Page 15 of Milkshakes and Mistletoe

She nodded sadly. “I know.”

“Do you want to go pick the movie?” He wanted to see her smile again. He couldn’t get her a puppy, but he knew that she enjoyed what had become their Friday night tradition. Molly had given him Friday nights off as long as they weren’t slammed with reservations. He and Ava hung out and relaxed at home, and she got to choose what they watched and what they ate. That usually meant her favorite movie and a pizza.

Before he could follow her to the living room, his phone rang. His heart sank when he saw Molly’s name on the display. If she needed him to come into work, he’d have to.

“What’s up, Molly Moo?”

“Nothing; don’t panic. I’m not calling you into work. What are you and Ava doing a week from Wednesday?”

“Nothing that I know of yet. Why? Do you need me to work?”

“No. We’re all going to the tree lighting, and you have to come.”

“Tree lighting? I thought that was the weekend after next.”

“The main one in town is.” Molly laughed. “This one is at one of the wineries. They only just decided that they’re going to do it. They’re overhauling their branding and they want to start by going all out on the holiday season.”

“Interesting. Which one?”

The line went quiet.

“You still there, Molly?”

“Yep. It’s the Jacobs estate.”

“Wow. That’s cool. Okay, well, as long as my awesome boss gives me the time off, we’ll be there.”

Molly laughed. “Your awesome boss wouldn’t be asking you to go if she hadn’t already rostered you off.”

“Thanks, Molly. You’re the best.”

“Aren’t I?” She laughed again. “I’ll let you go and enjoy your movie night with Ava. See you tomorrow.”

“Yeah. See you in the morning.”

~ ~ ~

Hannah looked around the restaurant. She hadn’t wanted to come when Molly first told her that the girls were meeting here for lunch. She’d kept herself busy since she’d been home, but she still felt like an idiot whenever Grady crossed her mind. And although she knew that she’d run into him again at some point, she wasn’t looking forward to it. She’d made Molly promise that he wouldn’t be here today before she’d agree to come. And yet she was still stupidly looking around, hoping that he might appear.

“Are you seriously going to stay?” Chelsea’s question brought her back to the conversation.

“I am. I think my latest disaster has proved that I’m not cut out to survive in Hollywood. I can’t stand it another day. Jacob has been asking me to come home for months, and I’ve finally accepted that this is where I belong.”

Molly leaned forward on her elbows. “And get this, Chels. She’s going to be offering her services here.”

Chelsea raised an eyebrow at Hannah. “What does that mean? I wouldn’t have thought there’s much call for the services of a celebrity photographer here.”

“There isn’t. Take the celebrity part out of it. Since that’s the part that I hate. I’m going to be a photographer.”

“Of what?”

She smiled. “I’ve been a busy bee since I got home. I’ve set up a deal with the tourism board. And I’ve talked to a couple of the wineries. And all of that is just to fill in whatever spare time I have. Jacob’s asked me to do a shoot at the estate so he can update the website and all the marketing materials.”

“If I could afford you, I’d ask you to do a shoot at Zosca for me—and at Dawson Dale for Grant, too.”

“Don’t be silly. Of course I’ll do it—as a favor. You don’t need to pay me.”

Chelsea raised her eyebrows. “You can’t! You need to get paid for your talents. And besides, I might not be as profit focused as everyone else around here, but I’m hardly a charity case.”

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