Neesha deserves someone who will guard her heart like the precious thing it is. And I want to be that man, even if it means being patient while she learns to believe it’s possible.
“I’m telling you all this because I think you might be good for her. But, Lucian?” She touches my arm. “You need to go slow—if you make her feel small or unsafe, she’ll retreat again. And she won’t trust you unless you’re honest with her. Do you hear me?”
“Yes.” I look down at my hands, suddenly feeling guilty for hiding this from her.
“You haven’t told her yet that you’re a hockey player, have you?” Mimi guesses.
“No. Not yet,” I say. “I wanted to show her I’m not like Nate first.”
She gives me a stern look. “Don’t wait long. Just remember—that girl’s been disappointed by every man who was supposed to protect her. She’s not going to give you many chances to prove you’re different. If someone else tells her before you do, she won’t give you a second try. Trust broken twice is almost impossible to rebuild.”
“How do I show her I’m different without scaring her off?”
“Keep trying. That girl’s stubborn, but she’s not stupid. Eventually, she’ll see what’s right in front of her.”
She stops to think for a second, lining up her bingo markers in a neat row. “Is Neesha going to the Maple Fest? It’s the first time in sixty years I won’t be there to see all the decorations and couples dancing under the lights.”
“I’m sorry you’ll miss it,” I say.
“Oh, I’m just feeling nostalgic.” She picks up a bingo chip and sets it on a corner square. “You know what would make me feel better though? Pictures. So I can see everything I’m missing.”
“I could take some for you,” I offer without thinking.
“Would you really?” Mimi asks. “But you’d need someone who knows all the traditions, the best spots, which booths have been there since I was young.” She gives me a pointed look. “A local who’s been going since she was small.”
“Let me guess,” I say, trying not to laugh. “A girl who works at a certain bookstore cafe?”
“Perfect!” she says in a pleased voice. “Now, be a dear and help me win this round of bingo. These old biddies have been taking my quarters all morning, and I have a reputation to maintain.”
I chuckle and pull her bingo card closer. “What’s my cut if we win?”
“Free advice. And the satisfaction of helping an old lady destroy the competition.”
I place another chip on a square. “I didn’t know you were so competitive, Mimi. You know bingo is a game of luck, right?”
“Maybe. But I think, as of today,yourluck might definitely be changing.”
CHAPTER 10
NEESHA
That evening, I’m elbow-deep in frosting when there’s a knock at my door. Henry barks once, then wags his tail, which means he already knows who’s behind the door and it’s someone he likes and trusts. I wipe my hands on a towel before opening the door. Emmy stands on the other side with homemade guacamole, a jug of apple cider, and the kind of expression that suggests she’s about to meddle in my life—for my own good.
“Emergency best-friend meeting,” she announces, scratching Henry behind the ears before breezing past me into my apartment.
“What emergency?” I protest, gesturing to the chaos in my kitchen. “I’m kind of in the middle of baking. Historical society order, remember?”
Emmy surveys my tiny kitchen—mixing bowls everywhere, frosting splattered on the counter, me looking like I rolled around in powdered sugar, and just shrugs nonchalantly. “This isn’t a mess—this is your natural habitat. And I can’t stay anyway. Mimi is expecting me in thirty minutes.” Then she sets the snacks on the only clean spot she can find. “You can spare afew minutes for your mental health. Consider this an intervention.”
“An intervention for what?” I ask, already suspicious because Emmy only uses herI’m about to help whether or not you want itvoice when she’s plotting something romantic.
“Well, I’ve been thinking…” she says, pouring me a glass of cider.
“Oh, no,” I interrupt. “Nothing good ever starts with ‘I’ve been thinking.’”
She hands me a cup and fixes me with her look that says she’s not leaving until she’s made her point. “Mabel told me about her dare at the cafe the other day. You know, the one about flirting with the next guy who came in the store? And then you mentioned what Lucian suggested when you were stuck in the storage room together.”
“Not this again,” I groan, taking a sip.
