Page 16 of Make Me Swoon

Here’s my number. Call or text anytime.

517-518-4549

x. H

SIX

I make it all the way until noon the next day before Iris, Madelyn, and Sutton corner me, demanding to know what’s going on with Hudson and me. If I’m being honest, it’s longer than I thought I would get.

“Spill!” Madelyn half shouts as she jogs into the gift shop, tossing me a slightly greasy paper bag from The Upside Diner.

“Hey, Stan!” I call, half laughing as I open the bag. “I’m going to take my lunch.”

He wanders out of his office, nodding to the girls before he takes a seat behind the counter. Bandit nudges his hand and I see Stan smile as he scratches his ears.

I take my food into the kitchen and everyone sits down at the table over by the window.

“So?” Sutton says, grinning at me and I roll my eyes.

“So, we’re going out tonight,” I tell them, and I can’t help but laugh when they all cheer. “Don’t get too excited. It’s just the first date.”

“What are you doing?” Iris asks.

“Yeah, where is he taking you? Or is he cooking for you?” Madelyn asks, wiggling her eyebrows at me.

“I don’t know. He just asked me out last night and then in his note this morning said to be ready at six-thirty.”

The girls all grin at that and I roll my eyes, taking a bite of the burger that they brought me. Sutton steals some of my fries and I move them to the middle of the table so that everyone can have some.

“You guys aren’t working today?” I ask as I take a drink of water.

“Lunch break,” Madelyn and Iris say at the same time.

“Teller is fixing one of the cabins next door and then we’re headed home,” Sutton says with an excited smile.

She’s so in love and a momentary twinge of jealousy hits me. I push it away because Sutton is a total sweetheart and she’s been through so much, she’s lost so much. She deserves a man that is crazy about her and Teller is definitely that.

“Maybe he’ll take you over to Mackinac Island!” Madelyn suggests.

“Or somewhere fancy over in Maple Bend?” Iris adds.

“He could just be taking me to Prim + Proper,” I add and they all look appalled.

“That seems tacky. He wouldn’t do that,” Sutton objects, and Madelyn and Iris nod.

“He’ll take you somewhere good,” Iris says, sounding confident.

“I’d be happy if he took me back to his place and cooked for me. He’s supposed to be a god in the kitchen, right?” Madelyn asks and I laugh at how reverent she sounds when she says it.

“Yeah, he is.”

“Have you eaten his food before? He was big in New York, right?” Iris asks and I nod.

“Yeah, he has two restaurants in New York but I’m pretty sure the waitlist is like a year out and I could never afford it. He made me a steak and some vegetables last night before we went to Honey Peak and it was delicious though.”

“Lyla!” Stan calls and I look out the window to see a tour bus pulling into the parking lot.

“Coming!” I call back, shoving the last french fry into my mouth as I ball up my trash and stand.

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