Don't Let Go (38 page)

Georgette Pruitt drifted by, all plump and happy on her trailer of white flowers, followed by a giant snowflake-encrusted castle, manned by none other than Becca and Lizzy’s family.

We hooted and hollered and generally did everything we could to embarrass her, but I didn’t miss her questioning glance at Noah’s arm resting on my shoulders.

I texted her,
Yep
.

She texted back
OMG
with a smiley face.

The communication generation.

“So, what are you doing tonight?” Noah asked in my ear as another truck went by with fluttery white things that were intended to be snow but really looked like aliens.

Hopefully, a repeat of the morning.
If he kept talking that close to my ear, however, things could very well take care of themselves. My nerve endings were so hyperaware of him, it wasn’t taking much.

“No plans, why?”

“Come to the carnival with me?”

Oh, blech. I gave him a beseeching look. “Really?”

“I haven’t been in decades,” he said.

“I assure you, you were bored then, and we always found other things to do,” I said. “It hasn’t changed.”

“Humor me,” he said, his voice a whisper, his eyes dancing. “I want to walk around town with you tonight. Eat chili and fried everything. Celebrate today.”

I watched his lips as he spoke, and I wanted to lick them. Okay, so he’d brought out my more carnal urges.

“You play dirty,” I said. “Not fair bringing Seth into it.”

“Told you I don’t play fair,” he said, staring at my mouth as well. “Is Becca home tonight?”

“No, she’s staying another night at Lizzy’s,” I said.

“Then I promise I’ll make it worth your while after the carnival,” he said, pulling me close to him.

• • •

Ruthie and I were cleaning up after a very chaotic, productive day. “I’m proud of you,” she said while she ran the sales tape for the close of the day. “You actually watched the parade for once. Can’t remember the last time you even bothered to go outside for that.”

“When Bec was little,” I said, collapsing into a chair. My muscles were stiffening up a little from the morning’s acrobatics. I smiled as I thought about that.

“Bullshit,” she said. “I’d take her out there and you’ve always had something else to do.”

“Customers,” I said, gesturing around me as if there were hoards to prove it.

“Oh, whatever,” she said. “So, was it Noah’s influence that got you out there?”

“No,” I said, scoffing. “Maybe it was just a good mood? I do have those. And Becca was in it, so I had to watch for her.”

“Maybe it was a sex high,” Ruthie said, giving me a cockeyed questioning look.

“I vote for that,” I said, raising my hand.

“I knew it!” she said. “I knew you had that just-laid look about you.” She laughed and threw a stale cookie at me.

I took a bite. I wasn’t proud. I didn’t have time to go get lunch.

“I’m hoping I have that look again tonight,” I said. “But I have to go to this stupid carnival first.”

Ruthie sighed. “Annnnnd . . . the Grinch is back.”

“Please, you don’t get tired of it?” I asked. “We hear that damn music all day, smell the grease all day. You want to go back at night?”

“Sure!”

“Well, you’re demented.”

“No, you’re just tainted,” she said. “This year’s different.”

“Oh, my God, so different,” I said, laying a hand on my chest. “I need to call Seth again, speaking of that. He didn’t answer earlier.”

“Listen to you,” Ruthie said, stopping. “Did you ever think you’d be able to say those words?”

I smiled. “I know.”

“So, what did you want to talk to me about that
wasn’t ominous
?” she asked.

I looked at her for a couple of beats, taking a deep breath before making the jump.
Hope you’re okay with this, Mom. And if you’re not, I really don’t care.

“Settling.”

She frowned. “Settling on what?”

I shook my head. “I don’t know what I’d do here without you, Ruthie. Especially the last few weeks while I lost my mind.”

Ruthie laughed softly and came to flop in the chair across from me.

“No big deal, that’s what we do,” she said.

“No, that’s what
you
do,” I said. “You take care of me. You always have. But you also took over the store.” I gestured around us. “You ran the place. And let’s be honest, you were doing most of that already anyway.”

Ruthie shrugged. “I enjoy it, Jules. I love this store. We grew up in here.”

“I know,” I said. “But I never fell in love with it like you did.”

“That’s just because you mom shoved it down your throat,” she said, chuckling.

“No—I mean, yeah, that’s part of it,” I said. “But also I’m just not wired for this. Running a business.”

“What are you saying?” Ruthie said, leaning forward, looking concerned. “That you want out?”

I looked around me, at all that my mother had created and handed over to me.
Never settle, baby
.

“I settled on my whole life because my mother told me to,” I said. “Gave up my son, my dreams, and my guy because she said to. Took this store—even moved into her house because she designed it that way.”

“Jules,” she said, pulling my attention back. “Where are you going with this?”

I took a deep breath. “I want to sell the store.”

Ruthie sat back, looking conflicted.

“To you,” I continued.

Her jaw dropped. “Holy shit,” she whispered.

I grimaced. “Is that good?”

She waved her hands around in lieu of the words that eluded her. “I—I don’t know. I’m kind of—wow.”

“Well, you said you wanted to start a business, and I know this one’s not new, but no one I know has the passion and drive to take this place on like you do,” I said. “And I wouldn’t just leave, I’d stay to help you with anything you need. I just have other things I want to dive into.”

“I’m—blown away,” she said, getting up and sitting on the arm of my chair to hug me. “Oh, my God, Jules, this is surreal, my head is spinning.”

“So is that a yes?” I asked.

“Well, let me talk to Frank about it, but let’s whisper yes right now and yell it on Monday,” she said.

I laughed and hugged her again. I had thought that would be difficult, but once I started it was like the store was jumping to get away from me. I couldn’t really blame it.

“Oh, my God, and I got a rocking chair!” she said, pulling back. “I forgot to tell you.”

“That one I failed you on?”

“Nope. A better one at Old Tin Barnes,” she said. “I saw Savanna Barnes at the bank and she hooked me up. She had one much more rustic, and cheaper, and Frank is making it awesome.” Ruthie stopped and hugged her arms to herself. “Oh, wow, and it might be the first thing I put in my store,” she whispered.

It was contagious, her giddiness. Like watching Becca see everything ahead of her.

Ruthie shook her head free and smiled, her eyes shining. “So, what are these things you want to do?”

“No concrete plans, but—Becca suggested some art classes, and—”

“Yes!” she exclaimed, jumping up and making me laugh. “It’s about time you got reacquainted with your freaky self! I used to love your artwork.”

“Well, I’ll have some time and money, now that Becca is putting off college a year—”

“Wait, what?”

I laughed. “Yeah, that’s another story. She’s going to work on her writing.”

Ruthie backed up and studied me. “Who
are
you?”

“That’s the exact thing Becca said,” I said, smiling, feeling the weight of old crotchety me lifting by the minute.

“Well, you are stepping outside your box, that’s for sure,” she said.

“It was time.”

“Just think of that tonight at the carnival,” she said, to which I groaned. “More box-stepping,” she said. “You can do it.”

Chapter 26

The temperature dropped thirty degrees since our sunny day at noon. Even Harley gave me a look when I told her to go outside and do her business. I’m sure she was thinking the hall bathroom would do just fine.

Becca came and went, restocking for her second sleepover night, and then texting me a few hours later with a line of smiley faces. She was in a great mood. I was, too, in spite of the carnival plans in freezing temps. I was going on a date with Noah Ryan for the first time in twenty-six years.

With the possibility of a sleepover of my own.

I was such a slut.

And when Noah arrived an hour early, with a delicious look of desire in his eyes, I was eager to explore that. Which we did. All over my kitchen. And I didn’t even obsess about sanitization. I figured I could worry about that later, and he was worth every bit of it. If I could have kept him naked 24/7, I would have.

Lord, who
was
I?

Evidently I was a woman held down by rules and boundaries for far too long.

There was also something to be said for Noah in clothes, too. In faded jeans, boots, a dark blue button-down shirt and that do-me-on-the-table leather jacket of his, I was salivating.

“You taste like cupcakes,” he said later, licking and kissing my neck as I attempted to get ready. We’d already gone two rounds.

“Vanilla and coconut lime body splash,” I said.

“Mmm, it makes me want to—”

“Again?” I said, laughing.

“I was gonna say go buy some cake,” he said on a grin. “But I’ll be game again in a couple of hours.”

“Have you talked to Seth today?” I asked. “I’ve tried calling him but he hasn’t answered.”

“Yeah, right after I left here, before the parade,” he said.

“Hmm, guess I just keep missing him,” I said. “Does he have big plans for the day?”

“He said he was spending the day with family,” he said.

I felt a prick of pain to my heart on the word, but then let it go. It was right that he do that. It was right.

Icy air hit me like a wall when we parked in front of the bookstore and got out.

“Déjà vu,” I said. “Sure seems like I was just here. Oh, geez,” I muttered, pulling my coat tighter around me. “What is wrong with these people?”

Food aromas assaulted our senses. Either it had gotten stronger with the thicker, denser air or we had some serious post-sex munchies going on. I wanted it all.

“Don’t suppose there’s like a sampler platter,” Noah said as we approached the various chili booths.

“Uh, no,” came a familiar voice behind us. Linny stood behind a table with a patio cover overhead, a giant red apron announcing
1st Place Winner
emblazoned across the front. A matching banner hung overhead. “There’s only one bowl of chili you need to get.”

I sucked a breath and ran to hug her. “Oh, my God, Linny!” I said. “You won! Holy shit!”

“I know, isn’t it crazy?” she said, her face pink with pride and the cold.

“Crazy?” I said, laughing. “It’s awesome! It’s about time.”

“You’ve entered before?” Noah asked behind me.

“Every year,” she said.

“Georgette Pruitt has won every single year for—I don’t know, fifteen years?” I said under my breath in case she was lurking.

“At least,” Linny said.

“Way to go,” Noah said, hugging her. “Serve us some up. I’m starving.”

“I’m so proud of you,” I said. “And I want extra. I’m even hungrier than he is.”

“You don’t know that,” he said, looking down at me with mischief in his eyes.

“Oh, yeah, I do,” I said. “You’re saving room for cake, remember?”

“I can have both.”

“I’m sorry,” Linny said, raising her hand. “Have I missed an announcement or something?” She pointed to us in turn. “When did this happen?”

“This morning,” I said, unable to keep the ridiculous smile off my face.

“Oh, thank God!” she said, coming around the table to maul us at the same time. “Oh, man, I prayed this would happen. Not that Shayna wasn’t nice, but—you’re just family. Oh, Lord, I’m so excited.”

When I laughed, she clamped a hand down on each of our arms and looked up in Noah’s face with amusement in her eyes. “Dad’s gonna shit a brick.”

“He’ll get over it,” Noah said.

“Hey, he actually hired Becca,” I said. “So maybe he’s mellowing in his old age.”

“True,” she said, pointing at me. “And—I haven’t seen the cane in action for a while.”

“Nope, the music has evidently stopped,” I said.

“It’s the day the music died,” she said, nodding to keep a straight face while I snickered.

“So can we have some chili now?” Noah asked.

“Oh, men,” Linny scolded. “We’re talking drama, and all they can think about is food.”

Not all, but I wasn’t going there with Noah’s sister. She ladled up two helpings of steaming chili and a generous handful of shredded cheese into two plastic bowls.

“Fritos?” she asked.

“Of course,” I said, while Noah declined. I shook my head at him. “Italy ruined you.”

He turned to me before he took his first bite. “Well, then you have the rest of our lives to get me back in line.”

The cold almost disappeared there for a second as those words warmed me down to my toes. The day couldn’t get any better, and I was afraid to keep thinking that. Afraid I’d jinx it. Only downside is that I hadn’t gotten to talk to Seth.”

“Your Nana was here just a little bit ago,” Linny said.

“Really?” I said. “How’d she get here?”

Linny shrugged. “Don’t know, but she’s eating like a wild boar on a tear.”

I laughed. “Probably bribing people for their recipes, too.”

“Oh, she tried,” Linny said with a wink. “But I don’t cave easily. Did you hear that it might actually snow?” she said, grinning like a kid. “Wouldn’t that be something?”

Yeah, it would be something. Especially today, but the odds of that were nearly zero. “I wouldn’t hold my breath,” I said. “We’ll just get sleet or something.”

The chili thawed me completely. Only thing better was if I could have soaked my hands in it. But it left my mouth warm and tingling with Texas spice, the way chili ought to be.

“Mmm, Linny, this is amazing,” Noah said. “I never knew you could cook like this.”

“Always thought it was the best,” I said. “Has Hayden been out yet to get some? You know he goes loopy for your chili.”