Page 82 of The Good Luck Cafe
“Me too. But this will be fun. I promise.”
Moira nodded. “Okay. Let’s do this.”
Gil pushed his truck door open. “Stay there. I’m doing this right tonight.”
Moira waited as he ran around and opened her door for her. Then she stepped out and took his outstretched hand in hers.
Once again, Gil lifted her hand to his mouth and kissed it.
“Oh, my heavens!” someone said from behind them.
Moira froze and slid her gaze toward Gil. They’d barely gotten started with this date, and they were already outed as a couple in a huge way.
“Are my eyes deceiving me?” Reva Dawson asked. Of course Reva would be the first one to see them together. Reva had a nose for news.
Moira turned toward the infamous town blogger, noting how Gil’s hand tightened on hers. He wasn’t letting go and neither was she. They were in this together.
***
“Your eyes are not deceiving you, Ms. Dawson,” Gil said, trying to maintain a pleasant tone.
Reva hurried up to them, her gaze firmly set on their clasped hands. “You two are dating?” She looked up with a broad smile. “Oh, this is good.”
Gil had no doubt this would be the first bullet point on her blog tomorrow. He could only imagine what she planned on saying.
“How long has this been going on?” she asked. “Is Moira the one you were purchasing flowers for the other day?”
Gil cleared his throat. “Good evening to you as well, Reva. Are you on your way to the animal adoption fair?”
She frowned slightly at his obvious change of subject. “Well, yes. I thought I’d see who was adopting a new pet. That would be good news for my blog tomorrow. My readers love a good dog story.” Her smile returned in dramatic fashion. “They love a good love story too.”
Gil squeezed Moira’s hand, trying to reassure her that everything would be fine. He was nervous, too, though. It’d been a while since he’d dated anyone seriously, and he hadn’t since he was mayor. This was a big deal for him. More than he’d realized when he’d suggested it last night. It was necessary though. He didn’t want to live in secret, and he wanted this thing with Moira to work. A foundation of hiding didn’t seem like the right thing to do anymore.
“Enjoy the animal fair,” Gil told Reva. “Maybe you’ll find a lovable canine or feline to bring home with you.”
Reva chuckled. “I have four at home already. I think I have my hands full. They keep me in good company when I’m writing my blog though. They’ll keep me company tonight, matter of fact.” She winked and hurried past Gil and Moira.
Moira looked at Gil, and he couldn’t quite read her expression.
“Hmm. By the look on your face, you’re completely freaked and ready to bolt,” he said, testing the waters.
“It’s too late for that. Reva has seen us.” She offered a nervous smile. “And I wouldn’t turn around and run anyway. I want to do this. Like you said, we can’t have all our dates at your place or mine, and I want more dates.”
Gil leaned in and brushed his lips over hers. “I want more dates too. As long as they’re with you.”
Moira laughed softly. “You don’t want to keep playing the field, Mr. Most Eligible Bachelor of Somerset Lake?”
“I never played the field to begin with.”
They started walking again. The animal adoption fair could be seen up ahead now. There was a big banner that readFUREVER HOMEsandwiched by huge red hearts with paw prints inside.
“I have to admit, when I attend these things, it’s so hard for me not to bring home at least three or four dogs with me.”
“You don’t think Goldie should have a friend?”
“I know golden retrievers are traditionally happy-go-lucky, but she’s the jealous type,” Gil said. “It’s going to be hard enough for her to adjust to sharing me with you.”
Moira looked a bit more relaxed as they approached the crowd and entered a large gated area where the dogs were contained on leashes with their handlers. “It takes a lot of volunteers to work this place, huh?”
