Page 56 of Wood You Knot

“She said she did,” I replied, leaning against the work bench behind me. “But she also mentioned throughout the evening that she doesn’t know if she can trust her feelings now, so that’s great.”

“Did you tell her that it only works if you are soulmates?”

“Yeah.” I sighed. “Not sure how much of a comfort that was, though,” I added. Who wanted to discuss the heaviness of soulmates on a first date? First dates were supposed to be casual and fun, about exploring one another and seeing if you even wanted that second date.

I mean, I’d known before the first date I wanted a second one, and a third, and a lifetime of dates with Sage Whitaker, but just because I was sure, didn’t mean she had to be. Or that I should unload that on her. I’d meant it when I told her I’d take it as slow as she needed.

“I’ll get Tabitha to talk to her if you want,” Parker suggested.

“No, absolutely not. I’d rather you guys didn’t involve yourselves in our dating life any further,” I replied, sending him a stern look.

Parker lifted his hands in surrender. “Fine, fine. We’ll keep our noses out of your business.”

“Great. Now if only the rest of the town would too.” I let out an aggravated breath.

“That’s probably not going to happen.” Parker smirked. “You know the residents of this town love following a good romance, and the Hartley sisters are relentless once they get an idea in their head…”

“Yeah, I know.” I scratched the back of my neck and sighed again. The Hartley family’s obsession with the love elixir and matchmaking used to be amusing and almost cute…when their attention wasn’t focused on me, but I suppose this was my penance for the amusement I felt watching Parker go through it with Tabitha.

* * *

On my break on Tuesday, I drove downtown to meet Sage for lunch at Candlelight Bistro. I found parking down the street and walked over.

Sage was just exiting the hardware store when I was almost at the bistro. Our eyes connected, and the smile she gave me had everything inside me shifting, realigning. Rightening.

“Hey, gorgeous,” I said to her, crossing over to her and placing my hand on her hip. I kissed her on the temple. I would have preferred to capture her lips in a more demanding kiss, but the streets were busy, and I knew her uncle could probably see us from the window.

“Hey.” She smiled, her cheeks flushing as she peered around. Nobody seemed to be paying attention, though. I dropped my hand to the small of her back as we started walking. “How’s work been?” she asked me.

“Busy, but good. What about you?” I answered, opening the door to the bistro.

“Not so busy, but still good,” she replied, walking through it. The bistro was busy—as it usually was at lunchtime. We waited in the lineup for our turn. “I’m not sure why Uncle Ed wanted to hire me. I feel like all he does is pay me to stand around.”

“Yeah, but he’s been able to go to his doctor appointments without having to close up, which probably helps him out a lot,” I pointed out. She nodded thoughtfully. “Ed’s busy season tends to be in the spring and summer, when all the summer tourists are making repairs on their cottages. It gets a little quiet during the fall and winter months.”

“I guess that’s true.” Sage sighed. “I still feel guilty, though. It’s like I’m needlessly costing him money.”

“I don’t think that’s the case, but if you’re worried, you could always ask him.” She nodded, and the customer ahead of the person in front of us moved along. It was almost our turn. “Have you tried the shawarmas yet?”

“No, I’ve actually been trying to avoid this bistro.” Sage chuckled. “I figured if I found out it was really good, I’d be in trouble—what with my apartment and place of work right here.”

“Fair enough.” I laughed. “This place really does make the best shawarmas. And the lavender rose lemonade is great too.”

“Mmm, that does sound good,” Sage remarked. “Okay, I’ll try that.”

The person ahead of us placed their order and moved on, leaving the counter free to us. We stepped forward, and Marvin Gauthier, the bistro owner and renowned chef, smiled. “Let me guess, beef shawarma panini?” Chef asked, giving me a knowing smile.

I placed my hand on the small of Sage’s back, and Chef glanced at the contact, his smile growing. “Two of them, please, and two lavender rose lemonades,” I replied. Like I’d told Sage earlier, I came to the bistro at least once a week, every week—specifically for their beef shawarma paninis.

“Coming right up,” Chef said, typing our orders into the cash register. He handed me a number and offered Sage his hand with a welcoming smile. “Hi, I’m Chef Marvin. It’s nice to meet you…”

“Sage Whitaker,” she replied, shaking his hand.

“You’re Ed and Emelia’s niece,” Chef exclaimed. “I’ve been meaning to pop over and introduce myself. We’ve been really busy the last few weeks, though.” He chuckled, gesturing to the crowded bistro.

“That’s okay; I could have come in sooner myself. It’s nice to meet you,” Sage replied.

“It’s nice to meet you too. Welcome to Hartwood Creek,” Chef beamed.

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