Page 124 of November

“Oh, I know. I also think that I’m used to fixing things because that’s been my role in relationships. And I’m not just talking about romantic relationships. Part of my job is often fixing things, and the few friends I’ve had that I can call true friends have needed me to fix things a time or two. Colter, as you know, has had people fixing things for him for years. I think I’ve been part of the problem there, too. Our mom is no help, and I get this from her. His father is aloof and just likes the money. I think my sister is probably the only normal one among us. She lives a low-key life, doesn’t care about the money, has her family, likes spending time with her kids, and has actual hobbies.” She laughed. “I have no idea what that’s like.”

“Wine is a hobby,” Maisie suggested.

“Yes, but it shouldn’t be my only one. Idolike reading,and I’ve now finished both of those books I got from the shop. There’s a third in the series, you know?”

“I’ll make sure to set a copy aside for you tomorrow,” Maisie replied, smiling back as she set her cup on the table next to India’s. “But you said something while on the phone earlier that I was hoping we could come back to.”

“I did?”

“You said you wanted to more specifically define what we’re doing.”

“Oh, yes. Ididsay that,” India replied.

“So, I thought maybe we could start with some promises before we do that.”

“Promises?”

Maisie turned a little to face her, took India’s hand in both of her own, and said, “I promise that I’ll do a better job communicating what’s going on before I need to take a walk, try to talk to you more, and maybe take fewer of those processing walks.”

“Maise, if you need a walk, you walk. That wasn’t what bothered me. I wasn’t mad at you. I thought it was my fault. I worried I’d lost you because of something my brother had done, and so my mind went immediately to kicking his ass.”

Maisie laughed and replied, “I don’t blame you for your brother’s actions, India. I know you wouldn’t have put some parking garage over my bookshop, and I also think that if, for some reason, you felt like youhadto in order to save your job, you would’ve told me.”

“I’d just quit,” India said.

“What?”

“Maisie, I work because I want to, but I don’t have to. I’m lucky. So, I’d find another job. If I ever felt like Southern was about to do something I disagreed with morally or ethically, I’d make sure they heard what I had to say, and if they still wanted to do it, I’d quit, and I’d try to find a way to stop them if it were that bad. That was the case before I met you, but yes, had that happened after, I would have told you first. We would’ve figured it out together.”

Maisie smiled and replied, “I think we’re both capable of growth, then.”

India laughed and said, “I hope so.”

“Think we can try growingtogether, maybe?”

“I think that can be arranged. Now, any chance you’ll kiss me sometime soon, or do you have more of those promises you want us to make?”

“I feel like we’ve had a few of these bumps in the road since we met.”

“Yes, but that’s all they are, Maisie – they’re just bumps. Easily dealt with, and we move on from them. I mean, I went to the batting cages for you. You went through an entire wine lesson for me.”

Maisie laughed a little and said, “But I think they’re good. It’s good for us to be able to get through these now, right? When it’s new, it doesn’t mean it has to be perfect, and maybe perfect isn’t what we want anyway.”

“I thought I had perfect with Finley, and look how that turned out,” she offered in response, sitting up a little. “It was only perfect to me because she gave me everything I wanted, and I didn’t give her much back. Hell, even the ring I bought her wasn’t actually forher. I got a massive diamond because I wanted her to be able to show off the ringIgot for her.”

“What ring? You two were engaged?”

“No,” India said quickly. “And she doesn’t know about it.”

“That you got her a ring?”

“I bought it and arranged this trip to propose after we’d been together about a year. We had to cancel the trip, though, and I never gave her the ring. I never told her I was going to ask her to marry me, either. I kept it in my safe and kept waiting for things to, I don’t know, settle for us, but every time we’d take two steps forward, we would take three back, and it never got there.”

“I didn’t know that,” Maisie said.

“Not much worth knowing, I suppose. I’m telling you now because that was what perfection was to me then, andI don’t want the same now. Growing up, I wish I could say that I had to work for things, but I didn’t. Not just because I grew up with money, but because I also happened to be smart and–”

“Beautiful?” Maisie guessed.