Page 85 of The Good Luck Cafe
Gil shrugged. “This town loves dogs. A mayor without a dog just wouldn’t seem right here. Plus, dogs make us better human beings. It’s a fact.”
“I’m a perfectly fine human being as it is.” She looked at Moira. “Are you getting a new pet?”
“No. I’m just here with Gil.”
“Well, that’s fairly obvious.” Denise’s smile showed off lipstick-smudged front teeth. It served her right for having such a snooty attitude. “I wonder what voters will think of this new relationship of yours.”
“I suspect my voters will be happy for me,” Gil said. “I’m sure Moira’s will as well. Dogs aren’t the only things that make us better human beings. Sometimes people make each other better too.”
Moira’s heart skipped. Did he mean that? Was he talking about her?
“I see. Well, it’s good to see you both,” Denise said. “I’m going to continue forward.”
“Shaking hands and kissing babies,” Gil said, surprising Moira. She’d never known him to be remotely rude. She wasn’t even sure if this qualified.
“Well, that’s the nature of politics, right?” Denise winked. Then she looked at them both, her gaze hanging on Moira a little too long. It made Moira uncomfortable. She didn’t really have anything against Denise other than the fact that she didn’t think Denise should serve the town as mayor.
“That was a bit weird,” she said once Denise was out of earshot.
“If she becomes mayor this fall, I’m moving,” Gil said.
Moira playfully punched his shoulder. “No, you’re not. You have lived here all your life.”
“Except for college.” As soon as Gil said it, his smile dropped. He cleared his throat, looking suddenly tense.
“It’s okay,” Moira said in a quiet voice. “Nothing really happened, thanks to you. I can’t blame you for having a bad roommate.”
“Understatement,” Gil said. “I never would have forgiven myself if anything had happened that night, you know.”
Moira nodded, believing him. “I know. You’re a good person, and I think you’re right. I’m a better person with you around.”
***
An hour later, both Moira and Gil had actually shaken hands and kissed several babies.
“I didn’t think I liked puppies,” Moira said. “I always thought if I ever got a dog, I’d want an older one. But puppies are so much fun.”
“Now that Goldie is all grown up, I miss the puppy stage,” Gil said.
“Well, there are plenty here to go around.”
Gil shook his head. “What about Molly? You’ve had an hour to consider her. It wouldn’t be a rash decision to bring her home now.”
Moira turned to him. Some part of her wanted to bring Gil home tonight. That would be rash though. And it would be crossing a line they couldn’t uncross. She wasn’t ready for that just yet. She liked taking things slow between them. “I don’t have any pet supplies.”
“They sell them here, you know.”
Moira tilted her head to one side. “Why are you trying so hard to get me to bring a puppy home, Mayor Gil?”
He chuckled. “I meant what I told Denise earlier. Dogs make us better humans. Not that I think you need to improve in any way. I think you’re pretty perfect as is.”
Moira felt her whole body warm. “You might be the first man to ever think so.”
He reached out and slid an unruly strand of her hair behind her ear. “Doubtful. You’re a little intimidating, that’s all.”
“Me?” She laughed at the idea.
“Yeah. You’re hard to read, in a good way. A man likes to know he’s not going to fail. They look for all the signs that women send them to ensure them they’re going to achieve success. You don’t really send those signals out. It’s a risk pursuing you.”
