“You never fooled me. You fell for Gil way before the first date.”
Moira was about to argue that point when the reporter stepped up. “Hi, Moira. I’m Jessica Marcus.” She offered her hand to shake. “I’m so excited you agreed to talk to me on camera this evening.”
Moira’s heart somersaulted in her chest. Was it too late to turn around and run in the opposite direction? “Me too,” she said.
“Okay. Well, let’s get set up and introduce you a little better to potential voters, shall we?”
Moira smiled through the start and middle of her interview. It was going pretty well as far as she could tell. She kept surprising herself at how capable she was. In grade school, she had nearly peed her pants during one oral report she had to do in Mrs. Givens’s classroom.
“I have a little something I want to read to you, if that’s okay,” Jessica said then.
Moira glanced at a piece of paper that Jessica pulled from her pocket. “Um, sure.” She just hoped this wasn’t some kind of sneak attack.
“This is an email that our station received yesterday, and it’s the reason I contacted you for an interview. This letter touched us at the station so much, and we just knew we had to read it to you on the air. Is that okay?”
Moira nodded. “Sure. I guess.”
Jessica pulled a pair of reading glasses out and began to read.
Dear WIT-News,
I hope you will interview Moira Green, the candidate for Somerset Lake mayor. Ms. Green has inspired me, and I think she’d inspire many of your viewers. First, Ms. Green is an ordinary woman who goes out of her way to help others. She recently won a Hero Among Us award. Then, when her mom’s bakery was threatened, she stood up for what she believed in, fought the decision, and decided to step out of her comfort zone and do something in her community to make a change. Most of us go through life doing what’s easy, what’s familiar, what doesn’t stir the pot. Moira Green is an example of someone who is brave, generous, and kind. She’s the type of mayor I want in Somerset Lake. I would love to see her as a guest on your news station.
Sincerely,
One Inspired Somersetter
Jessica looked up at Moira expectantly.
Moira was speechless for a moment. “Wow. I’m not sure what to say. I am just an ordinary woman. That part’s true.”
“We’re all just ordinary until we do something extraordinary,” Jessica said. “I think that’s what you’ve done.”
Moira was still reeling from her interview when she arrived home. The rock from the other night was still there on her porch along with the dent on her door. Not even that could mar her mood right now. She felt exhilarated, and the person she wanted to talk to most right now, to celebrate this moment with, was Gil.
She let herself inside her home, locked the door, and headed into the kitchen. Calling Gil would be wrong, right? She couldn’t brag about doing such a great job when the job she’d done was competing with his. This was so complicated. After months of not dating at all, and years of only subpar dates, she was dating a guy who really didn’t make sense for her on paper.
No. She couldn’t call Gil. That would be rude.
Her phone rang. She reached to pick it up, and her insides turned to mush at the sight of Gil’s name.
“Hello?”
“Hey. You were awesome,” he said without missing a beat. His voice was scratchy and deep. She could almost hear him smiling.
“You watched?”
“Of course I watched. Me and Doug had a watch party, complete with popcorn.”
“Ack. Doug was probably rooting for me to trip over my words.”
“Just a little bit and only out of loyalty to me,” Gil said. “I was rooting for you to do amazing, and that’s exactly what you did. I’m so proud of you.”
Moira swallowed past a tight throat. She was proud of herself too. “I wish you were here.”
“Oh? Why is that? What would you do?” he asked, his voice dropping deeper.
“Kiss you, I guess. You’re the first person I wanted to talk to after the interview.”
“I’m honored,” Gil said quietly. “And, the truth is, I couldn’t wait to talk to you either.”
Moira heard a noise in the background of Gil’s phone. It sounded like a door slamming. “Where are you?”
“Your driveway. Can I come in?”
“You’re in my driveway right now?” she asked, hurrying toward her door.
“Mm-hmm. And I have champagne to celebrate an interview well done.”
Moira went up on her tiptoes to peek out the peephole, and her head felt dizzy. He was here!
“If you don’t want me to come inside, I’ll just hand the bottle over and leave. I promise.”
Moira opened the door, and her heart lifted into her throat. “Hi.”
“Hi.” He held out the bottle of pink champagne. “I’ve been saving this for a special occasion.”
“And you’re willing to waste it on me?” She took the bottle and held it against her midsection.
“Nothing is ever wasted on you, Moira.” He stood there a moment. “Should I leave?”
She shook her head, opening the door wider and gesturing him inside. “No. You should stay.”
* * *
Moira lifted her head, looked at Gil, and gasped. The sound must have startled him because his body jolted on the couch where he was sitting with her.
He looked around sleepily. “What’s going on?”
“I think we dozed off.” She laughed quietly.
Gil seemed to blink heavily. “Sorry about that.” He lifted his arms over his head and stretched, breaking into a loud yawn. Then he lowered his arm around her and tugged her against him for a moment. “I better go.”
“Yeah.” But some part of her wished he could stay. Not to sleep together—they weren’t ready for that just yet—but just to keep her company. It was nice having him here, and she trusted him so much more than she’d ever trusted anyone. “I’ve never let a date come inside my home.”
Gil looked at her. “Never?”
She was probably disclosing too much. Not letting a guy inside her home meant not bringing a guy into her bedroom. She cleared her throat. “Not since college, at least.”
“That’s a long time,” he said.
“A very long time.” They weren’t talking about inviting someone in for a nightcap.
“I take responsibility for that,” Gil said. “Because of Felix.”
Moira shook her head. “You didn’t know what kind of person he was. And I’m not telling you this to make you feel guilty. I’m telling you this to make you feel special. I let you in, and I’m not in a hurry for you to leave. That’s a pretty big deal for me.”
Gil reached for her hand and squeezed it. “I’m in no hurry to leave either, but if I don’t go now, I’ll end up falling asleep again. That might make it hard to keep this relationship of ours under wraps.”
Moira didn’t let go of his hand just yet. “It’s going to get harder to do that anyway. When I see you, all I want to do is kiss you.”
Gil leaned in and brushed his lips over hers, lingering for a long moment. “I feel the exact same way.”