Page 37

She silently crosses the space until she’s directly in front of me. The look on her face is one I haven’t seen very often. Her brow scrunches as she mouths, “I’m sorry.”

As her gaze drops to my hand, she lets out a light gasp. “That’s beautiful, Opal.”

I try to keep my hand steady as I hold the pill box up toward the light so she can see it in all of its brilliance. “It is, isn’t it?”

“You got that for her.” Hildy turns to point a finger at William. “You did, didn’t you?”

He shoves both hands in the front pockets of his pants as he walks toward us. “I wanted to give Opal something to thank her for the special gift she gave me.”

“The special gift?” Hildy’s gaze snaps back to me. “How special are we talking?”

I know my great aunt well enough to know when she’s about to drop a sex-related pun, so I stop that before it leaves her lips. “I gave William the special edition of Turquoise Crown.”

Disappointment tugs at her. I see it in the way she lets out a small sigh. “Oh, yes. I forgot about that.”

Wanting to explain, I step around her and meet William on his path back to the table. “Aunt Hildy was generous enough to part with one of her special editions.”

She picks up my glass and sniffs my drink before placing it back down. “It was my pleasure. I’m going to grab a glass of water. The walk here left me parched.”

As much as I want to ask why she’s here at all, I don’t. I can get into that later when William has left, and I’m alone with my aunt.

Her hand dives into her coat pocket right before a jingling sound fills the air. “My key didn’t seem to work in the lock, Opal.”

“I had the locks changed,” I explain as I watch her retrieve a tall glass before filling it from a pitcher of water I keep behind the bar. The ice cubes that were in it hours earlier have long since melted, so it’s tepid at best, but she doesn’t seem to mind. She finishes the entire thing in one swallow before she pours herself another glass.

“You did?” she asks.

I nod. “The first contractor I hired lost the keys, so I went ahead and called a locksmith.”

“Smart move.” She smiles. “If it’s not too much trouble, can I get…”

“I’ll have another set of keys cut for you tomorrow,” I interrupt what I know she was about to ask.

This space belongs to me now, but I want her to stop by whenever the mood strikes, whether we’re open or not.

“It looks like someone is about to win the game,” she quips before taking a sip from her glass. “Let me guess. It’s Opal.”

William lets out a chuckle. “That stings, Hildy.”

“It’s true, though,” she states. “Opal is the best of the best when it comes to Turquoise Crown. I should leave so you two can finish what you started.”

I want that to be the kiss that never happened, but I know she’s talking about the game.

“If she doesn’t roll a five, the game goes on,” he notes.

I walk over to the table, pick up the dice, and let it drop from my hand on the center of the board. It tumbles and rolls three times before it stops. I smile when I spot the five.

Since William handed me the blue crown game piece before we started, I slowly slide it over five spots until it lands on the last circle on the board. It’s the winner’s circle.

“She did it again!” Hildy claps her hands together. “No one is better than Opal.”

I look up to see William nodding slowly as he stares at me. “She’s the best.”

Hildy finishes her water and rounds the bar. “I’m going home. I’m sorry I interrupted your evening. I wanted to stop by and take it all in.”

“Take what in?” Confused, I look into her eyes for understanding.

“What you’ve done with this place.” She glances at the mural before her gaze wanders over the hundreds of board games lining the shelves. “Mark my words, Opal. You’ve created a community hub here. People will meet their best friend inside these four walls, and they’ll solve their differences with someone they thought was their enemy.”