Page 123 of Good as Gold
MATTEO
The next several days are a whirlwind. Cara and I talk to the people at the Corporation and to several other outdoor-touring companies.
And I break the news of my departure to Lissa, who takes it like a champ. “Oh my God. A baby? Oh my GOD! I have to meet this baby. You can only move away if I can come and visit you.”
“I’ll need you to,” I say. “Next winter. We can ride the highest peaks of Vermont, and you can pretend to be impressed.”
She gives me a squealing, teenage-girl hug and tells me she’s happy for me.
Still, I’m filled with nervous energy and a little bit of anxiety. What if Leila wasn’t banking on me moving back to town?
If she’s not into it, we might not have a chance as a real couple.
But it’s a chance I’m willing to take. And I’ve stayed away from Colebury for too long. It’s my town, too. I don’t want to live my life at a distance, just because I was afraid to try.
One afternoon, while I’m walking the streets of Aspen, a photo lands on my phone. It’s a candid pic of Leila in the coffee shop. She’s wearing a big fluffy sweater that’s stretched over her belly. And she’s smiling.
The sender is Zara. So I call her.
“What’s up?” my sister asks when she answers the phone. “Any baby news?”
“Nope. But thanks for that sneaky shot of Leila in the coffee shop.”
Zara chuckles. “She looks so round. It’s adorable. And I’m trying to get you to come to your senses.”
“What if I already have? I’m calling to tell you that I’m moving back. There’s a realtor showing my condo to her clients right now.”
Zara squeals. “Thank you, Jesus. Leila must be excited.”
“She doesn’t know yet.”
She gasps. “Why not? And what iswrongwith you two?”
“Nothing! God. I just want to tell her in person. She’s so busy right now that if I call her up, it’s just one more call to deal with.”
“Hmm. I suppose that’s a fair point. And now you can make a big entrance. With a diamond ring and the whole nine yards. You can declare your love in the middle of the Gin Mill.”
“Whoa. Let’s not get carried away.” It’s going to be hard enough already to tell Leila how I really feel. “I’m not going to put her under any pressure. Does she come into the coffee shop every day, though? It would be fun to surprise her.”
“Like clockwork!” Zara hoots. “Do it! This is going to be amazing. You can just be chilling at a table when she comes in. I can play ‘Layla’ by Clapton and tell her that there’s a special baked good of the day!”
“Am I the, uh, baked good in this scenario?”
“You know it!”
I laugh in spite of how ridiculous this idea really is. “Okay. Fine.”
“When are you coming?”
“Soon? I don’t have a date yet. I’m busy trying to sell the business. Sell my apartment. Plan my life…”
“Well, hurry up,” my sister insists. “And please consider the diamond ring. I bet she’d rather have that, and not another bottle sterilizer.”
I have no idea if that’s true, and I’m not going to be swayed by Zara’s antics.
Besides, I have another gift for Leila.
And it’s finally time to give it to her.
