“Before my phone rang,” Emery said.
“Yes. Before that.” Eveline's dark eyes met hers. “I meant what I said. About judging too quickly. About courage.”
Emery swallowed hard. “I have something I need to tell you, Eveline. Something important.”
“What?” Eveline asked, taking a half step closer, which in the narrow aisle meant they were now close enough that Emery could feel the warmth radiating from her body.
“I'm…” Emery began, her heart hammering. Tell her now, a voice in her head urged. Just say it. “I'm not who you think—”
The door burst open with a bang, startling them both.
“I've brought cinnamon rolls!” Maya said, wielding a bakery box like a trophy. “Fresh from the oven and—oh!” She stopped short, taking in their proximity. “Not interrupting anything, am I?”
Emery, startled by Maya's sudden entrance, took a step back, colliding with a shelf. Books cascaded down around her, thumping to the floor in a literary avalanche.
“Oh god, I'm so sorry,” she gasped, dropping to her knees to gather the fallen volumes. “I swear I don't do this on purpose.”
To her surprise, Eveline kneeled beside her, laughing softly. “I'd be worried if you did,” she said, reaching for a book at the same time as Emery. Their hands met over leather binding, and instead of pulling away, Eveline let her fingers rest on Emery's.
“If you two are quite finished flirting over fallen literature,” Maya said, her voice heavy with amusement, “there are customers arriving.”
Eveline stood, still holding Emery's hand, and pulled her to her feet. They stood for a moment, hands clasped between them, eyes locked.
“To be continued,” Eveline said softly, giving Emery's hand a gentle squeeze before releasing it.
Emery nodded, unable to form words. As she followed Eveline out of the storage room, she marveled at how much had changed. A few weeks ago, she'd knocked over a display of classics and earned Eveline's cold disapproval. Now she'd created yet another avalanche of books, but this time, Eveline had laughed. This time, Eveline had held her hand.
This time, “to be continued” held the promise of something wonderful. If only she could find the courage to tell Eveline the truth.
Maya caught her arm as they exited the storage room. “Sorry about my timing,” she whispered, not looking sorry at all.“But next time, perhaps choose somewhere with more room to maneuver? Storage room accidents can be so… predictable.”
Emery laughed despite herself. “I'll keep that in mind.” Her gaze drifted to Eveline, who was greeting the day's first customers with a smile that seemed brighter than usual. “Though at this point, I think the books falling is just part of our story.”
“A classic meet-cute,” Maya agreed with a nod. “Though usually those happen at the beginning, not in chapter nineteen.”
Emery froze. “What did you say?”
“Just that you two took your time getting to the good part,” Maya said with a wink, then bustled off with her box of cinnamon rolls.
Emery exhaled slowly, steadying herself. Right. Maya didn't know anything. She was just being Maya, romantic, meddling, and eerily perceptive.
But time was running out. She couldn't keep pretending forever. Sooner or later, the truth would come out. And when it did, would Eveline still look at her with that warmth in her eyes? Or would Emery's secret destroy everything before it had truly begun?
She squared her shoulders and headed for the counter. One thing at a time. Right now, she'd enjoy this new, softer Eveline who put romance novels front and center and held her hand among fallen books. Later… well, later she'd find the courage to tell her truth.
She hoped.
Chapter Twenty
Emery stood beside Eveline as she locked the shop door, the little bell giving one last jingle as it swung shut. The day had been pleasantly busy, with a steady stream of customers drawn in by the newly prominent romance section. Several times, Emery had caught Eveline smiling to herself as she rang up copies of books she'd once dismissed as “mindless drivel.” The transformation was subtle, but undeniable. Emery couldn’t help but think that she had something to do with all this.
“Good day,” Emery said, watching Eveline pocket the keys.
“Very good,” Eveline said, her dark eyes meeting Emery's. “Maybe we should celebrate.”
Emery's heart did a little skip. “Celebrate?”
“A glass of wine, maybe?” Eveline suggested, her voice casual, but maybe a little too casual. “We could discuss the upcoming author events upstairs. If you're not busy, that is?”
