Page 77 of Five Alarm Love
Lou drew a few uncomfortable parallels.
Only, that future wasn’t meant to be.Not for Lou.
She glanced over at Gordy, who slowly shuffled in place, clearly wanting to continue walking.Another passerby honked, and he laughed and waved.
“Everything set for the wedding?”she asked.
“As in, somehow we planned it in a matter of months?It’s a whirlwind.Who knows if we got the details right?”Deirdre shifted her grocery bag in her arms.
Calvin took the bag from her.“Who cares about details?Let’s get to the good stuff.”The heat in his expression made Lou squirm.
“Um…” Lou said.
“I meant the reception!”Calvin grinned.
Deirdre pointed.“Glad you’re feeling causal about it, because the custom caribou finger foods aren’t going to be here in time due to shipping issues.”
He kissed her forehead.“I’ll nibble on something else.”
Lou put her hands over Gordy’s ears.“And… it’s time for us to mosey.”
“Don’t you want to comment on how quickly we’re getting married?”Deirdre pinned her with an arch expression.“Everyone else has.It’s a popular topic of conversation in town.”
Lou knew all about being the subject of speculation.“That’s your business.”
Calvin cleared this throat.“Hey, I had to wait eighteen years.That was plenty long enough.”
“Really?”Lou asked.
He made a sheepish expression.“Truthfully?I had been too chicken to share my feelings so many years ago.Missed out on a lot of living because of the fear of rejection and the fear of exposing how I felt.So much time lost.”
“Then this isn’t quick after all.”Lou paused, then plowed ahead with her question.“You think things would have been different if you had said something sooner?”
“Depending on the timing, yes, I think our lives wouldn’t be the same,” Calvin said.
Deirdre frowned and tucked her shoulder-length brown hair behind an ear.“But here’s the thing.My life experiences leading up to now?Like, going through all of that is what made me who I am today.It made me really appreciate what we have now.You know?”
Nope.“Mm-hmm.”
“Not me.I was like, let’sgoooo!Am I right, Gordy?”Calvin moved both bags to one arm so he could bump knuckles with Gordy.
“Yes,” his machine spoke.
“You know”—Deirdre studied Lou—“Mav talks too much sometimes.”
Uh-oh.
She continued, “All I’m saying is that both Calvin and I are not perfect and we’ve both made mistakes.One day we both realized what we could have was worth taking a chance on.Warts and all.I’m thankful that we figured it out before life could throw another curveball.”
“Hey, I don’t have any warts!”Calvin said.
She laughed.“It’s a metaphor.”
Lou’s chest ached, but she said, “I’m really happy for you two.”
“You could have that, too, you know.”Deirdre’s gaze was confident but intense.
“Warts and all.Okay, let’s get down the road.”Calvin nudged Deirdre with his shoulder as they waved goodbye and strolled to their vehicle, heads tilted toward one another.
