Page 97 of Dreaming of Dawson

— I’ll prove how perfect you are later. But I’ve gotta work now. I’ll see you this afternoon. SILWYT ;) M xx

I chuckled, knowing what the addition of the ‘T’ stood for, and I lay back on the mattress, staring up at the ceiling. It beggared belief that just a few days ago, I’d have been bleary-eyed, misty-headed, and swilling bourbon into my morning coffee, and yet I knew how far I’d come, and my journey was the result of falling in love with Macy. Just the thought of her made me hard, and it was easy to lie there and wallow in the memories of our first night together… until I remembered I was supposed to be making the bed, not just lying on it.

Once that was done, I cleared some space in my closet, knowing Macy would be bringing some clothes back with her, and then I contacted Chester. It took a while to tie him down, and then I had to explain the situation, make sure he knew to keep it quiet, and make all the arrangements, so there would be champagne, flowers and chocolates waiting in the honeymoon suite, which was thankfully available. I gave him my credit card details, and felt a lot better, knowing I’d finally done the right thing… with a little help from Macy, of course.

Then, all I had to do was contact Zara’s mom.

I wasn’t sure how to go about that. Asking Tanner was out of the question, and I didn’t even know exactly where she lived, other than in Northern Vermont, which was hardly helpful. I was wondering if I’d have to involve Nash in mylittle subterfuge, when I suddenly had a thought, and I placed another call.

That one took even longer. There were more explanations to be made, but in the end, I got what I wanted. Not Sylvia’s number exactly, but an agreement to help find it… and that was a start.

I made it down to the bar by eleven, and got set up in time to open thirty minutes later, although I don’t know why I bothered, really. We’ve had very few customers today. The weather’s obviously responsible for that, but according to Maggie, it’s definitely not due to last. She told me there are signs of the snow melting already, and it looks like we won’t have to wait until the weekend for it to warm up… which is good news. The snow might look lovely, but it’s not great for business.

Being so quiet has left me with little to do, other than watch the clock, so I’m relieved when Macy gets back at just after twelve-forty-five. That’s earlier than I’d feared, and as she opens the door and steps inside, the first thing I notice is that her cheeks are really rosy, which reminds me she’ll have walked here from Peony’s farm. The second thing I notice, as she unwraps the scarf from around her neck, her eyes fixed on mine, is that she’s carrying a backpack. It’s smaller than I’d like, but before I can say anything, she gives me a smile, biting on her lip, and then rushes to the back of the bar, darting through the door marked ‘private’. I’m desperate to follow her, but there’s no-one else out here. Maggie and Vanessa are both in the kitchen, and despite it being quiet, we’ve got five customers, so I can’t just abandon the place.

I don’t need to worry, though. Macy returns within moments. She’s wearing jeans and a pale gray t-shirt, which she must have had on under the other layers she was wearing, and she strolls over to me, gathering a couple of empty glasses on her way.

“You didn’t bring very much with you,” I say as she joins me behind the bar.

“I’m not moving in,” she says, dumping the glasses and looking up at me.

“Not yet.” She smiles, then chuckles, and I have to laugh, putting my arm around her waist and pulling her close, although I notice she’s a little stiff… a little resistant.

“I spoke to my aunt about you,” she says, leaning away, and I release her, surprised by her comment.

“You did? About me? Or about us?”

“Us.”

“How did that go?” I ask, feeling more nervous than I would have expected.

“It went fine. Stop worrying.” How does she know? I guess because she knows me so well. “I think she’d already guessed there was something going on between us.”

“How? Because you stayed the night again?”

“No. We’d already talked about the fact that I might have to hunker down here if the snow got any worse.” She shakes her head. “No… I imagine it was probably the smile on my face that gave me away,” she says, grinning.

“You almost always have a smile on your face.”

“Not like this one,” she says, and my heart swells in my chest.

“And was she okay about it? About us?”

“Of course she was.”

“Even though I’ve got a reputation for being the most miserable guy in town?” I say, and she chuckles, shaking her head.

“Except Aunt Bernie remembers how you were before. Like a lot of people around here, she knows the real you.”

“Only you know the real me, babe.”

Her eyes sparkle, and she shifts a little closer. “Even so, she told me you were a fair man.”

“She did?”

“Yeah. Before I came for my interview. She also told me she thought I was just what you needed.”

“In that case, I think we have to accept her insight. Your aunt clearly knows what she’s talking about.”

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