Eveline sighed, sliding the last volume into place. “I'm not frowning at the books.”
“Ah,” said Abe. “Trouble in paradise already?”
“There's no trouble,” Eveline said. “And there's no paradise.”
Abe nodded. “If you say so."”
Eveline moved to the counter and busied herself with paperwork. She was being ridiculous, she knew. She and Emery had shared one night together, she had no right to expect complete transparency. They were still learning each other, after all.
And yet, the ease with which Emery had lied, because Eveline was almost certain it was a lie, troubled her.
But Emery wasn't Charles, she reminded herself. She was kind and genuine and slightly chaotic in the most charming way. If she had secrets, well, didn't everyone? Eveline certainly had her own.
Besides, trust had never come easily to her. Perhaps this was a good exercise in giving someone the benefit of the doubt. In opening herself to vulnerability again, risks and all.
THE DAY PASSED slowly and Eveline found herself glancing at the door whenever the bell jingled, a small flare of disappointment each time it wasn't Emery who walked in.
By closing time, there was still no sign of Emery, and Eveline had almost resigned herself to a solitary evening with a book and a glass of wine. She locked the front door with a sigh.
She was halfway up the stairs to her flat when a knock came at the side door, the private entrance separate from the shop. She turned back to answer it.
Emery stood on the threshold, slightly breathless, clutching a large paper bag that emitted delicious smells. “Hey,” she said, looking nervous. “I brought dinner. To apologize for disappearing.”
Relief and irritation made Eveline hesitant. “You didn't have to do that.”
“I wanted to,” Emery said. “Can I come in? Or is it too late?”
Eveline took a breath and then stood aside. “It's not too late.”
They ate on the sofa, containers of Indian food spread across the coffee table between them, and talked about how the shop had been that day. It wasn't the conversation that mattered, Eveline thought, but the way Emery's eyes kept finding hers, the way their hands touched when reaching for the same container, the way the tension gradually bled from Eveline's shoulders.
Later, when empty containers were thrown away and they lay twined together on the sofa, Eveline's doubts seemed to melt away beneath Emery's touch. Whatever secrets Emery might be keeping, this connection between them was undeniably real.
“Stay tonight,” Eveline murmured against Emery's neck. “I have clean clothes you can borrow.”
Emery pulled back slightly to look at her. “You're sure?”
“Very sure,” Eveline said, brushing a curl from Emery's forehead.
Perhaps trust, like anything else worth having, needed to be built gradually. Perhaps happiness wasn't about having all the answers, but about being willing to ask the questions and accept that some might remain unanswered for now.
As Emery smiled and leaned in to kiss her, Eveline let herself hope that this time was going to be different. This time, happiness was going to be something she could hold on to.
Even if, for now, it came with a few question marks attached.
Chapter Twenty-Two
“So what exactly is the plan here?” Jax asked, stirring her coffee with unnecessary vigor. “You and Eveline get married, have two kids and a dog, and you never tell her who you actually are?”
Emery winced, glancing around the small cafe. “Could you keep your voice down? And no one said anything about marriage.”
“Oh, I'm sorry,” Jax said, leaning forward. “Is that not where this is heading? Because from everything you've told me, you're falling hard for this woman.”
Emery stared down at her untouched cappuccino. “I know it's complicated.”
“Complicated?” Jax said. “Em, you're sleeping with a woman who thinks you're just a bookshop assistant when you're actually the bestselling romance novelist she used to trash on a regular basis. That's not complicated, that's a disaster waiting to happen.”
“I know, I know.” Emery sighed. “Maybe I could… I don't know… pass the name to someone else? Retire Emerald Pearl and just be Emery Parker forever?”
