Page 63 of Must Love Lavender and Little Lies
“Yes,” she said in a soft moan. “Now.”
“Or…”
A chime sounded from the kitchen, making us both pause.
We giggled, then pulled back.
“That was very close,” I said with a laugh, then smiled at her. “I love you, Juniper. Now, let’s find something else to focus on and something cold to drink because otherwise, I don’t think I’ll be able to follow through on our plan.”
She laughed. “Agreed,” she said, then led me to the kitchen, where she poured me a lemonade, then took her mother’s old wooden paddle and pulled two long pastries from her deep wooden stove.
“Two? It’s almost like you were expecting me.”
“How do you know I wasn’t planning to eat them both myself?”
“Because that one has red onions, which you hate and I love.”
Juniper laughed. We worked together then, preparing our dishes, and then sat at the counter in her kitchen.
“I remember the first time Noelle invited me for dinner,” I said with a smile, remembering Juniper’s mother. “I broke the counter stool. That was…embarrassing.”
“My mother was more embarrassed that she had not accommodated for orcs. But that’s how you ended up with your own special seat at our counter,” Juniper said, then paused. “Do you think maybe my mother knew, even then, that we would?—”
“Eventually end up together?”
Juniper nodded.
“Noelle was good at reading people. I’m sure she knew her only daughter best of all.”
Juniper nodded. “Yeah,” she said, with just a wistful tone of sadness in her voice. “I’m sure she’s happy for us.”
“Let’s toast her,” I said, lifting a slice of my flatbread. “To Noelle, who probably guessed it from the start.”
“To my mother,” Juniper agreed, tapping her slice against mine.
The moment we did so, a broom that was sitting propped in the corner fell over.
Pip jumped, but instead of barking in startle, he yipped excitedly, then jumped, his tail wagging.
I looked at Juniper, who was grinning.
“I guess she approves of our happily ever after,” she said.
“With all our family members in on it, there was no escaping the truth.”
“Thank goodness,” Juniper replied, leaning across the table to kiss me once more. “Thank goodness.”
I spentthe rest of the night lingering beside Juniper before I decided I’d better head back before my family sent a search party out for me.
“So, you want to meet up tomorrow?” I asked her teasingly.
“Yeah. Maybe have some sandwiches, hang out at the farm, could swing by Pig and Piper.”
We both chuckled.
“I’ll see you tomorrow, my bride.”
“And you, my groom.”
