Page 54 of Cherry on Top

Maybe this would be tougher than he’d imagined.

“I haven’t seen her, so I don’t know how she is,” Enzo said. It wasn’t exactly a lie. He hadn’t seen her. “And what’s this about her spending all her time over at the Inn with Joy?”

Oliver waved his hand absently. “Oh, you know, they’re friends. After Giana tried living in Charleston for a bit, she came back here and they hit it off. Giana . . .I don’t know . . .chilled out some. Or my mom finally had the time? I’m not sure. But they’re practically inseparable these days.”

None of this made sense. Giana was not magically more chill. If she was, then Enzo wouldn’t be calling Will Stud Muffin.

“It’s good for my mom to have a friend,” Oliver continued as he poured a shot of espresso into the cup half full of ice. “Keeps her from working too hard. Either at the Inn or her books. Besides, I think Giana told me she was helping Joy source some antiques for the Inn expansion.”

Enzo didn’t point out that Joy working less seemed incongruous if they were adding onto the Inn. He just took his coffee, his hand pie, and muffin nothing but a wrapper full of crumbs he tossed in the garbage on the way out, nodded to Oliver, and left.

Chapter Eleven

“You’re smiling an awful lot today,” Kate pointed out as he leaned against the long back counter during a break in the afternoon. “Must’ve been some date with Enzo Moretti last night.”

For a half a second, Will was almost tempted to tell Kate the truth. Because if he did, then he could confide her in that he’d woken up this morning—but it really hadn’t felt like he’d woken at all.

It still felt like he was dreaming.

“It was,” Will said, his smile deepening. He told himself he was just trying to be convincing, but it felt a lot closer to the truth than felt comfortable with. “He’s . . .well, he’s something else.”

Kate rolled her eyes, but the look in her gray eyes was warm and affectionate. “Yeah, he sure is. Caught you good, didn’t he?”

Will flushed. “Right. Uh, well, yeah. And he’s painting the mural, of course.”

“That all you want him to do?” she teased. “Paint your blank wall?”

“Yes. No. I don’t know.” Will hesitated. It was difficult to walk this fine line, but if he was really doing this, he’d say more. Kate was a new employee and a newer friend but she was still a friend, and it wasn’t like he had a lot of those to choose from right now. “He’s not sticking around. He doesn’t like it here, and the worst part is that I understand. It’s why I didn’t want to stay in Florida. My family—”

“And you know, all the anti-LGBT policies,” Kate added with a serious, knowing nod.

“Right. Just . . .on one hand, part of me is like, what’s the point of starting something? And on the other . . .why can’t we just enjoy each other for as long as he’s around? Maybe he’d come back more often if he had reason to. Maybe if we went all-in he’d change his mind? Love does that, doesn’t it?”

“Maybe.” Kate didn’t sound convinced—but Will wasn’t hardly convinced either. Try harder.

“All I know is that he’s not like anyone I’ve ever met,” Will said, punctuating that statement with the sappiest lovestruck sigh he could conjure. He wasn’t an actor; he was just doing his best.

He fully expected Kate’s expression to grow more skeptical still, but instead, she smiled. Soft and understanding. Maybe his acting was better than he’d imagined.

Or it’s not really acting.

“You’re down bad,” she said.

And well, maybe he was a little, but that was only because all these over-the-top declarations held a worrisome kernel of truth.

“Yeah,” Will agreed.

“When are you going out with him again?”

“Uh, I think we’re gonna share dinner again today. He’s still working on the mural—”

Kate laughed. “Like a sweaty, messed up Enzo, do you?”

He could lie—or he could tell one hundred percent of the truth.

“Yeah,” Will said, flushing. Still unsure which one he’d chosen.

His phone buzzed in his pocket and he pulled it out, glancing at the screen.

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