Page 105 of Tempt
I looked up and saw Winnie’s best friend Ellie Fournier and her fiancé Gianni Lupo coming toward me. Over his thick gray sweater, Gianni was wearing a baby sling on his chest with their two-month-old daughter, Claudia, in it.
I smiled. “Hi, guys. How’s it going?”
“Good.” Ellie was pushing a cart with some holiday decorations in it. “Just doing some shopping since Gianni had a night off and the baby has decided she only likes falling asleep when someone is wearing her and walking around.”
“I don’t mind.” Gianni grinned and patted the baby’s butt through the wrap. “I like it, actually.”
I peeked at her little face. “Ohhh, she’s so sweet,” I whispered. “Look at those eyelashes.”
“You should see her eyes when they’re open,” said Gianni. “Prettiest blue eyes you’ve ever seen. Aside from yours, of course,” he added, leaning over to give Ellie a kiss on the cheek.
Ellie laughed. “Of course. So what brings you out?” she asked me.
“I’m looking for a tree stand. I got a tree today.”
“Nice.” Gianni smiled. “We’re planning to do that soon too.”
“I hear your new shop is coming along,” Ellie said. “Winnie talks about it nonstop. I can’t wait to come in and see it.”
“Come any time,” I said. “I’d love to show you around.”
The baby started to fuss, and Gianni bounced her a little, swaying back and forth and making gentle shushing noises. Ellie looked on appreciatively. “Turns out, Gianni is like the baby whisperer. Who’d have thought?”
“Not me.” He grinned. “I had no idea how much I’d love being a dad. But it’s the best.”
Envy squeezed my heart as I gave them a little wave. “Well, I won’t keep you. Nice seeing you—the baby is beautiful.”
“Thanks. Bye, Millie.”
They passed me by and I moved up the aisle, finally locating the tree stands. But instead of grabbing one off the shelf, I stood there for a moment, fighting sadness.
You’re being ridiculous, I told myself as tears blurred the red, green, and white boxes in front of me.Are you going to cry every time you see a new family?After a couple deep breaths, I picked a tree stand I hoped would work and went up front to pay for it.
That’s when I spotted Mason and Lori at checkout. Immediately I dropped my eyes to the floor and spun around, heading back in the direction I’d come from, as if I’d forgotten something. My heart rattled around in my ribcage, and my pulse beat like a drum in my head.
I lingered in the paint aisle, perusing brushes and rollers and rolls of tape without actually registering any of it. After five minutes, I snuck to the end of the row and peeked at the registers from behind a stack of paint cans. They were gone.
Breathing a sigh of relief, I paid for my tree stand and bolted out of there.
“I was starting to get worried,” Zach said when I got back in the car. “What took you so long?”
“Don’t ask,” I said, slouching down in my seat. “Just get us out of here.”
* * *
The following day at work, Frannie surprised me with an afternoon visit. She brought me a cup of coffee, which I accepted gratefully. “Thanks,” I said, inhaling its delicious aroma. “I could use a pick-me-up.”
“You sound better. How’s the cold?”
“Almost gone. I think it was just a two-day thing.”
She smiled with relief. “Good.”
“Let me show you what’s new,” I said eagerly, motioning for her to follow me to the back. “The sewing machine arrived, the dressing rooms are finished, and the painting is finally done. Best of all, I actually have some dresses!”
After I gave her a tour, we ended up by the front windows, where two dresses were displayed on either side of the double front doors. She gushed over them both, turned to face me, her blue eyes bright. “Oh, Millie, it’s so beautiful. I’m so happy for you.”
“Thank you.”
