Total pages in book: 110
Estimated words: 107803 (not accurate)
Estimated Reading Time in minutes: 539(@200wpm)___ 431(@250wpm)___ 359(@300wpm)
Estimated words: 107803 (not accurate)
Estimated Reading Time in minutes: 539(@200wpm)___ 431(@250wpm)___ 359(@300wpm)
Lilibeth
Week 15
It had been a month since I’d moved in with Caden, and things were better than I thought they’d be. He was usually up and gone by the time I woke, and by the time we both got home, we were exhausted, and one, or both of us, would head to bed early. I’d hardly even seen him the last three weeks. It was both a blessing and a curse. There were days when I longed to see him, but we could only exchange a quick hello and goodbye.
Today was one of those days when I didn’t get to see Caden. He’d gotten up early and left before I was out of bed. I was beginning to think he was afraid to see me. Rather than sit around an empty house, I’d decided to head into the store a bit earlier than normal. After a quick stop at the bakery for a very unhealthy breakfast and a cup of chai, I made my way to the shop.
A light snow was falling, giving the outside a very romantic, yet chilly feel. In fact, early March in River Falls, Colorado, brought more snow than I’d seen all winter. Or at least, it felt that way. I was over winter and beginning to wish I lived in the deep south, where it was seventy degrees today and not thirty-one.
The bell above the door rang as I stepped into Wonderland Whimsy.
“Morning, Moreen!” I called out, as I headed toward the back to my office. The store was due to open in about thirty minutes, and I had someone booked first thing for the perfumery. So I wanted to dive into my cherry danish and orange cinnamon roll before the day started.
Moreen appeared in front of me, a stricken look on her face.
“What’s wrong?” I immediately asked. A million things raced through my head that could be wrong with the store, making Moreen look the way she did. “Is everything okay with the store?” I asked, spinning in a circle. I was still wearing my hat, scarf, and gloves, and it was apparent in that moment that the heat was working, at least.
“Everything’s fine with the store. I take it you haven’t seen the paper this morning. To be exact, The Daily Dirt column?”
Taking off my scarf and gloves, I stepped into the office and tossed them onto the chair in the corner, then removed my coat and hung it up. My stomach dropped a little, even as I felt relief that the store was okay. There was a time when I’d actually wanted to see my name in the local gossip column, thinking it would be fun. But since getting pregnant, it was the last thing I wanted to deal with.
“I haven’t seen it. Is it good gossip, at least?” I asked, hopeful.
Moreen crinkled her nose and shook her head. Then she held it up, and I drew in a sharp breath.
“Oh. My. God.”
“Honestly,” Moreen stated, “I’m surprised it took Janet this long to figure it out.”
I took the paper from her and stared at the picture of Caden and me. “How? Who? Why?”
It was a picture of us outside my OB’s office. I was leaning against my car as Caden looked down at me. It was an innocent photo, but the headline was the attention-getter.
“Is River Falls’s Most Eligible Bachelor Off the Market?”
The first few sentences of the article nearly had me dropping to the floor. I looked up at Moreen, then back down, and read it out loud.
“River Falls’s most eligible bachelor is off the market, ladies. Or so it appears. I just confirmed yesterday that Lilibeth Asher, owner of Wonderland Whimsy, is pregnant and expecting her first child. The father, you ask? Our very own Caden Wilde!
“I haven’t been able to confirm whether they’re dating, but I’ve learned that Lilibeth is currently living with Caden. This can only mean one thing—Caden has finally gotten over his first love, Rachel Hunter, and has decided to start a family with…”
My voice trailed off as I stared at the paper.
“It’s really not that bad,” Moreen said softly.
“She called me a hippie?” I jerked my head up and looked at Moreen. “A hippie.”
Plastering on a smile, she replied, “Not just a hippie, but ‘a flower-loving, carefree hippie.’”
I glared at her. “Because that makes it better.”
Moreen shrugged. “She could have called you something worse.”
Sighing, I walked over, sat in my desk chair, and kept reading.
“Has decided to start a family with our town’s flower-loving, carefree hippie. Everyone adores Lilibeth and, of course, her little store. We wish the happy couple all the best and look forward to getting an invitation to the…” I started to laugh before finishing, “…the baby shower!” Looking up at Moreen again, I asked, “Is she serious right now?”
“You have to understand, Janet is the town’s gossip queen, and if it isn’t her writing the column, it’s her daughter. They both have a beef with the Wildes, which I think you learned with Emeline. Janet actually thinks she can strong-arm people into doing things, or she’ll put them in the gossip column.”