Page 69 of The Good Luck Cafe
Moira laughed. “Some kids around here are throwing rocks at people’s doors for fun. My door was hit last night.” She pointed at a dent on her door.
“This is news to me.” He stepped inside. “I’ll talk to Sheriff Ronnie about it.”
Moira closed the door behind him and led him into the kitchen. “Have a seat. I’ll turn on the kettle.”
Gil sat down on the stool at her kitchen island and clasped his hands in front of him as he watched Moira work. “I’m sorry for inconveniencing you.”
“You aren’t.” She glanced over her shoulder. “I’m glad you’re here, actually.”
“Oh? Why is that?”
Moira faced him and leaned her body against the counter. “Because I need to talk to you.”
***
Moira sat across from Gil with her warm mug of tea cupped between her hands.
“What’s up?” Gil asked, sipping his tea. “You said you wanted to talk to me?”
She nibbled her lower lip. She was thinking that she’d be having this conversation tomorrow after tossing and turning and planning out what exactly to say first. “I don’t know what I’m thinking lately. I think my decision to run for mayor was a misplaced way to help my mom save her bakery.” Moira looked at Gil. He didn’t look surprised by anything she was saying so far. Instead, he looked steady and calm. “At least, that’s what it was at first. Then people started coming up to me, and I sincerely thought I could make changes for good in this town.”
“Thought?” Gil asked.
Moira shrugged. “Maybe it was foolish of me to think an amateur like me could run the town. I’m considering dropping out of the mayor’s race.” There. She said it.
Gil lifted his mug of tea and sipped. “I don’t think you should end your campaign.”
Her mouth dropped open. “I thought this would make you happy.”
He released a breath. “I want to keep my place as mayor, yes, but I want it to be because that’s what the town wants. And if you drop your bid, that just leaves me and Denise.” He ran a hand through his hair, looking frustrated and way too handsome for his own good. “Denise winning the mayor’s spot would be a nightmare for this town. Her priorities align with herself, not what’s best for Somerset Lake.”
“There’s no way the town would elect Denise. Gil, you’re great at what you do,” Moira said.
“That’s why you decided to run against me?” he asked, one eyebrow lifting.
She looked down into the dark depths of her tea for a moment. “Maybe I don’t agree with you on all your decisions. We can agree to disagree though.”
He sighed. “I can’t believe I’m persuading my rival to stay in the running, but just don’t drop out until you’ve given this more thought, okay?”
Moira looked at him for a long moment. “Okay. We’re both on the same page about Denise.”
Gil nodded.
Moira sipped her tea some more. “I have another confession.”
“Oh?”
“Part of me also thought that dropping out of the mayoral race would be good because there’d be no reason for us not to date. Last night was pretty amazing.”
Gil grinned. “I already told you that I don’t see a good reason for us to stay apart. We’re two adults. We can handle whatever comes our way, right?”
“I’d like to think so.” She tugged her lower lip between her teeth. “So what do we do now?”
“I can leave if you want me to. Or stay awhile. We could just talk or, I don’t know, play cards.”
“Cards?” Moira laughed softly. “I do have a stack for Uno.”
Gil looked intrigued. “Wow, that’s a blast from the past. I haven’t played that in a while. It used to be mine and Doug’s favorite.”
