Total pages in book: 102
Estimated words: 97199 (not accurate)
Estimated Reading Time in minutes: 486(@200wpm)___ 389(@250wpm)___ 324(@300wpm)
Estimated words: 97199 (not accurate)
Estimated Reading Time in minutes: 486(@200wpm)___ 389(@250wpm)___ 324(@300wpm)
After Louie set Percy straight about how Hildy had created Turquoise Crown entirely on her own, he explained to his grandson that the only game he had ever helped Hildy with was Seven Rolls to Bliss. Percy demanded to know what that was, so Louie told him it was private and none of his business.
The look on Percy’s face was priceless.
He left his grandfather’s apartment at the same time as we did.
I drop my tote bag on a decorative wooden chair near her front door. “Why did you stop seeing Louie all those years ago?”
That question has been sitting on my tongue, waiting to be asked since I saw them kiss goodbye. The kiss was nothing more than a short peck on the lips, but there was tenderness in the way Louie reached up to cradle Aunt Hildy’s cheek when she leaned close to him.
“Italy,” she says, sighing heavily. “I had an internship lined up in Italy after college graduation. I didn’t want to go.”
I follow her into the kitchen. “How long were you gone for?”
She reaches up into a cabinet to grab two tall water glasses. “Long enough for Louie to think I had forgotten him.”
Judging by what I witnessed between them today, neither forgot the other.
“Life happened,” she continues to explain as she fills our glasses from a water pitcher she keeps in the fridge. “My internship became a temporary job, so we decided to pause our relationship.”
“Thank you,” I say as she hands one of the glasses to me. “Was it a mutual decision to pause things between you?”
She sips from her glass. “Louie brought it up initially. I saw it as a good idea.”
Nodding, I take another swallow of water.
“I went out to dinner with a gorgeous man in Milan.” She laughs. “Louie dated a ballerina he met when he went to a conference in Boston.”
“So you kept in touch?”
“For a time,” she murmurs. “Until we stopped. Life got busier. The letters weren’t as frequent. The calls all stopped. We drifted apart, and then Louie got married.”
I watch her face as she explains the loss of that love to me.
“He has a year left, or maybe a little more,” she explains, even though I know because I was standing next to her as Louie explained he’s battling an aggressive form of cancer. “That’s a lot of sunny afternoons to visit and share stories.”
The hope in her tone and in her eyes is inspiring. Even in the shadow of what will be the ultimate end of their love story, she is happier than she’s been in years.
She places her glass on the counter before turning to face me directly. “I know that whatever was ailing your heart still is, Opal, but if it’s because of William, talk to him. Don’t stay silent if things need to be said.”
Now is not the time for me to tell my great aunt that I was falling in love with a cheat, so I don’t say a word.
“I know you have a lot to do since the bar opens very soon.” She smiles softly. “You should run along and tend to that.”
That’s her polite way of telling me she needs space and time to herself, so I reach forward to take her in for an embrace. “I’m a phone call away if you need anything.”
She steps back to look at my face. “I know. That works both ways. Don’t you forget that.”
As soon as I walk into Turquoise Crown, my breath catches. The vase I had emptied earlier is right back on the top of the bar with at least twenty fresh roses in it.
“Those are courtesy of William,” Myra says as she catches my eye.
I can’t bear to look at them, so I turn to face her. “I have a lot to do. You can take off if you need to.”
Her hands drop to her hips as she tilts her head slightly. “Aren’t you going to ask me if William had those flowers delivered or if he dropped them off?”
“No.”
“No?” She laughs. “Why aren’t you excited that a gorgeous man brought you flowers?”
That answers the question I didn’t ask about how the flowers got here.
“I have a lot to do,” I repeat in an effort to change the subject. “Our grand opening is soon.”
She steps closer to me. “You also have a man who cares about you.”
Shaking my head, I laugh lightly. “Where did you get that idea from?”
“William said it,” she says in an even tone. “He said it when he was explaining to Chuck that the woman he was with last night is his co-worker, and the kids they were with are her kids. They’re not William’s kids.”
I stare at her, trying to comprehend all of that.
She rubs her forehead. “William was here when Chuck stopped by to deliver the rest of the order from that auction in Cincinnati.”