“Hmm. I find your assessment of me very interesting. If I had known that’s what was keeping the men away all these years, it might have saved me a little self-esteem.”
“Trust me. You’re beautiful, smart, sweet, funny. You’re everything that any guy with half a brain is looking for.”
“Including you?” she asked, wishing she could take the question back as soon as it left her mouth.
“Including me.”
Moira cleared her throat. “Okay.”
Gil gave her a strange look. “Okay, what?”
“I want to take Molly home with me. I want to adopt her. You’ve convinced me.”
Gil looked pleased. He reached for Moira’s hand, giving it a soft squeeze. “Let’s go get her then.”
* * *
Gil’s heart sank for Moira as soon as they approached the spot where Molly had previously been. The little Cavalier was no longer there on its leash. Instead there was a cardboard heart that read I’VE BEEN ADOPTED!
Moira seemed to visibly wilt as she stood there staring at the cardboard sign.
Gil cleared his throat. “Want to find another pup who’ll steal your heart?”
She shook her head quietly and then looked up at him. There was a shiny quality to her eyes that took him off guard. And now he felt awful for even suggesting she adopt a pet here today. She was disappointed.
“I’m sorry,” he said.
“Not your fault. I’m happy for little Molly,” Moira said, putting on an unbelievable smile. “Whoever adopted her probably knows a lot more about raising a pup than I do. I don’t know much. And I have my hands full with a day job and running for mayor.”
“Not to mention dating me,” Gil said, hoping to cheer her up.
Her eyes seemed to warm as she looked up at him. “You are quite the handful.”
“So I’m told. Hey, do you want to go somewhere else? We’ve made our appearance here. How about we head out?”
“But you haven’t made those balloon animals you told me about yet,” she teased.
“Another time.” Gil reached for Moira’s hand. “If we’re outing ourselves as a couple tonight, we should venture out and show everyone.”
Moira laughed. “We can spread our own news before Reva has a chance to.”
“That’s the spirit. I have an idea of where to go,” he said.
“Where?”
He shook his head. “It’s a surprise. Do you trust me?”
“After you made me fall in love with a puppy, decide to adopt it against my better judgment, and broke my heart?” she asked.
Gil made a face. “Is that a no?”
“It’s a yes. I trust you despite all that.” She squeezed his hand. “Lead the way.”
* * *
Twenty minutes later, Gil thought Moira looked a lot more relaxed. “Chocolate for the win, right?” he asked.
Moira grinned at him across the table. “Choco-Lovers always cheers me up.”
“Good to know.” He leaned forward and reached a hand toward her face.
Moira’s smile dropped quickly.
“You have a little…”
“Oh. I have chocolate on my cheek?” she asked, trying to brush it off herself. “Did I get it?”
Gil shook his head. “You smeared it. Here.” He brushed his finger over her cheek, trying to get it off for her. Her skin was soft and touchable, and he loved the fact that he could touch her now. “There.” He lowered his hand.
Moira looked at him strangely for a long moment. Then she reached for her drink and pulled it closer to her but didn’t take a sip. Her vibe was suddenly guarded.
“You okay?” he asked.
“Yeah.” She nodded. Then she quickly shook her head, looking increasingly flustered. “That’s how he was able to get me to leave the table and drug my drink. He pretended like there was something on my cheek. Felix.” She visibly swallowed.
Gil’s mouth dropped. “Moira, I’m sorry. I didn’t know.”
“Of course you didn’t. And I know you would never put anything in my drink. It just…I don’t know. The moment just hit me weird, that’s all.”
“Well,” Gil said, “just so you know, I’m not pretending. You actually do have chocolate on your cheek. You’re a mess, to tell the truth,” he teased.
This made Moira smile. Then she blew out a breath. “My secret is out. Do you want to break up with me now?” she asked.
“If you’re trying to get rid of me, you’ll have to try harder than that.”
“I’m not. I’ve decided that I like having you around.” She took a sip of her drink.
“You do?”
“Mm-hmm.” Picking up one of her chocolate puffs from the plate at the center of the table, she held it out to him. “I’m even willing to share my treats with you.”
“Wow. That’s serious.” Gil leaned forward again to take a bite of the chocolate puff she held out. Just as he was about to taste it, Moira brushed it over his cheek.
“Oops.” Her giggle turned into a full-on laugh.
“Accident, huh?” Gil asked. “And to think I tried to help you get the chocolate off your face. A future mayor should always be presentable.”
“So should a current mayor,” she teased.
As she was laughing, Gil lifted one of his chocolate truffles and swiped it over her chin. “There. We’re both unpresentable now.”
“No, you did not,” Moira said on a small laugh, raising her chocolate puff again.
They stopped laughing when the shop’s owner, Jana, walked over. She stood at the head of their table and looked between them. “No food fights, you two. If I didn’t know better, I’d think you were a couple of teenagers in here.”
Gil looked at Moira. “What can I say? Moira makes me feel like a teenager again.”
“Aww.” Jana shook her head. “That’s sweet. You have a keeper, Moira. You also have a lot of chocolate on your face right now.”
Moira reached for a napkin. “Sorry, Jana. We got a little carried away.”
“No problem. I’m just happy to see you two enjoying yourselves. It appears the town’s Most Eligible Bachelor is off the market. I wonder who Reva will pin the title on next.”
Gil shrugged. “My condolences to whoever it is. You’re right though. I’m definitely off the market.”
Moira handed him a napkin and laughed. “And also covered in chocolate.”
Gil wiped his cheek and then lowered the napkin. “Okay, so tell me the truth.”
Moira paused mid-bite into a truffle. “Hmm?”
“You were acting very strangely around Beth Chimes. What was that about?”
Moira lowered her truffle. For a moment, she shrugged and looked like she might give him some excuse that wasn’t exactly true. “She called me on the dispatch the other day. She’s the caller who didn’t remember what happened on her date the night before.”
Gil stiffened. “Are you sure about that?”
Moira looked guilty. “I kept her number and called it back a couple days later. She answered as an organizer of Animal Rescue Ranch. She said her name was Beth.” Moira looked down at her hands. “I just wanted to check on her. I wanted to look her in the eyes and see for myself that she was okay.”