Page 23 of Checking Mr. Wrong (Love in Maple Falls #3)

MABEL

“You said no.” Neesha drops the frosting bag she’s holding, the bright orange icing smearing across the counter like a crime scene. “I am sorry, but you did what?” she asks, staring at me like I just confessed to kicking puppies. “How could you say no?”

“Like this: No ,” I say, emphasizing the last word like it’s a punchline to the world’s worst joke.

“Mabel, you kissed him, not once but twice. He then asks you out, and your response is negative?” Neesha shakes her head, her earrings catching the light as they swing with the force of her disapproval. “Honestly, I think you’re making a huge mistake.”

I laugh, nearly choking on the cupcake. “Oh yeah, says the woman who hates ice hockey players. Anyway, let’s hear about the last time you had a date.”

Neesha’s lips press into a thin line as she narrows her eyes at me. “This isn’t about me, missy.”

“Sure feels like it is,” I mutter, licking frosting off my thumb. The cupcake tray between us is dwindling fast, and I’m only half sorry about it. Emotional eating isn’t pretty, but it’s effective.

“I know this side of you. Don’t deflect,” Neesha says, pointing a frosting-covered finger at me. “We’re talking about you and your inability to accept that not everyone’s a jerk.”

I snort. “I’ll take that under advisement. Now, tell me how it’s going with your business plans for Seattle. That’s a better topic for discussion as it has merit and a future, unlike my going on a date with Asher.”

Neesha ignores me as my eyes land on a lone piece of paper tucked next to her mixer. I recognize it, because I’m the one who brought it to her the other day after I saw it posted on the bulletin board in the town hall.

“Are you going to enter the Maple Falls Emerging Entrepreneur Award Competition?” I ask innocently as I point to it. It’s a grant being awarded to small businesses in the town, and it’s worth twenty thousand dollars. In my opinion, she’d be crazy to not enter.

Neesha sighs. “You know I’m not. I’d have to stay here for two years. I’m really needing to move my business to a city, not keep it here.”

“Why? It’s money that gets your business going.

You’ve already got a market here. Look, I know you’ve got this idea of city life being better, but take it from me: as much fun as it can be to live in a city, there is something about the heart and soul of a small town, too.

” I put my hands on my hips and stare at her.

“I’m not trying to be a pain; I just want you to be happy. ”

“Your mom always used to say you could drive a wooden man crazy. I get it now.” Neesha shakes her head, not taking my bait. “Anyway, we’re not talking about me. We’re discussing you and your new boyfriend.”

I grab a napkin, crumple it and throw it at her. “Stooooop!”

Cracking up, she pushes a fresh cupcake in my direction and gives me a look that’s equal parts pity and exasperation. This is why I love her. We can weave in and out of conversations and we just simply are us. “I’m just saying, maybe give the guy a chance. You never know.”

“I do know,” I say, wiping crumbs off my fingers. “I know he’s obnoxiously cheerful, my mother loves him, and—most importantly—he is so not my type.”

“And how is that?”

“For one, he lives here and I live in New York.” I take another bite and chew with abandon, the only way I know how when things feel out of control.

“And yet,” she says, arching a perfectly sculpted eyebrow, “you’re sitting here eating your feelings about it.”

I pause mid-bite and wave my sugary treat in the air. “This is about cupcakes. Don’t drag Asher into this.”

Neesha grins, clearly enjoying herself now. “Whatever you say, Mabel. But if you’re going to keep pretending you’re not interested, you might want to slow down on your sugar intake.”

I glare at her, but it’s half-hearted. The truth is, she’s annoyingly perceptive, always has been, and I hate that she might be right.

I shove the last bite of the cupcake into my mouth, determined not to give her the satisfaction of a response.

But as I chew, her words linger, settling somewhere deep in my chest like the weight of a question I’m not ready to answer.

Neesha slides the remaining cupcakes to the side, starting on a new batch with the kind of focus that says she’s not done with me yet. “Well, you know you’re going to see him tomorrow night because he’s going to be at the bachelor auction.”

I throw my hands in the air. “Oh, I know. I’ve been trying to arrange interviews with all of these guys and trying to do it around schedules between bachelor auctions, Maple Fest, games here, games away, and of course, filming for their social media and other press they have to do in downtime.

And please don’t get me started on all of the charity campaigns happening to save this town.

It means everyone is busy doing all the things, all the time and it’s chaos…

I mean, come on!” I drop my hands with a huff.

“I don’t understand why I even came back here.

I’m trying to write a story and I feel like I’m herding cats. ”

“You sound like Lorelai on Gilmore Girls .” Neesha laughs, shaking her head as she pipes frosting onto a fresh tray of cupcakes. “You need to put some of that energy into bidding tomorrow night.”

“Ha, ha.” I wave my hands in protest. “No, I’m not going to be bidding on anything.

Too murky with me writing about them. I’m going with my mother purely for the enjoyment factor of being at a bachelor auction in small-town Maple Falls.

Because the only, only reason we’re having one is because we have ice hockey players here.

It’s not because we have a bevy of single men who are ready and willing to mingle. ”

“Trust me, I know.” Neesha’s laugh deepens, her shoulders shaking. "But, stay open. They might not be that bad.”

“Are you referring to the lineup of bachelors for tomorrow night?”

“You’ve already taken one of them for a test drive…”

“No, ma’am.” I smack the counter, sending a puff of powdered sugar into the air. “Not today. You hate ice hockey players. You’re supposed to be helping me right now.”

With a mischievous smile, Neesha hands me another cupcake. “Look, red velvet, your favorite.”

I pluck the tiny treat from her hand, knowing all too well her ploy is to shut me up, as the bell jingles on the door at the front of the bookstore. A few seconds later, Willa appears with a huge smile.

“Hello, ladies,” she says as she sashays her way up to the counter, moving her camera bag from one shoulder to the other. “Neesha, may I get a large coffee to go?”

“You got it,” Neesha says, stepping away.

“Looking for more birds?” I ask, pointing to her camera equipment.

Willa shakes her head. “Not today. Today’s agenda has me roaming the town, taking photos of small-town life.”

“And Maple Falls is the muse?” I ask, biting my cheek so I don’t start laughing.

“You bet she is,” Willa says, looking at me like how dare you ask this .

“The buildings, the people, the scarecrows outside of the businesses, banners and bunting swathed across buildings, touting a new team and Maple Fest…” Willa sighs, a romantic expression taking over her features.

“It’s small-town charm at its finest. I’m going to take a series of photos and maybe put together another book. ”

Neesha’s back, sliding the coffee across the counter. “Well, if you do, I’ll supply the cupcakes for your next launch.”

“I wouldn’t want to have a party without your cupcakes, how’s that?” Willa says, making Neesha puff up with pride.

“Speaking of a party,” I say as I reach into my bag, “this envelope appeared in our mailbox yesterday. Ashlyn managed to get her dad to sign the consent form you needed.”

Willa let out a whoop of joy and grabs the offering from my hands.

“See? Imagine having this happen in New York. I stumble into a store for coffee, and not only do I see one friendly face, I find two. I announce a book, and I’m offered cupcakes.

I need a form signed by the mayor? Voilà, it’s done.

Small towns, you do not mess around with them. ”

As Willa dances in a circle, I think about what she’s said. “You’ve got a very good point.”

“I know I do, and I keep saying the same thing to Neesha. City life isn’t all it’s cracked up to be.” While Neesha jokingly rolls her eyes, Willa motions for the two of us to come in closer to her. “I also have news. Fun news.”

“We could all use fun news,” Neesha says. “Spill it.”

“Remember the other day when I said I’ve got some surprises in store?

” Her smile grows until I swear I can see all of her teeth.

“Well, Noah and I have been talking about doing something crazy. Like, nuts-for-this-town crazy. Since I left my job as editor, I’ve missed that part of my life.

I loved being a part of the news, and even though I was roaming and doing freelance sports photography, I was contributing in some way. ”

Neesha and I exchange a knowing look, the kind you share when someone is speaking a language you’ve lived.

“I think we both get it,” I say, encouraging her to continue .

“Well, you know how the TV station in the next town over has been in trouble?”

Neesha’s eyes widen. “That’s all people were talking about before the season kicked off here. They ran out of money, I think. Programming changed, they’ve stripped things back.”

I nod. “Mom mentioned it to me, too. Said they barely have news on that station anymore. It’s like a small lifeline is going away.”

“Except it isn’t,” Willa says, grinning like a cat who definitely caught the canary—and maybe the whole flock. “Noah and I want to back it, but we don’t have enough capital. So—drumroll, please—we found investors, you guys. We’re going to revamp that station and make it something good.”

Neesha claps her hands together, practically vibrating with excitement. “Oh my gosh, Willa! That’s huge! Are you serious?”

“Dead serious,” Willa replies, her grin softening into something more reflective.

“I’ve missed being part of something that matters, and this…

this feels right. It’ll be a lot of work, but I’m ready for it.

It not only gives back to Maple Falls, but it’ll help be a conduit for the rest of the rural area out this way, too. ”

“This is incredible,” I say, my mind racing to catch up with the scope of what she’s just shared. “You’re actually going to run a TV station?”

“Not just run it. Transform it. Local stories, real journalism. Definitely fun stuff for the community.” Willa’s eyes sparkle with the kind of energy that comes from a dream that’s just about to become reality.

“I’ve been sitting on this news for weeks, and I couldn’t keep it in any longer. We’re signing the paperwork next week.”

Neesha beams. “Girl, you’re amazing. This town needs something like this. People need something like this.”

“Thanks, Neesha. I hope it works out the way we’re planning. Anyway, I’ve got to run, but I’ll touch base with you girls soon. ”

Willa hugs us both before heading for the door, her excitement still radiating even as she waves goodbye.

As the door swings shut behind her, I’m left standing there, feeling like I’ve been caught in the wake of a whirlwind.

Willa’s enthusiasm is infectious, but her words stick with me, gnawing at the edges of my mind.

Something about her boldness, her drive to jump into something so audacious, leaves me spinning.

I’ve been so focused on keeping my own life steady that it’s almost jarring to see someone throw caution to the wind and leap.

“Can you believe her?” Neesha’s voice pulls me back.

I level my gaze on my dear friend. “Yes, a woman who is strong and smart, who is grabbing her life like a bull––by the horns and owning it.” I shrug my shoulders. “Seems there might be another woman in this shop who could do the same thing…”

“Oh pot, are you trying to name me as the kettle?” Neesha teases, but before I can answer, the bell over the door jingles as another customer walks in. “Hold that thought,” she says with a wink before moving to help them.

I’m alone now, still standing by the counter.

The faint hum of the espresso machine and the soft chatter of other customers fade into the background as I replay Willa’s words.

There’s a spark of something. Excitement?

Restlessness? I can’t quite put my finger on it.

Whatever it is, it’s making my stomach twist in a way that feels suspiciously like possibility.

I love Maple Falls—I do—but even as a child, it never felt like home. Since I left here after high school and went to college, it’s become a stopover, a place to regroup before diving back into the pace of New York City. A place to visit, not to stay.

Yet, since I’ve been here this time, there’s a shift inside me. I want to deny that I know what it is, but I can’t. With Asher here, the town feels a little brighter, a little more charming. Even the quirks I used to roll my eyes at are suddenly seeming oddly endearing.

And that’s the problem, isn’t it? It’s not the town, not the festivals or the people.

It’s him. Asher. The man who can’t seem to stop invading my thoughts.

Falling for him feels as natural as breathing, but it terrifies me.

Because falling for him means letting go.

Letting go of my plans, my city life, my carefully constructed future that is far away from Maple Falls.

The thought clutches at me, equal parts thrilling and unbearable.

I glance toward the window, at the golden leaves swirling on the street outside.

They move wherever the wind takes them, unrooted and free.

But me? I’m not sure if I’m ready to let go of my roots or return to them, and can’t even fathom what will happen if I do either. I never saw him coming.

Neesha’s laughter rings out from across the counter, and I force myself to snap out of it, waving goodbye as I head toward the door. This isn’t the time to spiral. But as I step outside and feel the crisp autumn air bite at my cheeks, I know one thing for certain.

Asher Tremblay is changing everything, and I’m not sure I’m ready for it.