Page 75 of Not Just Gal Pals

“Jenny!” a high-pitched voice squealed.

Engrossed with typing an email about floral arrangements, I jumped in my seat, losing balance and nearly capsizing onto the Novel Gossip patrons sitting behind me.

Steadying myself, I looked up to see Blake grinning at me, dark hair falling over her eyes. Dark hair she couldn’t brush away because she had an excited twin hanging off each hand. Ava and Liam let go and raced over to me. Blake ran her hand through her hair in relief.

“Well, hello!” I said, enveloping the twins in a hug. “How are my two favorite four-year-olds?”

Ava and Liam clambered up onto a chair each, and Blake settled down next to me, leaned forward, and kissed me for longer than was probably appropriate in front of the twins.

“Good! We went to the playground, and Auntie Blake pushed us so high on the swings we nearly went to space,” Liam announced, completely unfazed by our PDA.

“Wow! Auntie Blake must be very strong.” I looked at Blake, and our eyes connected, my chest full to bursting.

“Auntie Blake is exhausted.” Blake leaned forward and poured herself a glass of water, taking a long gulp. But despite her words, she looked radiant. I didn’t know what it was—whether it was the medical fund taking a load off her shoulders, my return, or something else altogether—but in the last week, she was more energetic, more upbeat than she had since I’d moved back the first time, in October. “Now, what do you kiddos want?”

“Milkshakes!” the twins screamed in unison.

“Inside voices, you two,” Blake said, trying to sound stern and failing completely. “Now, where is George?” Blake turned around and waved at George, who was already walking toward us.

“Did I hear someone say milkshakes?” George placed two coloring pads and some crayons in front of the twins. They grabbed the crayons and started scribbling.

“I think everyone in Sapphire Springs heard someone say milkshakes,” Blake said, grinning at George. “Sorry about that.”

Untroubled, George took down our orders. I’d just finished putting in my coffee order when the front door opened. George looked up quickly, an indecipherable expression crossing her face as a couple entered.

“Hello! Please take a seat. I’ll be with you soon.” She looked at her watch and furrowed her brow.

“Is everything okay?” Blake asked.

George looked up, a wry smile on her face. “Yep, sorry. It’s just the TimeOut New York crew is coming today to take photos for the article, so I’m a little distracted. They should be here any minute.”

“Oh sh—I mean, oh!” Blake glanced at the twins, who were engrossed in coloring and hadn’t noticed her swearing slip-up. “Maybe we should get out of your hair, then. These two are quite, er…energetic today. Olivia is going to meet us here to take over soon, but we can easily just play in the park some more until she closes up the shop.” Blake’s family had gifted her brother a kid-free weekend so he could celebrate his tenth wedding anniversary with his wife, so they were taking turns to mind the twins.

George looked down at Ava and Liam, who looked angelic as they scribbled peacefully.

“No, no. Don’t leave. We’re a family-friendly establishment, and I want them to see that,” George said firmly before turning and walking back to the counter.

Blake and I exchanged a concerned look. It was only a matter of time until the twins lost interest in coloring.

The front door opened again, and Blake and I looked up, my grin broadening.

Amanda spotted us as she walked through the door with Maya and beelined toward us.

“Hello! How are my favorite lovebirds?” Amanda asked, her grin mirroring my own. “Apart from you and Jasper, of course, Maya—who tie for that honor,” she hastily added. “You know, I’ve been thinking about starting up a dating agency after my recent successes. My wedding brought y’all together.”

I laughed. Blake and I were taking full credit for Maya and Jasper getting together, but now probably wasn’t the time to admit to our Emma-like scheming. Maybe one day we’d tell them about it—perhaps at Maya and Jasper’s wedding, which I’d hopefully get to plan. Just the thought of helping another friend celebrate their special day made my body buzz with excitement. My mind started whirring with possible locations, color schemes, and themes.

“Well, if you’re looking for clients for your dating agency, keep me in mind,” George said, smiling as she placed two gigantic milkshakes in front of the twins and coffees in front of me and Blake.

I shot Blake a quick glance, but her face gave nothing away. She’d given me the impression George was happily single, but perhaps that wasn’t the case. Intrigued, I made a mental note to ask Blake about it later. The twins pushed the crayons away and grabbed their milkshakes, downing them with ungodly loud slurps.

Amanda grinned. “I certainly will! Well, we’ll leave you to enjoy your drinks in peace. I’ll see you for brunch tomorrow, Jenny?”

I nodded vigorously. After years of seeing Amanda in person only a couple of times a year, it was amazing being able to catch up with her on a regular basis. Amanda and Maya headed to a table nearby, and as I watched them go, I spotted Mrs. Harding in the corner of the cafe, her head in a book. Despite my plan not to U-Haul it with Blake, I had spent a lot of time at her house in the past few weeks and had run into Mrs. Harding a few times. The intimidating figure she’d once held in my mind had been replaced by the reality of her now. I could see she cared about her students, even if the way she’d dealt with me had been misguided.

The front door opened again, and two attractive women in their late twenties walked in. One of the women, who had short black hair and wore a red bomber jacket, was carrying a large camera.

“Here goes,” I said, tilting my head toward the newcomers, who were making their way toward the counter. I shot a glance at the twins, who were still loudly making their way through their milkshakes, and breathed out. We were okay for now.