Then his eyes found mine.
The second he was free, he exhaled and closed the distance between us, running a hand through his dark hair. “I’m glad that part’s over.”
I grinned. “You were incredible.”
His lips twitched like he wanted to argue, but then his face softened. “Yeah?”
I nodded. “You pulled all this together. Look at everyone having fun. It’s all because of you.”
He let out a slow breath like he was finally allowing himself to take it all in. His hand found my waist, the warmth of his palm grounding me. “Couldn’t have done it without you.”
“I waitressed for three days. You and your mom built an entire diner.”
A waiter passed by with a tray of champagne, and Landon grabbed two glasses, then handed one to me. He lifted his in a small toast. “To the upcoming year, full of love, art, and new beginnings.”
I tapped my glass against his. “To the people who made it possible. Us.”
We drank, the bubbles crisp on my tongue, and we observed the rest of the grand opening.
Landon didn’t just pull off the opening. Hecrushedit.
Judging by the way Macey skipped over here hand in hand with Noah, she thought so too.
“You guys!” She jumped in between us like a schoolgirl trying to hold in her excitement. “Amazing job with the diner. There are even a few local influencers here I recognize.”
I winked at Macey. “You’re the only influencer in my heart.”
She blew me a kiss in return. “You’re the only one I post content for.”
Noah rolled his eyes half-heartedly, but he smiled. “Don’t tell that to the ten thousand people who were just on our livestream.”
“Seriously?” Landon asked, shocked. “That many people watched you guys talking about this event?”
“Always the tone of surprise, Landon,” Macey teased.
“I don’t use social media much, but I’ve heard tales of your success.” He chuckled but turned genuine. “Really, though, thank you both for doing that.”
“It’s our pleasure,” Macey said determinedly.
Noah craned his head through the crowds, his expression shifting. “Where did Nathan go?”
Landon shrugged. “I haven’t seen him.”
“Looks like he’s at the table with the raffles,” Macey said as she watched Nathan unabashedly. “Don’t know why. He could probably buy everything there with a single paycheck.”
Before she could speculate further, Noah gently turned her head back toward us. “Let’s not stare.”
“Oh, I think I know why,” Britney’s voice chimed in from nowhere, making all of us jump.
“Jesus, Britney, you scared the shit out of us.” Macey groaned.
“Why?” Landon and Noah asked in unison.
Britney smirked, enjoying the attention. She glanced around, lowering her voice as if delivering gossip. I was ready for her to share her latest suspicion that Nathan had athingfor Ariadne, but instead she said, “He has to be in the know on everything.”
Everyone shrugged like that made perfect sense.
Hopefully, Britney changed her mind about her theory. There was no way Nathan and Ariadne would be compatible. Speaking of…where was she? I saw her at the very beginning of the event but hadn’t spotted her since.
