She approached it, intending to close it and put it somewhere safe, but when she touched it, it came to life and her eyes caught on the document displayed on the screen. Words jumped out ather: ‘heart pounding,’ ‘fingers tracing her cheek,’ ‘the bookshop fell silent around them.’
Eveline's eyebrows rose. A romance novel? Emery was writing a romance novel?
She'd known Emery was working on something, had caught her typing furtively during quiet moments, had noticed the faraway look she sometimes got when staring at the bookshelves. But somehow, she hadn't expected… this. But then, she supposed it made sense. Romance seemed to be where Emery’s heart lay. She smiled a little to herself.
With a quick movement, Eveline closed the laptop, uncomfortable with the feeling that she'd intruded on something private. She carefully placed it beneath the counter, where it would be safe until Emery came in.
The shop bell jingled, and Zara bustled in, unwinding a colorful scarf from around her neck.
“Morning,” she called, dropping her bag behind the counter. “You're early.”
“Big day,” Eveline said. Then, trying to sound casual: “Did you know Emery was writing a novel?”
Zara looked up, interest sparking in her eyes. “I've seen her typing away sometimes. Is it any good?”
“I only glimpsed it,” Eveline said, arranging some bookmarks in their display. “It, um, seems to be a romance.”
Zara grinned. “I'm not surprised, are you? You must have seen her during the Romance Book Club meetings, taking notes like she’s studying for an exam.” She pulled her hair back into a ponytail. “Actually, it makes perfect sense. The way she talks about books, you can tell she really gets what makes a story work.”
Eveline considered this, remembering Emery's passionate recommendations to customers, the way she could match areader to exactly the right book. Perhaps Zara was right. Perhaps it did make sense.
“What makes sense?” Abe said as he shuffled through the door, looking more tired than usual.
“Emery writing a romance novel,” Zara said, moving to help him to his armchair.
“Ah,” he said, settling himself with a slight wince. “You discovered her secret project, did you?”
Eveline turned to him, surprised. “You knew about this?”
“Caught her at it a time or two,” Abe said with a nod. “Got quite flustered when I asked about it. Talented, though, from the bits I saw.”
“You read her work?” Eveline asked, a strange feeling tugging at her chest. Why hadn't Emery shared this with her?
“Just a wee bit,” Abe said. “She's rather protective of it. Private, you know.”
Before Eveline could respond, the shop door burst open and Emery practically flew in, her hair wild, cheeks flushed from running.
“I left my laptop,” she said breathlessly, eyes darting frantically around the counter. “Did anyone—“
“It's safe,” Eveline said, retrieving it from beneath the counter and holding it out. “I found it this morning.”
Relief flooded Emery's face as she took the laptop, clutching it to her chest like a precious artifact. “Oh, thank god. I was up half the night worrying.”
“It was perfectly safe here,” Eveline said with a smile. Then she felt herself blushing. “Um, I did notice it appeared to be a manuscript. I didn’t really read anything though, just closed it straight up again.”
Emery swallowed visibly. “Right. Yes. Just… working on something. Nothing serious.”
“Abe and Zara seem to think otherwise,” Eveline said with a slight grin. “They think you’ve got real talent.”
Emery shot a panicked look at Abe, who merely winked at her.
“I meant what I said before,” Eveline continued softly. “I'd like to read it someday. When you're ready.”
An unreadable expression crossed Emery's face. Relief, certainly, but something else too. Something that looked almost like… guilt?
“Thanks for keeping it safe,” Emery said finally. “I should put this away before I cause another disaster.”
As Emery disappeared into the back room with her laptop, the bell above the door jingled again. Ollie appeared, wrestling with a dolly stacked high with boxes.
