Chapter 25 Lily
LILY
Me
There’s been an interesting development with my winter wish list.
Eliza
Did you lose it again???
Jules
What happened?!
Me
Maybe it would’ve been better had I lost it.
Gabe and I kissed.
Jules
YOU WHAT?
Eliza
Kissed???
Jules
Omg the romantic kiss under the mistletoe!!! Was that why?!
Me
Sort of…
I told him I was nervous about the romantic kiss under the mistletoe, and he suggested we practice.
Eliza
He suggested you practice?! He was totally looking for an excuse to kiss you.
Me
He wanted to take the pressure off our actual kiss! It wasn’t anything more than that!
Jules
Oh, it was definitely more than that.
How was the kiss?!
Me
It was fine. Nothing special.
Average.
Just okay.
Eliza
LOL even over text you’re a horrible liar. I don’t believe any of that.
Jules
What you meant to say was it was an amazing kiss and you haven’t been able to stop thinking about it, right?
Me
Gah! No comment.
Jules
Also, did you nearly start a fire at Pasta Fresca?
Me
No comment!!!!
I slipped my phone into my apron’s front pocket, knowing very well Eliza and Jules would have a list of questions next time I saw them. I didn’t blame them, because I would want to know everything, too.
When Jules told us over the summer she was going on a first date with Wes, Eliza and I wanted all the details on how their relationship had evolved to that point. Well, nearly all the details. He was my brother, after all.
I thought about how much things had changed for the better since that moment.
How Wes and Jules fell deeply in love. How strong my friendship with Jules had gotten in the months since she’d been in Golden Falls.
And how lucky I was that my friendship with Eliza was stronger than ever after so many years.
It was more fun asking the questions than being on the other side of things, though, especially since I had no clue how I felt about the kiss. It was practice, and we were going through a list…but it also felt so real.
One thing was for sure—I couldn’t stop thinking about it. Or Gabe’s warm body pressed against mine. His large hand on my lower back. How effortlessly his lips moved against mine. How I never wanted to stop.
I didn’t think I’d be able to survive another kiss from Gabe with how all-consuming this one was.
With Christmas quickly coming up—three more days!
—I didn’t have time to focus on anything else, and my holiday orders showed that.
I had a handful of customers who placed their orders for the holidays at the start of December, but most stopped by the café or ordered over the phone this week.
Everyone would pick up their orders the morning of Christmas Eve, and I closed the café on Christmas Day and the following week.
Jodi and Henry at the animal shelter, along with other volunteers, helped foster the cats during this time.
I pulled myself out of my thoughts when the door opened, and Wes walked in. Once my brother was within earshot, I turned to Tiffany with a teasing smile. “I’ll take Wes’s order and spare you having to deal with his grumpiness.”
“I’m not that grumpy,” Wes grunted in his typical fashion, but the corner of his mouth twitched as he fought a smile.
Tiffany let out an amused laugh, already used to our antics. “Sounds like a plan.” She turned to Wes and gave him a small wave. “Good to see you, Wes.”
Wes nodded in return, and Tiffany turned to the next customer.
Wes stepped to the side to look at the day’s pastries.
My brother drank his coffee black, so most of the time when he was here, it was for a treat, either for himself, Jules, or his staff.
He hummed as he looked at the trays behind the glass.
This week’s menu was festive frosted sugar cookies and thumbprint cookies.
“Do you want some of each?” I asked as I grabbed and assembled a medium-sized pink bakery box.
“Yeah, that’d be great. Let’s do four of each.”
“You got it.” With a pair of tongs, I carefully placed each treat into the box. “Are you excited for Christmas Eve and Christmas? It’s the first year Jules is celebrating with us.”
“I’m really excited,” he said, and I swore there was a twinkle in his eye. My brother was a big softie, especially for Jules. “I enjoy this time of year, but it’s different with her. There’s more magic year-round.”
I raised my brow, and he waved his hand.
“Yeah, yeah, you don’t need to give me shit about how fucking cheesy that was. I know.”
I tipped my head back with a laugh. “Hey, you said it, but I love that. You two are perfect together, and I’m so happy you found each other. She’s the best.”
“Really is, isn’t she?” A rare grin formed on his face. “I’m glad you two are such good friends. I’m excited for Jade to meet her eventually.”
I held my tongue, not saying that for our sister to meet Jules that would require her wanting to visit Golden Falls.
“Feels like Juliette’s been part of the family for longer. Her parents are flying in from Florida in a couple of weeks, which she’s excited about.”
“That’s great! You get to celebrate with us and with them.” I closed the box and set it on the counter. Once Tiffany finished up at the tablet, I stepped over to ring up Wes’s order.
His brows shot up to his forehead. I should’ve known with how observant he was that he’d notice right away I had a new tablet. Like, very new. Earlier this morning new.
“You finally got a new one of those, huh? When did that happen?” He tipped his chin with an amused chuckle.
“Uh, yeah, I did.” I cleared my throat. “This morning, actually. Go ahead and tap your card when you’re ready.”
Wes reached for his wallet but paused. “Wait. You’ve been adamant about how you didn’t need a new one and it’s not worth replacing it yet. What changed?”
What changed was that Gabe walked in this morning, set the tablet on the counter, and sat at what had turned into his usual table in the back right corner.
A table that had a view of the front counter but also was next to the window looking into the cat room.
When I insisted he return it, he gave me every excuse in the book: he couldn’t return it, he lost the receipt, it was past the return date.
Eventually, I gave up, thanked him, and started my day. Turned out, I wasn’t as persuasive as he claimed.
You’re hard to say no to, and maybe I like sweets more than I thought, Gabe’s low voice rumbled in my mind.
“Nothing changed,” I said, trying to sound casual as Wes tapped his card. “Gabe got it for me. He brought it this morning.”
My gaze drifted to Gabe. He was working at his laptop, his brows furrowed as he looked at his screen.
His light blue-dress shirt was pulled taut across his chest. As if he knew I was looking at him, Gabe slowly lifted his head and met my eyes.
He watched me for a moment, his expression not giving away anything that was on his mind.
But I didn’t miss the way the corner of his mouth lifted and his eyes softened.
I rolled my lips to hide my smile, feeling a blush form on my cheeks. I turned my attention back to Wes, who was carefully watching me.
He raised his brows, sliding his wallet into his back pocket. “The same Gabe you’re competing with for the building? What’s his motive by getting you the tablet?”
A part of me understood where Wes was coming from, because a couple weeks ago, I would’ve also thought Gabe had an ulterior motive.
Maybe about how he was trying to get on my good side or improve his appearances around town.
But…it was just the two of us when he stopped by—not even Tiffany was around yet.
I also knew him well enough now, and he wasn’t that type of person.
He was…thoughtful, considerate, and told me how he didn’t want me to worry about the tablet. How I had enough things on my mind.
“There’s no motive,” I defended, my voice firmer than usual. “He knew I needed a new one and picked one up when he was at the store.”
“He just so happened to pick one up?” My brother repeated.
I knew the words were ridiculous as soon as they left my mouth, but hearing Wes say them back to me?
A tablet wasn’t like orange juice or eggs—you didn’t just pick one up when you were at the store.
This required thoughtful planning, which was something I didn’t want to admit out loud.
“Mom said he’s going to spend Christmas with us. ”
“He is,” I confirmed. “And I don’t want you to give him a hard time. He’s…different than I thought. He’s not this ruthless, cold guy.” That I made him out to be.
Wes’s expression softened. “I’m not going to give him a hard time.
” He tilted his head to the side, amending, “Well, I’m not going to give him a hard time for no reason.
I don’t want to see you get hurt, but you know him better than I do.
You two have spent a lot of time together these past few weeks. ”
We had, which made me feel like I’d known Gabe longer than I had. We also opened up to each other more than I’d expected us to.
“I have your back, Lily, but I know you can hold your own.”
My heart warmed at my brother’s words, and I gave him a grateful smile. “Thanks, Wes. That means a lot. I’m excited for you to get to know him a little better.”
“Honestly, me too. Cooper and I enjoyed hanging out with him during poker night.” And by the small smile on my brother’s face, I knew he meant it.
Wes grabbed the bakery box and held it under his arm.
“We’ll have to keep you away from the fireplace and any candles on Christmas.
I don’t think Mom would be very happy if you tried to burn down her house.
” Wes’s genuine smile spread into a shit-eating grin.
My nostrils flared, but I couldn’t hold back my laugh. “It was two tealight candles! I wasn’t trying to start a fire!” I defended, raising my arms and letting them fall at my sides. “I don’t appreciate all the gossip!”
“What did you tell me over the summer?” he asked over his shoulder while making his way toward the door. “Oh yeah—people are always going to be gossiping about some small town drama. It’s Golden Falls.”
I crossed my arms over my chest, letting out a sigh. My words kept coming back to bite me. “You’re a pain in my ass, Wesley Richards!”
“I love you too, sis. See you around.”
I scanned the ingredients in the kitchen, jotting down in my notepad that I needed to buy more flour, sprinkles, cocoa powder, and chocolate chips for the upcoming Christmas orders.
I was in the middle of writing when the music in the café cut out.
It happened every so often and usually meant I needed to reconnect my phone.
I set my notepad on the counter and walked closer to the doorway to the main area of the café.
I leaned against the doorway as I pulled my phone out.
Luckily, the conversation and chatter continued, and the lack of music, albeit temporary, hadn’t impacted anyone.
My eyes found Gabe, but this time, he wasn’t looking at me. He was wrapped up in a conversation with Louise, and I found myself curious about what they were talking about. Were they talking about the building? Was Louise telling him more about town?
My conversation with Wes earlier today came back to my mind. As close as Gabe and I were getting, there was still a building on the line. I couldn’t lose sight of that.
I took my time trying to fix the music, giving myself the opportunity to eavesdrop. My spot in the doorway was perfect—I could hear them fairly clearly but was largely out of sight.
“I told you from the start not to underestimate her, didn’t I?” Louise asked.
Gabe let out a chuckle. “You sure did, and I appreciated the heads up. She’s…something else.”
“You better mean that in a good way,” Louise said with a laugh, and Gabe quickly added, “Of course, I mean it in a good way. I could tell when I first met her how important she is to this town. How Golden Falls wouldn’t be the same without her or this café.”
My brows furrowed. They had to be talking about me, right? But…why?
Louise hummed in thought. “I heard you two had quite the first meeting. What was your first impression of her?”
“Well,” Gabe said slowly, “at first, she was simply the woman who had bumped into me in front of Hal’s store.
But when I turned around and saw her. I…
I thought she was the most beautiful woman I’d ever seen.
Looking into her eyes calmed me in a way I’d never experienced.
My worries, concerns, all of that disappeared.
Time stopped. Her hair was wild, her cheeks pink, and she had this crease between her eyebrows.
My first impression of her was that she had the power to bring any man to his knees. ”
The corner of Gabe’s mouth tipped up in a lopsided smile. A smile that had no business being so charming. I braced my palm on the doorframe to keep myself steady, unable to hear Louise’s response because my heart was jackhammering in my ears.
Did he really mean that? Or was he saying that to Louise to win her over even more? Did he know people were listening?
His voice sounded so raw and real, and everything he said actually happened.
I had no reason to doubt Gabe—earlier today, I was defending him to my brother—but I couldn’t help the nagging feeling that I needed to protect myself and my heart. That, maybe, this was too good to be true.
Our priority was still getting the list done and figuring out next steps about the building, but as much as I wanted to tell myself that nothing had changed since the moment we met, I knew that’d be a lie.
Everything had changed.