Page 88 of The Good Luck Cafe
Moira paused mid-bite into a truffle. “Hmm?”
“You were acting very strangely around Beth Chimes. What was that about?”
Moira lowered her truffle. For a moment, she shrugged and looked like she might give him some excuse that wasn’t exactly true. “She called me on the dispatch the other day. She’s the caller who didn’t remember what happened on her date the night before.”
Gil stiffened. “Are you sure about that?”
Moira looked guilty. “I kept her number and called it back a couple days later. She answered as an organizer of Animal Rescue Ranch. She said her name was Beth.” Moira looked down at her hands. “I just wanted to check on her. I wanted to look her in the eyes and see for myself that she was okay.”
“And? Do you feel better?”
Moira nodded. “A little, I guess. Maybe someone came along and helped her before things got too bad, the way you did for me.”
“I hope so,” Gil said quietly. “I guess we’ll never know.”
Moira frowned. “That’s the hardest part of what I do. Sometimes there’s no closure. Sometimes I can’t help a person the way I want to.”
Gil reached for her hand and squeezed. “But sometimes you can.”
“And that keeps me going, call after call.” Moira smiled, but it wasn’t quite reaching her eyes. “This has been a great date. Sorry for having a little bit of an ulterior motive.”
Gil chuckled. “I don’t mind. Thanks for telling me though. I’m glad you feel comfortable talking to me about it.”
Moira picked up another truffle. “You can’t tell anyone. Keeping the number of a caller in my phone is about the equivalent of leaving the dispatch to go to a caller’s house. Ronnie definitely wouldn’t be giving me any awards this time. I’d most likely be looking for a new job.”
“Well, you’re already gunning for my job. I guess you’d just have to up the ante.”
She narrowed her eyes. “That assumes that I’m not already going in full ante for the mayor’s position.”
Gil shook his head. “I’m not assuming anything. I want you to go after this with everything you have, if this is truly what you want.”
Moira gave him a strange look. “I wouldn’t run if it wasn’t.”
Gil hesitated. This date was going well to this point. He didn’t want to mess it up. “I wanted to be a mayor for years before I actually decided to run, you know. There were baby steps I took that led me to taking the office. You said you didn’t make rash decisions.” He licked his bottom lip, tasting the chocolate there. “I think that’s a good thing in some cases, like running for public office.”
“What are you trying to say?” she asked.
“You should just know what you’re getting into.”
“I do.” Moira averted her gaze.
Gil could feel an invisible wall going up. “Great. How about this? No more talking about jobs or politics or running against each other for the rest of this date. Let’s just focus on us.”
Moira turned her attention back to him, a small smile growing at the corners of her lips. “I think that’s a great suggestion. Deal.”
Chapter Twenty-Five
After breakfast with Tess and Lucy, Moira headed up to the counter to tell her mom goodbye and get a refill on her coffee.
“Can I see you in the back?” Darla asked. She looked serious this morning, like there was something weighing on her mind.
“Sure.” Moira headed around the counter and followed Darla into the back room. It was the weekend, so Darla had Bailey working the counter. “Is something wrong, Mom?”
Darla sat down at the little table that she had set up and waited for Moira to do the same. Once Moira was seated, Darla took a breath and narrowed her gaze on Moira. “I need to be honest with you, and I need you to hear me.”
“I’m listening.” Moira’s heart was thudding in her chest. Her mom was usually so cheerful and laid-back. She didn’t often get so serious or look so troubled. Whatever her mom was about to say was important.
“Moira, I opened this bakery nearly thirty years ago. You were just a little baby at the time. It was hard, and I am so proud of this place.”
