give him an ice pack and a glass of juice. That’s not exactly heroic behavior.”
“It is in my opinion.” Gil smiled sweetly at her. “And the rest of the town agrees. That’s why you were given the Hero Among Us award.”
Moira reached for her glass of wine and took a sip. “We said no discussion about the campaign tonight, and that’s one of the first topics I brought up. Sorry.” She mimed zipping her lips. “I’m done discussing it. I promise.”
They stared at each other for a moment.
“Maybe that leaves nothing else to discuss,” Moira finally mused.
Gil shook his head. “There’s plenty to talk about.” He cleared his throat. “Speaking of Doug, he’s been talking about moving out of my parents’ house and into his own place.”
Moira found this topic interesting. “Wow. Good for him.”
Gil watched her. “You think so?”
“Yeah. Why wouldn’t I?”
Gil shrugged. “It’s just, my mom wants me to talk him out of this idea. She doesn’t like it. But Doug wants me to talk her into it. I feel a little torn, I guess.”
“Doug is fully capable of living alone, right?” Moira hesitated before expanding on that. “I mean, I know he has Down syndrome, and you said he was recently diagnosed with diabetes. That’s a lot. Would it be safe for him?”
Gil leaned back in his chair. “My brother takes care of himself. When he was injured the other day, he called emergency services. That’s exactly what I would have done in the situation. I just don’t know why he would want to move out of Mom and Dad’s. It’s a pretty nice setup if you ask me.”
Moira tilted her head and smiled. “Oh, come on. Why did you move out of your parents’ home?”
“Because it was time. I wanted to be my own person.”
“Exactly,” Moira said. “I think it’s great. I’m sure Della can help Doug find the perfect spot.”
Gil nodded slowly. “So I should go against my mom on her request to talk Doug out of this?”
“Moms are hardwired differently than big brothers. Moms are overprotective by nature.” Moira shook her head. “I’m an only child so maybe I don’t know what I’m talking about, but big brothers are there to lead the way. They do everything first and then help the younger sibling follow suit.”
The way Gil was watching her made her look away. “I’m glad I talked to you about this. You’re a good listener,” he said.
Moira reached for a slice of French bread from the center of the table. “I guess that’s why I work dispatch.” There were some people she couldn’t help, however. Like Beth.
***
After dinner, Gil pushed his plate aside and tipped his head toward the lake. “Want to take a moonlit stroll?”
Moira grinned at him. “Flowers and a moonlight stroll? Wow. You really know how to make a woman feel special.”
“I hope so.” Gil pushed back from the table and offered his hand. She placed her hand inside his, noting the way her insides lit up like a strand of fairy lights at midnight.
While they walked side by side, Moira was very aware of how close they were standing. Once upon a time, she’d done everything in her power not to be in the same room with Gil. She’d convinced herself she hated him. Yet here she was tonight walking beside him.
“You’re shivering. Are you cold?” Gil asked.
“Oh.” She laughed quietly. “I didn’t even realize. The breeze off the lake is kind of chilly, isn’t it?”
“Sometimes.” He stopped walking and turned to face her, stepping close and blocking the wind. “Is that better?”
