Chapter 14 #2
Imogen wound the small key on the bottom of the music box, and immediately a tinkling melody filled the quiet shop while the tiny horses began to spin. Her eyes filled with tears as she watched them move, and Lincoln felt his chest tighten.
“I didn’t know if you had one already,” he said. “I figured you might have gotten one for yourself.” He didn’t mention the other thought, he didn’t want to ruin the moment. “But regardless, I wanted to get you one anyway.”
“It’s perfect,” she said softly. “Absolutely perfect. I honestly never got around to looking for one. I can’t believe you remembered.”
“I remember a lot of our conversations,” Lincoln admitted, then immediately wondered if that revelation was too much honesty for a casual gift exchange.
Imogen sniffed and smiled, wiping her eyes as she set the music box down. “Your turn,” she said, gesturing toward his still-wrapped package.
Lincoln went to open it, trying not to tear the wrapping too hastily, although he couldn’t wait to find out what it was.
It was a shoe box, he realized as he pulled the wrapping away, and he saw in a matter of moments that it was exactly what he’d joked about wanting for three consecutive Christmases during high school: a pair of genuine Ugg boots in classic chestnut brown.
The sight was so unexpected that he actually laughed out loud.
Imogen had a worried look on her face at the sound. “Do you not like it?” she asked, chewing her lip, and he laughed again, struggling to get himself under control. He couldn’t believe it.
“Ugg boots,” he said, lifting one of them to examine the soft sheepskin lining. “Imogen, you actually remembered the Ugg boots.”
Her expression turned relieved as she seemed to realize that he liked her choice.
“You mentioned them approximately a hundred times during high school” she said with a grin.
“I figured after all these years, you’d probably still appreciate comfortable footwear.
And,” she added, “much like you, I thought you might have already gotten a pair. But I thought I’d take the chance. ”
Lincoln slipped off one of his work shoes and tried on the boot. It fit perfectly—she’d somehow remembered or correctly guessed his size—and the immediate comfort was exactly what he’d always imagined it would be.
“These are incredible,” he said, genuinely touched that she’d remembered. “I can’t believe you remembered something so ridiculous.”
“I mean, I teased you a lot, but it wasn’t really ridiculous,” Imogen admitted. “It really is a practical thing to want. Comfortable shoes matter when you’re on your feet all day.”
“This is perfect,” Lincoln said. “Really, perfect.”
“So is yours.” Imogen bit her lip, and they looked at each other for a long moment.
The air felt suddenly charged with the awareness that they’d both remembered something special about the other and both taken the time to get a gift that reflected it, and Lincoln felt something shift in the space between them.
The easy friendship they’d rebuilt over the past few months suddenly felt full of possibility, weighted in a way it hadn’t before.
For a moment, Lincoln found himself imagining what it might be like to lean across the counter, to close the distance between them, to find out if the spark he thought he felt was real or just wishful thinking on his part.
He wondered if kissing her would feel the same as it had back then, or different, or something in between.
But then he snapped back to reality. This wasn’t back then.
She had a child, and a life, and a very important project that he didn’t need to be responsible for distracting her from.
If there was going to be a time to risk their friendship over trying to rekindle a decades-old romance, it definitely wasn’t now, he told himself.
He pushed the feelings down, locking them firmly away. “I should let you get back to work,” he said, stepping back slightly and trying to ignore the way his heart was racing. “That sculpture isn’t going to finish itself, and I’m sure you’ll have customers soon.”
“Thank you again for the music box,” Imogen said, cradling it carefully in her hands and beaming at him. “It’s really beautiful. I still can’t believe you remembered.”
“Thank you for the boots.” He was already missing the warmth and comfort of the Ugg boot he’d tried on. “They’re going to make the long days at the rink much more bearable. I’ll think of you every time I wear them,” he added, and then realized he probably shouldn’t have said that.
As he headed for the door, Lincoln found himself fighting the urge to turn around and find an excuse to stay longer. But Imogen had work to finish, and he had his own responsibilities waiting.
Still, as he climbed back into his truck and carefully placed the shoe box on the seat beside him, he couldn’t shake the feeling that something significant had just happened between them. Something that went beyond just exchanging a friendly gift.
They’d both remembered something special about each other, something that each of them had wanted but never gotten from anyone else or even for themselves.
It meant that they both remembered little details about one another, that some part of their connection had never really gone away, even if there were a lot of years between when they’d been more than friends and now.
That had lasted through all those years and distance and the changes life brought, and he couldn’t help but think that meant something.
As he drove home through the bustling Saturday streets, Lincoln found himself smiling despite his confusion about what any of it meant.
The music box had made her cry with happiness.
The Ugg boots were exactly what he’d always wanted.
And for a few minutes in her chocolate shop, surrounded by her hard work and artistry, he’d felt like the most important person in her world.
That was going to have to be enough, he decided. Anything else was too risky.