“It's perfect,” Abe whispered to her. “Neither of you can run away from a carriage. You'll have to talk.”
Eveline, who had been watching this exchange in silence, suddenly spoke. “A carriage ride,” she said, her voice carefully neutral. “I see.”
“If you don't want to—” Emery began.
“No,” Eveline interrupted. “I think Abe is right. We do need to talk. Properly.” She glanced around the shop, at the eagerfaces of the Romance Book Club members, at Maya's hopeful expression, at Jax's encouraging thumbs-up. “Somewhere more private than this.”
Relief flooded through Emery. Eveline hadn't exactly answered her plea for forgiveness, but she hadn't outright rejected it either. That had to count for something.
“Your grand gesture isn't quite complete,” Eveline said, her eyes finally meeting Emery's directly. “Shall we?”
Without waiting for an answer, she walked out the door. Emery scrambled to follow, still dripping, her clothes clinging uncomfortably to her body. Outside, the horse snorted as they approached, steam rising from its nostrils in the cool evening air.
“This is ridiculous,” Emery murmured, partly to herself.
“And yet entirely fitting,” Eveline said.
The driver tipped his hat and jumped down to help them into the carriage. Emery clambered in first, inelegant in her wet clothes, followed by Eveline, who managed to make the awkward climb look graceful.
As they settled onto the plush velvet seat, Emery realized with a jolt that Abe had arranged for heated blankets, which the driver now offered with a flourish.
“To ward off the chill,” he said, with a pointed look at Emery's soaked shirt that made her glad she’d chosen a full-coverage bra.
“Thank you,” Eveline said, accepting one and spreading it across her lap.
Emery took the other, wrapping it around her shoulders, grateful for its warmth against her damp skin. The carriage lurched forward, the horse's hooves creating a soothing rhythm on the pavement as they began to move away from the shop.
Through the window, Emery could see the Romance Book Club members spilling out onto the sidewalk, waving and cheering. Maya blew kisses, Zara was filming everything on herphone, and Mrs. Hampton looked like she was going to swoon from the sheer romance of it all.
Then they turned a corner, and the shop disappeared from view. They were alone.
Emery clutched the blanket tighter, suddenly nervous again. Eveline sat beside her, close enough to touch but maintaining a careful distance, her eyes fixed on the passing scenery. The silence stretched between them, punctuated only by the steady clip-clop of the horse's hooves.
“I've made a complete fool of myself, haven't I?” Emery finally said, unable to bear the quiet any longer.
Eveline turned to look at her then, her expression softening. “A charming fool,” she said. “But a fool nonetheless.”
Emery's heart sank. “I'm sorry. I just wanted—”
“To do something spectacular,” Eveline finished for her. “Yes, I gathered that from the fireworks, the flash mob, the artificial rain, and now this.” She gestured at the carriage around them.
“Too much?” Emery asked in a small voice.
“Far too much,” Eveline agreed, but there was a hint of something in her voice that wasn't quite disapproval. “But then, you've always been excessive. Knocking over entire displays when a single book would do. Spilling entire cups of coffee rather than just a drop.”
Emery ducked her head, embarrassed, but then felt Eveline's hand on hers, warm and solid through the blanket.
“Emery, look at me,” Eveline said.
She raised her eyes slowly, afraid of what she might see, but found Eveline looking at her with such warmth that it made her breath catch.
“I owe you an apology,” Eveline said softly.
Of all the things Emery had expected to hear, this was not one of them. “You? Apologize to me? But I'm the one who—”
“Yes, you lied,” Eveline said. “And that was wrong. But my reaction…” She sighed. “I was harsh. Too harsh. I was letting past experiences cloud my judgment. I couldn't see the differences between what Charles did and what you did because I was too afraid of being hurt again.”
She squeezed Emery's hand. “I don't approve of the lying. I wish you had told me the truth from the beginning. But I understand what happened. How one small omission became harder and harder to correct.”
