Page 59 of The Good Luck Cafe
“It’s a bad idea.”
“Not from where I’m sitting,” he said quietly, leaning in almost against his will. Was she leaning too?
Her eyes fluttered up to meet his as her lips came closer. There was something vulnerable there in her gaze. He also thought he saw a quiet longing. As he wondered, she closed the distance, and her lips touched his. He felt like his heart might burst right through his chest while his mind fed it instructions:Don’t move too fast. Don’t move too slow. Don’t do anything to ruin this moment.
***
A kiss was just a kiss, butthiswas not just a kiss. Not with Gil. Moira knew he’d liked her for ages. Kissing him was leading him on, wasn’t it? The moment felt too good to end it though. His lips were warm against hers. His hand was gentle as it hugged her waist, anchoring her to the stool and to this moment.
A soft moan tumbled out of her. She pulled back and stared at him.
“Wow,” he finally said.
“Yeah, wow.” There really wasn’t anything more to say. “I’m still running against you.”
He let out a surprised laugh. “I wouldn’t expect anything different.”
“So what do we do about what just happened? Forget it?” Moira asked.
“Not possible.” He shook his head and straightened on his stool. “I can’t forget that kiss, and I don’t want to. Is there a law that says two people who are attracted to one another can’t date and also run against each other for the same office?”
“Date?” she asked. Equal parts of her were thrilled that he would suggest the D-word and appalled at the same time.
“What would you call what we’re doing right now?”
“Chicken soup between friends.”
Gil tilted his head, one side of his very kissable mouth quirking at one corner. “Not once you add in kissing. Kissing over a romantic dinner is a date in my opinion.”
Moira’s heart beat fast in her chest. “Canned soup is romantic?”
“It is when it’s with you.”
She paused as she tried to decide what to do. One wrong move could ruin everything. She liked being able to spend time in the same room with Gil now without feeling the need to flee. She liked being able to face him, look him in the eye, and not have invisible twelve-inch-thick walls go up. She liked the idea of dating, even though for years she’d been protesting that she didn’t need to date to be happy.
Dating wouldn’t make her happy, it was true. Dating had never been all that enjoyable for her. It was awkward, and whenever she had sparks, her date didn’t, and vice versa. But dating Gil might be different. He was nice, sweet, handsome. He was smart, and his heart was bigger than the charming lake that sat in the middle of this town of theirs. He was a keeper kind of guy, but she didn’t think she was a keeper kind of girl. Therefore, kissing Gil would be leading him on.
Moira turned back toward her bowl, picked up her spoon, and dipped it into the quickly cooling soup.
From her peripheral vision, she saw Gil do the same. “So, this Friday then?” he asked as their soup began to dwindle in their bowls.
She turned to him again. “We’re both running for mayor. Everyone will be talking if they see us together on a date.”
Gil turned to her as well. “Here’s the thing. People are going to be talking about us whether we go on a date or not. They’ll just have to work harder to find something to say. I’ve found that giving the public something to talk about controls the narrative.”
She looked for an excuse to say no as hard as she did a reason to say yes. Everything inside her was at war right now. “Okay,” she finally said.
“Okay?” He looked surprised, as if he was certain she was going to shoot him down. Then a smile lifted at the corners of his mouth. “Okay.” He nodded. “I’ll pick you up at six thirty?”
“Sounds good. One condition,” she said. “We can’t discuss the campaign.”
“Agreed. Or the bakery,” he added.
Moira hesitantly nodded. “That narrows things down, doesn’t it?”
“We’ll figure it out.” He offered his hand for her to shake.
Moira’s heart fluttered as her skin slipped against his. Then Gil leaned in and kissed her cheek, holding her gaze as he pulled away. For a moment, she had a hard time taking in a full breath.
