Page 44 of It Happened Back Then (Nilsson Family #3)

I hear the bell of the back door chime at the boutique and assume it’s Drake with our deliveries. But then I hear Meadow call out, “Oh, sisterrrr!” and it makes me laugh. She finds me out front. “So you weren’t gonna tell me he gave Savannah the boot?”

I glance at her as I fold a blouse next to the front counter. He didn’t tell me they spoke. “I don’t know what you’re talking about.”

“Then let me fill you in.” She bounces on her toes, eyes wide before hopping onto the counter and becoming the star of the show. Just how she likes it.

“So, apparently, Cole was filling in as bartender over at the Luxury the other nig?—”

“Oh, that's really cool!” I interrupt. “Wouldn’t it be awesome if he got a job there?”

She nods. “Yeah, so–”

“Do they have open shifts? Did he like it?”

She closes her fingers in a ‘shut your mouth’ movement, and I press my lips together and giggle. “Can you let me tell this story? ”

“My apologies. Continue.”

“So anywayyyy, Cole’s at work, right? And in prances Savannah, in all her I'm-too-good-for-cheeseburgers glory. Like she’s gracing the place with her presence.

” She slips into a high-pitched voice and mocks, “‘Oh hey, boys! I’m Savannah, I use my looks to make people think I’m sweet, but I’m really a conniving bitch. ’”

I belly laugh. “I really hope this is exactly how Cole relayed it to you.”

“It is! Voice and all! So, Cole says he watches her walk into the kitchen like she owns the place, and he and the barboy immediately start to eavesdrop.”

“I knew I liked Cole.”

She wears a smug grin. “Mmhm. Well, I knew I liked Bennett.”

I furrow my brows. “What do you mean?”

“He told her to get lost.”

“What?”

She clears her throat and very dramatically says, “And I quote, You shouldn’t have come to Bluemoon. I’m not available for anyone but Blossom .”

My heart sings and I can’t help the smile that comes across my face. “He said that?”

“He did. Cole said Savannah looked like someone slapped her with a baby shower invitation,” she says smugly. “God, I bet it was hot . If you don’t marry that man, I might.”

I hear her but not really. My mind races with it all. He said he’d talk to her but I didn’t think he’d say all that. And now I know what we have, what we’ve had, is the real deal.

“He chose me.”

She jumps off the countertop and throws her arm around me. “No shit. He always chose you. Do you get it now?”