And Austin? Something about him made me feel like I could be that kind of woman again.
Capable of ruin. Capable of joy.
I finished my coffee in silence and rinsed the mug in the sink, placing it upside down just like Austin did. Winnie had wandered over to the back door by then, dragging a blanket behind her and talking to her unicorn about whether they should plant flowers or a vegetable patch in the garden Austin was building.
The house was quiet. Too quiet.
I miss him.
It scared me how much I missed him, but more than anything I was terrified of the voice in my head whispering that my moment for happiness had passed me by a long time ago.
SIXTEEN
SELENE
Our local caféand bookstore was called the Crooked Spine. It was tucked between the bookstore’s ivy-covered side wall and an antique map shop that rarely opened before noon. Inside, it smelled like espresso and old paper, with mismatched chairs and creaky wood floors that whispered with every step. Fat, sleepy cats draped themselves across armchairs and windowsills, basking in squares of sunlight like royalty. Winnie had named them all—Marmalade, Sir Pounce, and Biscuit Head among them—and greeted each one like a longtime friend. She’d begged me to sit at the table by the window “because that’s where Biscuit Head curls up,” and sure enough, he was already there, loafing beside the glass like a furry paperweight.
The bell above the café door chimed with its usual delicate jingle, but I barely noticed it. My eyes were on the book in my lap, a paperback with dog-eared pages I’d already read twice but had pulled off the shelf for comfort more than plot. Winnie sat across from me, legs swinging under the table, marshmallow foam clinging to her upper lip as she sipped hot cocoa from a yellow ceramic mug that looked far too big for her hands.
She was humming something—some tune she’d learned in school or made up on the spot, impossible to tell the difference—and I tried to lose myself in the words on the page, but they blurred.
Everything blurred lately.
My body was still betraying me. Every time I closed my eyes, I could still feel the hot press of Austin’s mouth at my jaw, the way his voice had rasped my name like a secret in the dark. My insides went molten just remembering. Even now, sitting in the middle of a public place, my thighs squeezed together under the table like they had a mind of their own.
And then?—
“Didn’t expect to find my two favorite girls here. Are you stalking me, or is this fate?”
My head snapped up, pulse stuttering.
Austin stood just inside the threshold, sunlight hitting his shoulders like a spotlight. He wore a worn gray Henley with the slutty little buttons undone, jeans low on his hips, and that stupidly easy grin that made breathing feel optional.
He was already walking toward us, unhurried, and completely at home in his own skin.
He stopped at the edge of our table like it was the most natural thing in the world. Like he belonged there.
Winnie lit up like a sunrise. “Austin!”
He crouched next to her chair, his attention fully hers. “What’s the cocoa verdict today, kiddo? Is it any good?”
“Mom thought the cocoa was a little too hot to drink,” she said seriously. “She was right, but the whipped cream helps.”
Austin’s flirty gaze flickered my way. “I bet there isn’t much your mom is wrong about, but can I trust your taste buds?”
She offered him the mug with no hesitation. He fake-sipped, smacked his lips, and nodded solemnly. “Yep. That’s solid cocoa. You’ve got a good thing going here.”
She beamed, already back to sipping like she hadn’t just handed over her drink to a grown man with zero suspicion. Thatwas the thing about Austin—he made people feel safe. Instantly. Easily.
And me?
I was watching him like he was made of fire.
He looked at me then. Really looked. Not just with his eyes—but with something heavier and deeper, like he remembered every inch of last night’s heat and wasn’t sorry for any of it.
I tucked my hair behind my ear, trying to stay steady. “I didn’t peg you as a café bookstore guy.”
“I saw you two in the window.” He stood to his full, impressive height, smile still teasing. “I’m still trying to crack the code on your coffee order.”
