Darla placed her phone down on the table in front of her. “You were great on WTI-News last night, by the way. I can’t believe how poised and well-spoken you are. You are going to make an excellent mayor, sweetie. Nothing against Gil. I love him. But you’re my daughter. I have to root for you.”
Moira sipped her coffee. “You don’t have to root for me, but thank you for your vote,” she said. “The other night I was having a few second thoughts about running. Gil was actually the one who talked me out of dropping out.”
Darla narrowed her eyes. “Oh? And when did you talk to Gil?”
Moira popped a piece of bagel into her mouth. “After the interview.”
When Darla didn’t immediately say anything, Moira looked up. “Why are you looking at me like that?”
The corners of Darla’s mouth twitched in a barely there smile. “You saw Gil after your six o’clock interview? That must have been at least seven o’clock. Where did you see him?”
Moira glanced around the bakery, making sure no one was eavesdropping. Then she shrugged as if it were no big deal. “He came to my house, just to congratulate me on the news segment.”
“Mm-hmm. He could have called to tell you what a great job you’d done.”
“I guess he could have. He was probably just in the area,” Moira said, wishing she hadn’t disclosed that little nugget of information for her mom to run with. Her mom didn’t get a chance to run with anything though, because Gil walked over to their table.
“Morning, ladies,” he said in that deep Gil voice.
Goose bumps rose over Moira’s skin, and she felt her own cheeks flush. Darla would be the one to notice. She felt her mom’s eyes trained on her. In her mind’s eye, Moira could practically see the giddy expression on her mom’s face.
“Morning, Mayor Gil. How are you?” Darla asked, her voice a little more cheerful than usual.
“Doing well, thanks. Morning, Moira. How are you?” he asked, forcing her to look at him.
When she did, her heart melted a little. She was falling hard and fast for this man. She wasn’t sure she’d be able to keep her feelings a secret for long, especially around her mom. Her friends already knew. It was just a matter of time before everyone had figured out who was on the receiving end of Gil’s flowers. “I’m good. Mom was just telling me I have her vote.”
Gil grinned. “I should hope so, seeing that you’re family.”
“If I could vote twice, Mayor Gil, I would.” Darla cast him an apologetic glance.
“You sound like Sheriff Ronnie. He said the same thing. If I have to run against someone though, your daughter is a good choice. I’d vote for her, too, if it didn’t mean booting myself out of a job.” His gaze snagged on Moira’s, and she couldn’t look away. “Congrats again on a great news interview last night.”
“Thank you,” she said.
“Yeah, I hear you went by her home personally to tell her just how well she did,” Darla said, brows lifting.
Gil glanced at Moira, a nervous smile twitching at the corners of his lips.
She cast him an apologetic look. She had never been all that great at keeping secrets. Except for the one about Felix. That was something she never wanted to talk about with anyone. Partly because she wished she had handled the aftermath better instead of landing herself in jail.
“I did drop by Moira’s. Just briefly.” He shifted back and forth on his feet. “Well, I guess I should probably go get my caffeine fix.”
“Bailey’s working the counter this morning,” Darla told him. “Pretty soon Moira and her friends will all have to find a new place to grab coffees. Maybe you can take Moira around and help her find a just-right spot.”
Yeah, Darla was onto Moira and Gil’s relationship. And now that Reva had put the word out that Gil was purchasing flowers at Somerset Florist, it was only a matter of time before everyone would know.
“I’d love to do that,” he said, gaze lingering on Moira.
She suppressed the need to argue that Sweetie’s wasn’t going anywhere. Nothing was set in stone.
“See you later,” Gil told the two.
“Yes, I’m sure you will,” Darla teased, giving Moira a hard stare. “He bought those flowers for you, didn’t he?” she asked, once Gil had walked toward the front counter.
Moira looked down at her bagel, picking a piece off. She rolled it into a doughy ball between her fingers. “I’m pleading the Fifth.”
“I knew it! I am so excited for you two. Wait. How can you be dating your rival?”
“He’s not my rival, Mom.” Moira looked around the bakery and made sure no one was close enough to even read lips. In this town, information was gold. “We’re not looking at the campaign that way. We both just happen to want the same thing, and only one of us can have it.” Moira glanced at the time on her phone. “Keep this on the down-low, okay? Don’t tell Aunt Lois. Don’t even tell Dad.”
Darla pretended to zip her lips. “My lips are sealed.”
“Good. Thank you.” Moira stood and collected her half-full cup of coffee. Once upon a time, she would have thought of it as half-empty. Things were looking up though. Her perspective was brighter under the glow of new dreams and a romantic interest. “I have to get to the dispatch.”
Darla reached for her hand and squeezed. “I am so thrilled for you, sweetheart.”
“Thank you, Mom. It’s new so it might not amount to much.” Moira shrugged, telling her mom the same thing she’d been trying to tell herself. This might be short-lived. Don’t get my hopes up. Prepare my heart to be broken.
“Or,” Darla said, trailing off for a beat, “it might amount to a new son-in-law for me one of these days.”
“Mom!” Moira said in a hushed whisper. “We’re barely dating. Don’t marry me off just yet.”
* * *
Two days later, Moira headed over to Lakeside Books at six p.m., holding a box of cookies from Choco-Lovers. Moira set the box on the coffee table in the back of the store and curled up in her favorite leather recliner there. “Jana sends her love.”
“Anyone else sending their love?” Lucy asked in a singsong voice.
The newest member of the book club, Lara, looked between the two women. “What’s that about? Did I miss something?”
All the women were tuned in to the conversation now.
“Does this have anything to do with Reva’s bullet point this week, saying that Gil was buying flowers for some lucky lady?” Trisha asked, one hand rubbing her belly.
Moira ducked her head. “Why on earth would you think that has anything to do with me?” she asked, trying and failing to dodge their suspicion.
All the women stared at her.
“Who wants to take a field trip to Moira’s home and see if there is a vase of flowers on her dining room table?” Lucy asked, raising her hand first.
Moira shook her head. “Okay, yes. Gil bought the flowers for me, but it’s not a big deal, you guys.”
Della’s mouth dropped open. “A date and flowers? Fancy.”
“Flowers are a pretty big deal in my book,” Trisha agreed. “The only guys to ever bring me flowers were the ones who were seriously working hard to impress me.”