“Romance gossip trumps decoration gossip,” Miriam said. “Tell us, how has the digital courtship been going?”
Diana smiled. “It’s good. I wouldn’t say that I’m in danger of falling in love or anything, but he seems really nice. If anything, I think I’m more stressed about, like, theideaof the date than Kendrick himself? I don’t know if we’re a forever match, but being proactive about dating feels like a big step for me, so that’s got me a little up in my head.”
“Totally understandable,” June reassured her. “You’re making your desire for partnership something that you’re active about, instead of something that you’re hoping will come your way. That’s a big mental shift. It makes sense that it feels unsteady.”
“The only downside is that my friends are just so unsupportive,” Diana drawled sarcastically.
June laughed and bumped Diana’s shoulder. Then a gleam lit up her expression.
“Well, it seems like love is in the air overall,” she said coyly, “if the very cozy tete-a-tete I witnessed between our Eleanor and one handsome hardware store owner is any indication.”
Miriam’s gasp was so loud that Cadence was shocked it didn’t suck all the air out of the room.
“Really?” she asked, gray eyes twinkling. “You and Garrett Wilder? Eleanor, darling, spill the details. You’ve been holding out on us.”
Eleanor cocked an eyebrow at June. “I’m not holding out,” she corrected. “Someone here is making something out of nothing. I was just thanking him for all the help he has offered while I work on getting things fixed up around here.”
“Oh yeah,” June said, her tone steeped in disbelief. “The two of you definitely looked like business acquaintances. There wasnosmiling andnointerested looking. Nope, none at all.”
“I don’t know that I’ve ever seen Garrett Wilder smile,” Diana confessed.
“He smiles!” Eleanor insisted, shaking her head. “He smiles plenty.”
“Yeah, around you,” June said, pretending to hide the words behind a cough.
“Does this mean we can matchmake?” Miriam asked, rubbing her hands together excitedly. “I really feel like I’m getting into my matchmaking era. Let us matchmake you, Eleanor!”
As Eleanor laughed and demurred, Cadence felt herself relaxing in a way she hadn’t since that disastrous conversation with Tyler. The urge to reinvent herself had been natural, but, surrounded by her friends, it was obvious that she didn’tneedto find a new way forward. She already had a great life, great friends, a great daughter. She had a community that she loved.
That was enough. And everything else would fall into place, exactly as it was meant to. All Cadence had to do was wait and be ready to embrace her future with open arms.
CHAPTER TWENTY-THREE
When it came to dealing with the two stressors on her plate, Diana mused just before five in the evening on the following Tuesday, she probably should have reversed the order.
Her date was in an hour, and she’d spent most of the day fretting over her outfit, her hair, her shoes. She’d ultimately gone with a look that was casual but not too casual: wide-legged jeans, a silk top that put together two patterns in a way that should have clashed but didn’t, and her beloved suede heeled boots, the ones with the heel that was just slender enough to look fancy while remaining just wide enough that it was comfortable for walking. She’d blown out her hair, adjusted the loose bow at the neckline of her shirt, and made certain that her lipstick was perfect.
And then she’d looked at the clock and realized that she had a full hour and a half remaining before she was due to leave for her date.
Faced with the option of sitting around and waiting for six to arrive, thereby ensuring that each minute felt like an hour, and getting something done, Diana chose productivity. As she hauled Cadence’s “statement painting” from room to room, however, not sure where to make it fit, she wished that she’dchosen a different kind of productivity. She didn’t want to get sweaty before her date, after all.
“I should leave you for later,” she told the painting. Talking to décor was probably another sign that it was good that she was getting out there and meeting people. Better to have someone here who could answer.
Part of Diana wanted to throw in the towel, wanted to take this madcap painting back to the gallery so that Cadence could sell it to someone who would appreciate it better than Diana was managing to do.
Her friend had just been soexcitedabout giving Diana the painting. Cadence had gushed about the artist again at their book club, which had made Diana certain that if she went home and looked at it again, reallylooked, she’d see the painting in an entirely new light.
She had not seen the paining in a new light.
She was trying to determine how hurt Cadence’s feelings would be if Diana hung the painting in the guest bedroom she never used when she glanced at her watch. Ah! The painting would have to wait for another time.
It was time for her date, Diana thought, giddy with nerves an excitement.
The drive to Captain’s Crest, one of the nicer restaurants in town, was quick, but when Diana arrived just a few minutes before they were scheduled to meet, she found Kendrick already waiting, looking pleasantly expectant.
He stood when she approached their table, then bent over to give her polite air kisses over each cheek. Diana was surprised by the gesture, not sure if she found this choice charming or a bit odd… or perhaps even charmingly odd.
She looked over Kendrick subtly as they sat down. He was as handsome as his profile had shown him to be, and he was dressed a great deal more formally than what Diana hadchosen. They were both wearing outfits that were appropriate for Captain’s Crest’s ambiance, but she had defaulted toward the more casual end of that spectrum, while he had opted for the more formal side.
