23
The fire crackled in Capri’s stone hearth, casting a warm glow across the newly renovated living room. The sage green and creamy white furniture was arranged in a way that encouraged conversation—something Jake had been mindful of when designing the space. Not that Capri would easily admit it aloud, but she appreciated his thoughtfulness more than she let on.
As if reading her mind, Jake set down the tray of drinks on the coffee table and pressed a quick kiss to Capri’s temple before grabbing his jacket. “I’ll let you girls have your time,” he said, flashing his easy grin. “Call me if you need anything.”
Capri rolled her eyes at his overprotectiveness, but she couldn’t shake the warmth spreading in her chest as she watched him leave.
Charlie Grace barely suppressed a smile from her spot on the couch, swirling her wine glass. “He’s been hovering, huh?”
“You have no idea,” Capri muttered, stretching out her legs—her right one still stiff but healing well. “I can finally move without wincing, and yet he still insists on carrying everything for me, like I’m made of glass.”
Lila frowned. “Give him a break. You’re still on crutches.”
Reva laughed, tucking her legs under her as she leaned back. She cupped a mug of chamomile tea in her hand. “Enjoy it while it lasts. That man is smitten with you.”
“Yeah, yeah,” Capri said, brushing off the remark, though her cheeks betrayed her with a telltale flush. She placed her glass down a little too hard, a tiny drop sloshing over the side. “I never said I don’t like Jake’s attention,” she muttered, dabbing at the spill with a napkin. When she looked up, three pairs of eyes were locked on her, grinning. “Oh, shut up. All of you.”
Lila lifted her wine glass in Capri’s direction with a teasing smirk. “Well, I can tell you that having someone dote on you isn’t the worst thing.” She sighed. “You’re just like my daughter. Camille barely lets me fuss over her.”
Charlie Grace set her wine down. “How’s she doing with everything? Is she excited yet?”
Lila exhaled, shaking her head. “I wish I could say yes. She’s handling things, doing well in her online classes, but…I don’t know. I just don’t feel like she’s letting herself feel it yet.”
“She still doesn’t want to know if it’s a boy or a girl?” Capri asked.
“Nope. Not yet. She says she might change her mind, but honestly, I think she’s still wrapping her head around the whole thing. We went maternity shopping, and she was picking things out, but it felt more like she was going through the motions.” Lila reached for a piece of cheese from the platter on the coffee table. “I know she’s scared. I just wish she’d let herself get excited. Because I am.”
Reva squeezed Lila’s hand. “She’ll get there. It’s a lot to process. Babies make everything feel real in a way nothing else does.”
Charlie Grace raised a brow. “Speaking from experience?”
Reva let out a dry chuckle. “Let’s just say they are cute as babies. But the toddler years?” She mock-shuddered. “That’s when the real work starts. That’s when you wonder if you’ve ruined them or if they’ll end up on a therapist’s couch complaining about you one day.”
Lila chuckled. “Well, that’s comforting. Although the same can be said about teenagers.”
As the group’s laughter faded, Capri leaned back with a sly grin, tilting her wine glass toward Charlie Grace. “Enough about me—let’s talk about you, Miss Sudden Fortune,” she teased, and just like that, all three women turned their attention to Charlie Grace, eyes gleaming with curiosity and mischief, ready to dissect every detail of her newfound wealth.
Charlie Grace leaned forward, refilling her glass with a sigh. “Well, it’s done. The watch is officially sold. The transaction closed last Tuesday.”
Lila’s brows lifted. “Just like that?”
“Just like that.” Charlie Grace took a slow sip, letting the words settle before grinning. “And you would not believe the way people are acting ever since the pocket watch discovery. I thought maybe a few folks would have questions, but the whole town has lost their minds.”
Capri gave her a wolfish grin while stretching out her recovering leg. “Oh, I believe it. Let me guess—Nicola Cavendish has already called dibs on whatever donations you’ll be making. Goodness knows, she has a long list of favorite community events.”
“Oh, she was first in line,” Charlie Grace said, setting down her glass with a flourish. “Stopped me in the post office, Sweetpea yapping in her arms, and whispered, ‘I nominated you for Woman of the Year at the chamber luncheon.’”
Reva choked on her tea. “Are you serious?”
“As a heart attack,” Charlie Grace said. “Like I want some fancy award I didn’t even ask for.”
Reva dabbed at her mouth with a napkin, still recovering from her near tea disaster. “Okay, hold on—I do think you deserve that award,” she said, pointing at Charlie Grace. “But let’s be real, Nicola didn’t nominate you out of the goodness of her heart. That woman’s buttering you up like a biscuit at a Sunday brunch.”
Lila laughed, shaking her head. “Sounds like Nicola is in rare form. I can only imagine what the others are saying.”
“Oh, it seems the entire town has reached new levels of crazy. Everyone’s laying it on thicker than a fresh coat of paint. It’s like I went from Charlie Grace to Queen Charlie, and I hate it.”
Charlie Grace shifted, fixing her friends with a sharp look. “The Knit Wits ambushed me at the Moose Chapel quilting circle. Oma Griffith set down her crochet hook, folded her hands like she was about to pray, and said, ‘Charlie Grace, honey, we’re just wondering—what exactly does a person do with that kind of money?’”
