Page 76 of November

“They told me they’d consider putting us back on their tours, but they didn’t. What am I supposed to do?”

“I don’t know. Call them again. Things change all the time, Maisie. And let’s be honest here: it’s a long shot. This race is a long shot for you. Colter will probably win.”

“And he might come after the shop,” she added.

“Maybe. Maybe not. But you’ll go back to just having the shop and trying to keep it running. If you like India, that’s great. Stop testing the woman and give her a real chance,”Lainey said before she took a bite of the cookie she pulled out of the box. “I still don’t like that she didn’t tell you something important like that, though.”

“Me neither. But I sat here, trying to blame her for it, and I kept getting held up on the fact that I made her worry that she couldn’t tell me because I’ve never liked someone like her before.”

“It’s true. I’ve met your exes.”

“Youareone of my exes.”

“And I’ve never worn heels to a soccer match.”

“Yes, exactly.” Maisie laughed. “I look at her, and I feel like I simultaneously want to kiss her and run the other direction to fix my hair and put on some fancy dress because I don’t understand why someone like her would want someone like me.”

“Finley isn’t exactly fancy,” Lainey argued.

“I know. I’m defying logic right now. Still, I can’t help but feel it.”

“Is it worth it to you?”

“Iswhatworth it to me?”

“India. Can you put some of that stuff behind you, push it away, and just give the woman the benefit of the doubt? She wantsyou, Maisie. She took the day off work to come here and help you with this election that she knows you’re likely to lose. She brought the whole world coffee and cookies. Seriously, how many coffees did she bring?”

“Enough,” Maisie replied, laughing.

“There are also, like, a dozen cookies in here.”

“Yes, she must know you well already,” Maisie joked.

“Look, you’re making this way too hard, when it doesn’t need to be. So, get through today, and then think about what you want to do. I recommend that you at least talk to her. Like I said, I like her for you. I saw you practically fall into her when she started massaging your neck. You’re not usually a vulnerable person, and that’s especially true when you’re around other people. Hell, we dated for six months, and I don’t think you ever let me massage your neck like that.”

“Did you ever offer?” she teased.

“Yes, I did,” Lainey replied, laughing. “And I think the fact that you showed that side of yourself to her already, even with both Paige and me here, means something, Maise.” She shoved Maisie playfully in the shoulder. “Now, go vote for yourself. Let’s try to win this damn thing and make you the next city councilor in the city of New Orleans.”

Maisie smiled at her best friend, stood, and just as Paige walked in, she walked out. The voting station was only a short walk from the shop, so instead of driving, Maisie decided to enjoy the fresh air and have some time with her thoughts. She couldn’t push India out of them, though, which was surprising because she’d been so focused on kicking Colter Stone’s ass for months now that she had hardly been able to think of anything else. Yet, the look on India’s face when she’d tried to explain and then left the shop was something she couldn’t keep out of her mind.

Maisie should’ve told her that it was okay – she understood, and she had played her part – but she hadn’t said anything. She had let India leave, and now, she stood in line to vote for herself in some election that she had no chance of winning. Even if the polls had her up a few points, that didn’t mean she was up on Colter, and he’d been running ads just like the one she’d seen with India in the family photo all last night and today. Everyone would have his face on their mind when they went to vote, and Maisie would have to wrap her brain around this all being over soon and her life returning to what it had been before, which wasn’t bad, but wasn’t exactly fulfilling.

Maisie had her friends in Lainey and Paige, and she had the shop, but that was it. She didn’t have money saved up in the bank to travel, buy a house, or even rent a nicer apartment. She didn’t have a girlfriend or a wife to go home to at night. She also didn’t have her family anymore, and for the past several months, she’d been able to ignore the relative loneliness she felt since Grams had died. While she waited in line, she decided to do something about at least one part of her life.She pulled out her phone, looked up the number, and dialed.

“NOLA Guides. This is Jill.”

“Hi, Jill. This is Maisie Lincoln. I think we spoke maybe about a year ago about your tours.”

“Okay. How can I help you?”

“I ownChapter & Verse,” she said to try to help Jill’s memory.

“Oh, yeah. Maisie Lincoln,” Jill replied. “I remember now.”

“You mentioned that you might be able to include the bookshop on a few more tours a week, and I was wondering where you might have landed on that.”

“Honestly, I didn’t make the tour decisions then. That would’ve been the previous owner.”