16. Lucian
LUCIAN
T he bells on the door jingle as I enter Falling for Books, greeted by the scent of new books and fresh coffee.
Emmy waves from behind the counter where she’s arranging pumpkin-shaped cookies on a tray.
Glancing around the shop, I see no sign of Neesha—exactly as I’d hoped.
She’s been checking on me ever since I got hurt, one of the perks of looking so beat up.
But tonight’s all about gathering information for our date, which means I desperately need her to stay away.
The last thing I want is her walking in on me asking the town’s most notorious matchmakers and gossipers for romantic advice.
“Good timing,” Emmy says with a grin. “Neesha’s making a cupcake delivery to another town tonight. Won’t be back for at least an hour.”
“Perfect.”
“Think you can handle them?” Emmy asks, nodding toward a circle of ladies in the cafe.
“What? Small-town women are the perfect source of the information I need. They’re like a gold mine.”
“Well, Mary-Ellen’s been speculating about you and Neesha ever since she arrived this evening.”
“Let me guess. According to her, we’re already engaged?” How Mary-Ellen knows everyone’s business is a mystery worthy of its own book, but I plan to use her powers for good—namely, finding out more of Neesha’s favorite things.
Emmy laughs. “Worse. She’s planning your nuptials. I think she’s settled on an outdoor wedding next fall.”
I sigh. “Remind me why I thought this was a good idea?”
“Because you’re totally into Neesha, and desperate to prove you’re not like Nate?” Emmy suggests, handing me a mug of coffee. “Here, you’ll need this. They’ve been discussing the bachelor auction for twenty minutes already.”
“Yeah, I’m trying not to think about the bachelor auction,” I mutter, taking the mug. “Don’t get me wrong—I want to help stop that MacDonald guy so we don’t have to move the team. I just don’t want to go on a date with a random woman when the only person I want to be with is Neesha.”
“I know, but I think she’ll understand,” Emmy says. “The whole team has to participate since MacDonald’s claiming he owns your parking lot. It’s not like you have a choice.”
There’s no way Neesha could compete with Maple Falls’ wealthier residents, and we both know it.
What kills me is picturing her face when she watches some other woman bid on me and win.
The worst part? She’ll just let me go, because in her mind, I was never really hers to begin with, even though I’ve been hers from the moment she said “Hi-ho.”
That’s why this date has to be perfect. If I can’t convince her I’m worth taking a chance on, then the bachelor auction won’t just be awkward. It’ll be the thing that ends us before we even begin.
Emmy heads toward the back of the shop where the cafe is. “By the way, we have some new visitors today,” she says over her shoulder. “Word got out that you needed some advice, and apparently some special friends offered to help.” She grins, and I suddenly get the feeling I’ve been set up.
The chatter of voices immediately dies when I reach the cafe. Eight heads turn my way, and that’s when I realize I’ve walked into what can only be described as a dating intervention.
This can’t be right. I wanted to ask a few discreet questions about Neesha’s favorite places in town, not become the star of my own personal reality dating-show episode, featuring my teammates’ girlfriends offering their unsolicited advice.
These aren’t just the usual book club ladies. It’s like the entire future WAG club of Maple Falls decided to crash book club to meddle with my love life.
There’s Marcy Fontaine, the accountant at Happy Horizons Ranch who’s been spending time with Clément and assisting Neesha with her accounting.
Clara Johnson does social media for our team and is officially dating Cade.
Bailey Porter, a Maple Falls local, has been dating our Alabama boy, Carson, rather seriously.
And then there’s Mabel and Fiona—Neesha’s friends who are both involved with my teammates, Asher and Weston.
“They’re not here for book club, are they?” I whisper to Emmy.
“Of course not.” Emmy nudges me. “They’re here for you . So you don’t mess this up.”
Emmy clears her throat as she addresses the group. “Ladies, this hockey player needs our expertise—planning the perfect date. And since we all know and love hockey players, I thought we could give him our advice.”
I look around the room at all these women who apparently dropped everything to come tonight. I’m considering turning around and heading out the door before this becomes awkward. Except— too late —it already is.
“Consider it a group effort,” Clara says cheerfully. “The whole ‘it takes a village’ approach to dating.”
“More like, ‘it takes a hockey team’s worth of women,’” Mabel adds.
“Thank you for coming out tonight,” I begin, feeling the twinge in my cheek from my injury.
Mary-Ellen gasps a little. “Good heavens, your face looks terrible! Mabel told me you took a hit, but she didn’t mention you were practically disfigured.”
I glance over at Mabel who’s pinching her nose, trying to hold back her comments.
“Um, the injuries look worse than they are. But Neesha took good care of me.”
Emmy steps in quickly. “Lucian, I think you’ve met most of the book club…”
“Except me!” a woman standing next to the punch bowl claims. Given the fact she’s already refilled her cup twice, I’m beginning to wonder what exactly is in that punch.
“I’m Noreen Harrison. So pleased to meet you,” she purrs, walking over to me and holding out a hand with several large, sparkly rings on it.
She looks like a woman trying to age gracefully into Maple Falls’ aristocracy.
“I hear you’re dating the girl who works at the cafe here. ”
“Only one date so far,” I say.
“And now she’s delivering more than cupcakes to your door, from what I hear,” Noreen Harrison adds with a sly look.
The rest of the group titters with laughter, except for Mrs. Nelson, who crosses her arms and says, “I didn’t tell her a thing!”
“What?” Noreen looks both delighted and surprised. “I’m just saying what everyone’s thinking. He’s an injured hockey player and , conveniently, her neighbor.”
“For the record,” I say, “she came over because she was worried about me. She’s the kind of person who shows up when someone needs help, no questions asked.
Neesha Gilmore is one of the most genuine, caring people I’ve ever met, and if anyone has a problem with her showing basic human kindness, that says more about them than it does about her. ”
The room goes quiet, and I can see a few nodding heads.
“Well,” Noreen says after a moment, “when you put it like that, she sounds perfectly lovely. ”
“She is,” I agree. “Which is why I need your help making sure she knows it.”
Mary-Ellen looks pleased with my defense. “We were just discussing the bachelor auction before you arrived. You’re participating, aren’t you?”
I shift uncomfortably. “I am, yes. I don’t want the hockey team to move to a different city.”
“Though I imagine that complicates things for your date with Neesha,” Mary-Ellen adds.
“The timing is bad,” I admit. “I know Neesha doesn’t have the money right now. I’m hoping the bids stay low for my date.”
“Neesha would never bid on anyone, even if she had the money,” Mabel says. “She’s too proud to compete publicly like that, especially after what Nate put her through. And between paying off her mom’s medical bills and saving for Seattle…” She gives a helpless shrug.
“If she can’t bid on you, don’t worry, my niece has invited a bunch of friends from Seattle who have deep pockets,” Noreen interrupts, clearly missing what everyone’s saying about Neesha’s dire situation. “They’ll make sure to drive up your bid!”
Perfect. So the one person I want to bid on me can’t afford it, but I’ll have a bunch of women I’ve never met throwing money around for a date neither of us will enjoy. This is exactly the opposite of what I want.
“How about we get back to our topic at hand,” Emmy says. “Let’s help Lucian with ideas for how he can impress Neesha. What’s the most thoughtful thing a guy has ever done for you?”
Clara raises her hand. “Cade brought me chamomile tea and fuzzy socks when my chronic fatigue syndrome was flaring up. It wasn’t fancy, but it showed that he saw me—the real me, not just the put-together version I allow everyone else to see.
I think the best dates demonstrate you’ve been paying attention to who she really is. ”
“Okay, so I should bring her something she wouldn’t expect,” I say, taking note of this. Cade has been surprisingly thoughtful since he started dating Clara.
“Or just something that matters to her,” Marcy clarifies.
“Clément keeps surprising me at the ranch, like he’s really trying to care about the things I care about.
I thought hockey players were all ladies’ men, but he shows up ready to help, even when I haven’t asked him to.
I’m trying not to read too much into it, but it’s hard not to notice someone who actually follows through. ”
“I think sometimes the unplanned moments are the most romantic,” Fiona says. “Weston and I had a moment like that recently, and it wasn’t some grand gesture. It was just…real. So whatever you do, don’t make it seem too pretentious.”
“So I shouldn’t over-plan, but leave room for spontaneity?”
“Right,” she confirms.
Bailey nods her head. “I agree with that. Carson defended me when my family was giving me grief about my maple butter business. He didn’t just support my dreams, he validated them too.
Then when we were out once, he carved our initials into the old apple tree by the lake.
It wasn’t a planned thing—it was just sweet. So don’t discount the little things.”
“Neesha mentioned the lake is one of those special places,” I say. “She used to go there with her mom.”
“As one of Neesha’s oldest friends, I’d say make the date about her,” Mabel adds. “Asher makes me feel like I can just be myself around him. In a town where everyone’s watching, he’s the one person who lets me be messy and imperfect.”
“Great advice,” I say, looking around at these women who clearly care about Neesha as much as I do. “You ladies are giving me a lot to think about.”
Emmy reaches for a well-worn book on the side table.
“Well, before we get too carried away planning your dating strategy, we should probably discuss our actual book of the month. Coincidentally, it might give us even more insight. This month we’re reading Pride and Prejudice , which happens to be Neesha’s all-time favorite. ”
“Really?” I ask.
Mary-Ellen nods enthusiastically. “Oh, she’s read it at least a dozen times. Always has loved Mr. Darcy—the misunderstood man who proves he’s more than just a wealthy bachelor.”
“You know what I’ve always wondered?” Emmy muses, shooting me a meaningful look. “If a modern Mr. Darcy were planning the perfect date for a modern Elizabeth, what would it include?”
“Dancing,” Mary-Ellen declares without hesitation. “There must be dancing.”
“As well as reading and intelligent conversation,” Mrs. Nelson adds. “Elizabeth values a man’s mind.”
“I think you’re both missing the point,” Noreen says, fanning herself dramatically. “The perfect date needs romance, ladies!”
The women laugh, because no one could challenge that.
And suddenly I know exactly what Neesha needs. Not just a date, but romance. The kind she deserves but has never had.
“Thank you,” I say, standing with new purpose. “I know exactly what I need to do.”