Chapter 15 #2
That didn’t mean they were going to give up, Vanessa decided firmly as she and Imogen said their goodbyes and she headed back home.
Clearly, her and Mabel’s matchmaking efforts were going to require more patience and effort than they’d originally anticipated.
Lincoln and Imogen were both clearly meant for each other—their gift choices proved that—but they seemed determined to maintain the safety of a friendship rather than venturing into the unknown of trying to rekindle a romance.
But they were obviously perfect for each other, and Vanessa’s mind spun with possible schemes. Instead of heading back home, she decided to go to George’s, where she knew Mabel would be, to go over what they could possibly do next about uniting Lincoln and Imogen.
If they weren’t going to move forward on their own, it was clear more meddling was necessary. She knew Mabel would agree.
To her surprise, she found George and Mabel both downstairs in his living room, with George dressed in jeans and a sweater, sitting by the fire and looking more lively than he had in days.
“You look much better,” Vanessa said happily as she came in and sat down, glad to see the improvement in his condition.
“I’m feeling much better,” George replied, his voice stronger. “Still tired, but more like normal tired than sick tired, if that makes sense.”
“It makes perfect sense,” Vanessa assured him. “And Mabel, you look more rested too.”
“I actually got eight hours of sleep last night,” Mabel said with a smile. “I didn’t realize how much I needed it until I woke up feeling like a human being again.”
“Well, now that you’re both feeling more like yourselves,” Vanessa said, settling back in her chair, “I have news about our matchmaking project.”
Mabel immediately perked up. “How did the gift exchange go?”
Vanessa explained everything, and she saw Mabel’s eyes brighten at the explanation of the gifts, then immediately dim again when she explained that they’d apparently just taken it as evidence of what good friends they were.
George chuckled. “That sounds about right. I remember their parents talking about them back in high school. Those two were friends for ages before they went out on a date. Their parents knew something was going on before they did. Took them months to admit they liked each other the first time around.”
“Well, we clearly need to be more direct in our approach,” Mabel said, clearly unwilling to be defeated by two stubborn adults.
“Or at least keep nudging them together,” Vanessa agreed. “Which is why I was thinking—what if we organized some kind of community event? Something casual and friendly where they’d naturally end up spending time together without it seeming forced or obvious.”
“Like what?” George asked, chuckling as he looked at the two women. “You two aren’t going to give up, are you?”
“Absolutely not,” Mabel and Vanessa both said at the same time.
“I was thinking about it on the drive over,” Vanessa added.
“A movie night at the community center. Something cozy and Christmas-y—maybe It’s a Wonderful Life or White Christmas.
We’ll put up flyers, make it a community thing, but we’ll arrange the seating so that Lincoln and Imogen end up sitting together. ”
Mabel grinned. “Perfect. It’ll be natural for them to show up, and we’ll just give them another little nudge. They’ll have no idea.”
“Exactly,” Vanessa said. “Dim lighting, a cozy Christmas movie, hot chocolate and popcorn for them to share. They’ll get to have a date without even realizing it’s a date.”
“It might actually work,” George said thoughtfully. “Although, if it doesn’t, I’m sure the two of you will have another plan in the works.”
“When should we do it?” Mabel asked. “Actually—why not tonight? We could call around, make it a spontaneous thing. I bet they’d show up if George calls Lincoln and you call Imogen. Ask her to come to hang out with you, and then I’ll find things I need you to do.”
“Why not?” Vanessa said, suddenly giddy with excitement at the idea of something so spontaneous. “I’ll call her now.”
The next hour was a flurry of activity as they planned the movie night, all three of them making calls and getting others to call around as well to get a good group at the community center.
“We have to make sure they show up,” Mabel said. “I know Imogen is busy with her magazine project, and Lincoln is always slammed at the rink this time of year.”
“I’ll convince her,” Vanessa said, hoping that she could.
It worked out better than she’d hoped. Imogen was unsure at first, citing the chocolate project, as Vanessa had expected. But Vanessa managed to convince her at last, and as it turned out, Katie was at a sleepover, so there wouldn’t be any distractions for Imogen and Lincoln.
George got off the phone, a mischievous grin on his face. “Lincoln said he’d be there,” he informed the two women. “And that’s the end of my part in your scheming.”
As they finalized the plans and headed over to the community center to set up, Vanessa felt sure this would work, or at least be the next step in the right direction.
The Secret Santa exchange had proved that Lincoln and Imogen still cared about each other’s happiness, still remembered intimate details about each other’s likes and dislikes and the things they wanted.
They just needed a little bit more of a push.
By seven that evening, the community center was full of guests.
Mabel had hot chocolate and popcorn being passed out, and Lincoln showed up a little early to help set up, as George had requested.
That made it easy enough to make sure that Imogen found a seat next to him, once she showed up five minutes late, as Vanessa had engineered. The only seat left was next to Lincoln.
“Mabel needs help with the snacks,” Vanessa whispered as the movie started up. “Just go sit down, and I’ll come find you in a bit. She’s been so overwhelmed lately, I don’t want to leave her to do it all if she needs help.”
“Of course,” Imogen said. “Do you need help? I can—”
“No, no,” Vanessa said hurriedly. “Go enjoy the movie. Here—” She handed Imogen a cup of hot chocolate. “Relax. You need it, with how hard you’ve been working.”
She watched as Imogen made her way to the empty seat next to Lincoln. As the movie began, Vanessa saw him hold out his bag of popcorn, and Imogen smile as she took a handful.
Perfect, Vanessa thought. Everything was going according to plan.
And before long, Lincoln and Imogen wouldn’t be able to ignore what was right in front of them any longer.