Then he disappeared down the hall.
Near closing time at the library, Minka messaged Cali.You alive? Haven’t heard from you since Candlewick.
Cali’s reply was brief.Yep. Long week.She muted her phone again. But the vibrations came quick.
Hey, I’ve been thinking about what I said to Ethan. I realize I might’ve stepped in where I shouldn’t have.
My heart was in the right place, but I overstepped. No excuses. I didn’t mean to make things harder for you two. I shed some tears over this, though, if you want to add them to that enemies vial in your purse…
Anyway, no pressure to reply. Just wanted you to know I care about you both. I’m rooting for things to land how you want them to.
Cali unmuted her phone and texted back. A peace offering, even laden with emojis, was something.It’s okay. I’ll collect your tears when you come pick me up for the gala on Friday. I could use a plus one.
Deal!Minka replied.Pick you up at 6:30. Be ready for a selfie.
Cali was relieved at least one thing had gone in her favor today. She hadn’t purposefully frozen out Minka. There was enough to distract them all this week. But she appreciated the apology.
By twilight, Cali’s house was on its way to smelling faintly of apples and lemon cleaner instead of rain. She had to keep herself busy long enough to reach exhaustion. Only a day and a gala to get through before she could let this thing between her and Ethan breathe or let it go entirely. She couldn’t keep falling into his arms every time she convinced herself she was fine without him. So she cleaned the kitchen top to bottom then decided to bake an apple pie with the apples from Candlewick. Her grandmother’s recipe called for splashes of lemon juice and cider, thickened with a cornstarch slurry. It was nothing if not a distraction. Better than sitting in front of the television with a bowl of popcorn, though.Practical Magicdominated the streaming services this year, and it always made her cry. She wasn’t a fan of horror either, but even the one zombie movie she liked was more romantic comedy than horror.
She lugged herself, groggy-eyed and full of warm pie, toward the bedroom when she remembered she hadn’t chosen a dress for the event. Her handmade skirts and tops wouldn’t cut it this time. She needed something fancier, more chic. So she rummaged her grandmother’s things until she found a timelessdress that whispered old-Hollywood elegance. She couldn’t believe her luck. A black satin slip dress with a cowl neckline. In the same garment bag, tucked in a pocket, she found a delicate gold chain with a single teardrop pendant. When she put them on, the dress fit like a glove and the necklace fell to the perfect length. Perhaps suspiciously perfect. She looked at herself in the mirror from the front and side and over her shoulder. Even without makeup, she felt stunning.
“I guess we’re doing this,” she whispered at the mirror. “Thanks, Grandma. Nowtwothings went in my favor today. Glad we’re calling it a night.”
She disrobed and carefully hung the dress and necklace in her closet and zipped up the garment bag. In bed, she piled up her pillows and tucked her feet under layers of cozy until the bed felt like the biggest hug she’d had all year. She turned to her phone on the nightstand and read the rest of the comments on Minka’s post then flipped back to her contacts until she found Ethan’s name. She reread his text from nearly a week ago—Don’t stay out too long, okay? Nights like this chill you faster than you think.—and wondered if maybe he’d meant more by it than the weather.
Chapter 23
As Cali waited for Minka to take her to the Inn, she applied one of her favorite, velvety red lipsticks in the mirror. Then she stood back and ran her hands along her hips and the smoothness of the dress, admiring its construction. Both the library’s and her old corporate dress codes had been all about covering up. That’s why she’d leaned into making her own clothes in her mid-twenties. Department stores didn’t sell her style anymore. She could control everything from the fabric to the fit to the color of the buttons, and every piece gave her joy and body confidence.
Now she was wearing her grandmother’s old knock-out. She knew she looked amazing, but it was a difficult thought to digest. A part of her felt uncomfortable with so much skin exposed along her shoulders and collarbone. Not to mention the slit that climbed to her knee on the right side. Her mind toyed with the idea of putting it back in the closet and picking another outfit like a cat playing with a ball of twine.
Minka’s front headlights pierced the bedroom window, and Cali realized she’d just have to play this off like she was confident. She slipped into some strappy heels that added another few inches to her frame and grabbed for her coat—another of her grandma’s well-preserved favorites that she’d never had a chance to wear before. A vintage-inspired red wool coat, richly patterned with tonal swirls and finished with broad lapels and fabric-covered buttons. Prince seams accentuatedthe waist. It was a timeless silhouette and matched the dress’s elegance effortlessly.
A knock sounded, and Cali clamored to the door, coat draped over her shoulder.
“Give me a minute to grab my purse. You need anything? Water?”
Minka stood under the floodlight, her mouth agape and eyes bright and wide as they ran down Cali’s satin-draped figure.
“Damn, Cals,” Minka said. “Forget the firefighters. They should be auctioning off a date with you tonight.”
Cali blushed. “It’s too much, isn’t it?”
“More like too little—for what people normally see you in,” she clarified. “But it’s giving melife.”
Cali covered her chest with her hands and pinched the teardrop pendant between two fingers. “Shit. Give me a minute to change. I knew this was a bad idea.”
“No!” Minka demanded, grabbing her by the arm. “Please, look. I need to see you happy tonight. Okay? And if happy means having literally every available guy in Autumn Ridge asking if you’d like another cocktail, then so be it.”
“But you don’t understand, Minka. You’re like the Taylor Swift to my… my …” her voice trailed off in thought.
Minka raised an eyebrow. “Travis? You’re my Travis Kelce? That doesn’t compute, Cals.”
“No, I’m just, well, anyone shorter and not as model-esque as Taylor. Which I get is, like, most of the world. But my point is to sayyouwould look great in this, Minka.Youwould feel comfortable. This is just me being so distracted with Banned Books Week and the gala prep that I was rummaging through my grandmother’s old clothes last night at midnight. I didn’t think it through. This dress is not really,” she sighed, desperate to make herself clear, “me.”
Minka blinked twice. “Well, Cals, you know what Taylor Swift would tell you in a moment like this?”
She thought. “Shake it off?” she winced.
