Chapter 21
21
Opal
I can’t believe what I’m holding in my hands. It’s a vintage pill box, but it’s not just any ordinary pill box.
This one is exquisite.
It’s round, crafted from porcelain, and the lid has a vibrant flower pattern on it in rich tones of blue and pink. It’s striking.
I look up at the man who just handed it to me. “William.”
He smiles at the sound of his name. “Do you like it?”
“I love it,” I blurt out, and without considering the consequences, I launch myself at him.
I wrap both arms around his shoulders, and to accommodate our height difference, I push up to my tiptoes.
His arms are around my back before he can say a thing.
“It’s so thoughtful,” I whisper. “And so beautiful. How did you know I collect them?”
I want to push back to look into his eyes as he answers, but being this close to him is a gift in itself, so I cling to him.
“Your personal Instagram profile is linked…”
“Oh, shoot,” I interrupt him. “I noticed that. I meant to set one up for the bar, but it slipped my mind.”
I move back a touch to gain solid footing because I swear my knees are getting weaker by the second. Being this close to him is making me feel slightly lightheaded. I could blame it on the gin, but that would only be a convenient excuse.
I glance at his face to find his eyes locked on mine. Neither of us says a thing. We just stare, and as if by some magnetic force, he tilts his head one way. I tilt mine the other as we both lean in for what I know will be an unforgettable first kiss.
Just as my eyelids flutter shut and my heartbeat starts racing, a loud bang startles us both.
I feel William flinch slightly, and by the time my eyes are open, his gaze is cast toward the door of the bar. I follow his lead and notice the doorknob is turning back and forth from the outside, all while someone or something is banging on the door. I can’t see who it is since I pulled down the shade that covers the door’s window as soon as the sun set hours ago.
The doorknob continues to spin as the knocking subsides. Apparently, the fake alarm company sticker isn’t foolproof for warding off would-be thieves.
“Give me a minute,” William says with all the calmness of a man taking a leisurely stroll in a meadow on a summer day. There’s no urgency in his voice or his movements.
He closes the distance between where I’m standing and the door as I stand in place watching.
Another loud knock breaks through the silence again, but before it quiets, William turns the lock on the door and opens it wide.
He’s not holding a weapon, and he’s not in any sort of stance to lunge at whoever is waiting on the other side. He’s an imposing presence, though. The breadth of his shoulders takes up most of the width of the doorjamb, but I’m still able to catch a brief glimpse of who is facing him on the other side of the door.
“Good evening, Hildy. It’s nice to see you again,” he says with warmth in his tone.
“William?” My great aunt’s voice is edged with surprise. “You’re here?”
“I am.” He steps aside to let her pass. “Opal is right over there.”
I see the second Hildy realizes what she’s interrupted. Her gaze glides over what’s left of our dinner sitting on the bar, and then it settles on the Turquoise Crown board game on the table next to where I’m standing.
She silently crosses the space until she’s directly in front of me. The look on her face is one I haven’t seen very often. Her brow scrunches as she mouths, “I’m sorry.”
As her gaze drops to my hand, she lets out a light gasp. “That’s beautiful, Opal.”
I try to keep my hand steady as I hold the pill box up toward the light so she can see it in all of its brilliance. “It is, isn’t it?”
“You got that for her.” Hildy turns to point a finger at William. “You did, didn’t you?”
He shoves both hands in the front pockets of his pants as he walks toward us. “I wanted to give Opal something to thank her for the special gift she gave me.”
“The special gift?” Hildy’s gaze snaps back to me. “How special are we talking?”
I know my great aunt well enough to know when she’s about to drop a sex-related pun, so I stop that before it leaves her lips. “I gave William the special edition of Turquoise Crown.”
Disappointment tugs at her. I see it in the way she lets out a small sigh. “Oh, yes. I forgot about that.”
Wanting to explain, I step around her and meet William on his path back to the table. “Aunt Hildy was generous enough to part with one of her special editions.”
She picks up my glass and sniffs my drink before placing it back down. “It was my pleasure. I’m going to grab a glass of water. The walk here left me parched.”
As much as I want to ask why she’s here at all, I don’t. I can get into that later when William has left, and I’m alone with my aunt.
Her hand dives into her coat pocket right before a jingling sound fills the air. “My key didn’t seem to work in the lock, Opal.”
“I had the locks changed,” I explain as I watch her retrieve a tall glass before filling it from a pitcher of water I keep behind the bar. The ice cubes that were in it hours earlier have long since melted, so it’s tepid at best, but she doesn’t seem to mind. She finishes the entire thing in one swallow before she pours herself another glass.
“You did?” she asks.
I nod. “The first contractor I hired lost the keys, so I went ahead and called a locksmith.”
“Smart move.” She smiles. “If it’s not too much trouble, can I get…”
“I’ll have another set of keys cut for you tomorrow,” I interrupt what I know she was about to ask.
This space belongs to me now, but I want her to stop by whenever the mood strikes, whether we’re open or not.
“It looks like someone is about to win the game,” she quips before taking a sip from her glass. “Let me guess. It’s Opal.”
William lets out a chuckle. “That stings, Hildy.”
“It’s true, though,” she states. “Opal is the best of the best when it comes to Turquoise Crown. I should leave so you two can finish what you started.”
I want that to be the kiss that never happened, but I know she’s talking about the game.
“If she doesn’t roll a five, the game goes on,” he notes.
I walk over to the table, pick up the dice, and let it drop from my hand on the center of the board. It tumbles and rolls three times before it stops. I smile when I spot the five.
Since William handed me the blue crown game piece before we started, I slowly slide it over five spots until it lands on the last circle on the board. It’s the winner’s circle.
“She did it again!” Hildy claps her hands together. “No one is better than Opal.”
I look up to see William nodding slowly as he stares at me. “She’s the best.”
Hildy finishes her water and rounds the bar. “I’m going home. I’m sorry I interrupted your evening. I wanted to stop by and take it all in.”
“Take what in?” Confused, I look into her eyes for understanding.
“What you’ve done with this place.” She glances at the mural before her gaze wanders over the hundreds of board games lining the shelves. “Mark my words, Opal. You’ve created a community hub here. People will meet their best friend inside these four walls, and they’ll solve their differences with someone they thought was their enemy.”
“I hope so,” I whisper.
“Lovers will cross paths here.” Her gaze darts from my face to William’s. “You know what they say about a rousing board game.”
“Did you say a rousing board game or arousing board game?” William follows that with a laugh.
Hildy laughs, too, grabbing hold of the corner of the bar to steady her feet. “If my first boyfriend hadn’t passed away, he’d have a story or two to tell you about the board game we played.”
I’ve heard that story more than once from her.
“What was the name of that board game?” William encourages her. “I bet I’ve heard of it.”
He hasn’t.
“Hildy and Rory’s Ten Rolls to Bliss.”
I hold in a laugh while I bow my head down.
William chuckles. “That’s a new one for me.”
“It’s a new one for everyone but Hildy and Rory,” I whisper.
“Not really,” Hildy chimes back in. “I rebranded it to Hildy and Hugh’s Ten Rolls to Bliss during freshman year of college, and then Hildy and Louie’s Seven Rolls to Bliss was the game of the summer after I graduated.”
“Seven rolls?” William asks.
“Louie was a sight to behold.” Hildy looks up at the ceiling. “I couldn’t bear to wait a full ten rolls of the dice for him to make his move on me.”
William’s gaze catches mine before he glances at my great aunt. “I get it.”
“So did I.” She winks.
His hand leaps to his chin as he laughs. “I think I’m going to leave you two to catch up.”
“Absolutely not,” she protests. “I’m the one who interrupted your game .”
The extra emphasis she puts on the last word is obvious and wholly unnecessary since we didn’t even kiss.
“I insist,” he says as he yanks his suit jacket off the chair. “Thanks for the game, Opal.”
“I’m open to a rematch,” I blurt out, even though it’s code for I’m open to that kiss that almost happened.
“We’ll talk soon.”
That’s about as noncommittal as it gets, but since the gift-giving ball is once again in my court, I’ll be able to orchestrate at least one more encounter with him.
“It was good to see you, Hildy.” He takes her hand in his and lightly kisses the top of it before he directs his attention solely at me. “Thanks again, Opal.”
“Thank you for everything,” I say.
He leaves me with a smile so warm and inviting that I feel as though I’ll melt from the inside out. He walks out, and it’s then that I realize I’ve been holding my breath while watching him leave.
“I ruined your night.” Hildy sighs. “Please forgive me, Opal.”
“You ruined nothing,” I lie because she did arrive at the precisely worst possible moment in time. “Give me a few minutes to tidy up here, and I’ll get you home.”