“Great. You can head home, and we’ll catch up over a cup of tea. I’m dying to hear all about your life, since you never call anymore.” She jabbed Evie softly in the ribs with her elbow.
Evie grimaced. “I call…I’ve been busy.”
“Too busy to speak to your twin sister?”
“I’m sorry… you’re right. I should call more often. I’m not good at the whole telephone relationship thing. Besides, you don’t call either.”
“That’s why I’m here. We’re both hopeless cases when it comes to staying in touch. We have to see each other more often.”
Evie led Emily out of the bookshop, then locked the door behind them. She gave Emily the key to her house and watched as her sister drove away. It felt strange to lock her house, but Coral Island was changing. Or maybe it was only her perception that’d changed.
With a deep inhale of breath, she spun around to walk across the street to the bank. She’d deposit the money, then head back to the bookshop to finish up. It would be nice to go home early and spend time with Emily. She was curious to know what her sister was doing and why she’d moved in with their parents in recent weeks.
Back at the bookshop, she was about to step inside and pull the door shut behind her when a man’s voice made her stop.
“I hope you’re not closing up shop.”
She turned to see the new primary school principal, David Ackerman, peering at her from the bottom step. He smiled, and a dimple appeared in one cheek.
“Sorry. I’m finished for the day.”
He looked disappointed. “It’s so hard for me to get over here during business hours. I suppose I’ll try again tomorrow.”
He turned to leave.
She spoke up. “Come on in. Let’s see if we can find what you’re looking for. You can pay for it tomorrow, since I’ve already balanced the till.”
He followed her inside, and she set the empty cash pouch by the register. “What can I help you with? Are you looking for a particular book?”
He shrugged and pushed his hands deep into the pockets of his dark jeans. “I don’t know exactly. I’ve run out of things to read. Any suggestions?”
She strode towards the new release section with him in step behind her. “What genre do you like?”
“Anything fast paced. Action, I guess.”
“I’ve got some brand-new books here that will be perfect for you.”
She showed him each book, turning them over to read the blurb, while he watched her. He nodded and made sounds of agreement when she pushed one of the books into his hands, but he didn’t seem particularly interested in it. It felt like he was there for some other reason.
“You know, we have a library in town.”
He laughed. “Is this always how you do business? Try to get your customers to leave and find books elsewhere?”
Her cheeks flushed with warmth. “Of course not. But if we don’t have what you’re looking for…”
“I can go to the library. Got it. Thanks for letting me know. The truth is, I was hoping to see you again.”
Warmth travelled from her neck up to her face, burning in her cheeks. “Oh?” She couldn’t think of anything else to say.
He chewed his lower lip. “Uh… yeah. Well, I think I’ve embarrassed myself enough. But it was nice to see you. I’ll bring the money for the book tomorrow.”
“Wait,” she said. It wasn’t every day that a handsome single man came to Coral Island.
He stopped and faced her.
“Book club.”
“I’m sorry?”
