“You want me to stick around?”he asked.
Thea paused, but before she could answer, the door opened, and a customer walked in.
“I think you’d better go,” she said, resting her hand on his arm.“I’ll see you tonight?”
He looked down at her with a smile.“Absolutely.”
Later that day, Eugenia swept in the way she always did—with aplomb.
“Hello, dear,” she called out as she approached the counter.“I need to have a word with you.”
Thea sighed but began to pour herself a cup of tea as she made Eugenia’s favorite drink.
This could take a while.
“How can I help you?”she asked with a smile on her face.As much as Eugenia made things difficult at times—even if she had good intentions—she always wanted the best for Thea.
“No, no, no, come sit with me,” Eugenia said, as if Thea hadn’t known that was exactly what she would do.
Eugenia made her way to the fireplace and settled in one of the cozy chairs there.Thea followed her, handing Eugenia her drink before she settled on another.
Ginger stretched, then sauntered over to Eugenia and jumped up into her lap.
“You know the café is supposed to be open right now?”Thea asked.
Eugenia waved her away.“This is more important,” she said.“I have to talk to you—”
“Is something wrong?”
“Yes.No.No, nothing’s wrong,” she said.“But I’ve heard a rumor, and I needed to speak to you about it.”
Thea sat back, fighting the urge to smile.Eugenia was always hearing rumors.All she did was hear rumors.The library may have been full of words, but only half of them were written.The other half were Eugenia’s.
“You,” Eugenia said, leaning in conspiratorially, “have been seen spending time with Nathaniel Alder.”
It only made sense that she’d hear about it after Nat and Thea had been seen walking through town…though she hadn’t expected Eugenia to close the library to come and talk to her about it.
As far as she knew, no one knew she was the reason Nathaniel Alder had remained single for so long, despite being a good catch—or so she had been told many times.
“I know that most people think I’m just a gossip,” Eugenia began.“But I wasn’t always.I used to be a wife and a mother who had far more important things to do.But I don’t have that anymore,” she said softly, the words catching in her throat.“And I know what it’s like to be alone in your old age.”
She leaned in, catching one of Thea’s hands in hers.
“And Thea… if you think Nathaniel Alder could be the person for you, don’t let him go.I sense that you and he have been dancing around this for quite some time now, and I don’t want to see either of you floundering the way I am.”
Her voice broke a little.“You deserve to find happiness, and I wanted to come and speak to you in case you decided to start overthinking things again.”
“Again?”Thea asked, the word slipping out before she could stop it.
Eugenia’s eyes twinkled at her.“You may have everyone else fooled,” she said, “but I can tell there’s something there.The two of you better figure it out and figure it out fast—before I have to come knock some sense into the both of you.”
The elderly woman’s eyes filled with tears.
“You remind me of the woman my daughter was becoming.And I hope you don’t mind that I wanted to talk with you, but… I only want the best for you.And Nathaniel.”
“Thank you,” Thea said, her voice suddenly thick with unexpected tears.“You remind me a little of my mother, too,” she admitted.“She also wanted to see me with Nathaniel.”
Eugenia’s eyes lit up.“So there is something between you!”she exclaimed triumphantly.
