“Still. You fucked up, my friend. Better fix it.” Colton never was one to pull any punches, and her flinch over his words was quick because, again, he wasn’t wrong. His phone rang on his desk, and he gave her a smile, then spun his chair to answer.
She sat for a long while, thinking about his words, about the blog—which now had a good number of replies from romance lovers who’d chimed in—and how she could maybe repair things. The idea of living next door to a person who hated her wasn’t one she relished, but it was up to her to repair things if she could.
Finally finding her ability to concentrate, focusing solely on her work for the rest of the day helped it to go by, and she packed up a little early. Jacket and bag in hand, she waved to Colton, who was on the phone again, and headed out into the mid-September weather. Today was chilly and gray. No rain yet, but it was on its way. She slipped on her jacket, drove herself to Jefferson Square, and managed to find a parking spot in the public lot not too far from her destination.
When she reached the front door, she took a deep breath and pushed through.
BookLove was a cute little shop. Admitting that wasn’t hard. It was small but cozy, warm, and inviting. The check-out counter was on the left, a window behind it looking into the alley next to the building. Two round tables stood on their own, one with featured local authors and one with the sign touting New Releases. A sign near the fireplace told her if she took her receipt to Café Dakota a few doors down, they’d give her a ten percent discount on her purchase, and she could bring it back and enjoy it on one of the couches with a book.
That sounded like a lovely idea, if Sawyer was being honest.
“Can I help—oh. It’s you.” Jenna Murphy had come from the back, carrying a small stack of books, and glanced her way, speaking before she recognized her.
“Hey,” Sawyer said, giving a lame little wave and trying to smile.
Jenna continued to make her way up front until she was behind the counter. Sawyer followed her path, and Jenna didn’t speak again until she’d looked around. Opening one of the books, she scanned something with a handheld scanner as she spoke. “Did you want to burn some books? Or are you here looking for unattainable dreams?I’m sure I’ve got some I can peddle to you, but only if you’re sad and lonely.” She closed the book and met Sawyer’s gaze. “Are you?” Her eyes were brown, dark and rich—and currently flashing with a spark of irritation.
Sawyer cleared her throat. “Um, no. No, I’m not. But Iamin the market for a book.”
Jenna’s eyes narrowed ever so slightly. “Is this a joke? Are you screwing with me?”
“I’m not. Promise.” She wet her lips. “I would like for you to recommend a book to me.”
Jenna held her gaze. Blinked. Looked unimpressed. “This is a romance-only bookshop.”
“I’m aware.”
Jenna stared some more, as if waiting for the punchline. And Sawyer couldn’t blame her. So she waited her out until finally Jenna cleared her throat. “Okay. Um, let’s see.” She came around the counter and headed over to the shelves. “What do you like?”
Sawyer pursed her lips in thought but then said, “What do you mean?”
“Like, do you like small town? Or do you like a little mystery with your romance? Would you prefer a classic? Or maybe you like historical.”
“That’s a lot of options.”
“Only the beginning.” Jenna stood near the end of one of the shelves, hand on her hip, and waited.
Sawyer nibbled the inside of her cheek. “I didn’t expect so many choices,” she said, her surprise genuine. “I think…” She swallowed and met Jenna’s eyes. “What do you recommend?”
The slight tip of Jenna’s head as she thought about it was adorable, and Sawyer couldn’t help but let a small grin appear on her own face. Jenna was too deep in thought to notice. Then she held up a finger, moved down the row a bit, and pulled a book off the shelf. “Now, I was going to have you start with Nora Roberts because she’s the queen, but you’re a writer, and Nora is a notorious head hopper, and I don’t want you to be turned off by writing technicalities and miss out on a great story. So, let’s start here.” She handed Sawyer a book.
“Lily Chambers.” Sawyer liked the cover, a cool blue with some abstract art as a background and two women standing at opposite sides.
“This one is sapphic. I thought you might like that, considering your rainbow flag and all.”
Sawyer’s head snapped up. “Wait. Was that a joke? Did you, woman who hates my guts, just make a funny?”
Jenna was trying not to smile, Sawyer could tell. “I might have” was all Jenna said as she left Sawyer standing there and went back around the counter. She didn’t correct Sawyer, didn’t say she was wrong and that she didn’t hate Sawyer’s guts, but Sawyer would take the almost-smile. “Lily Chambers lives in New York City most of the time, but she’s from up here in Northwood, and she visits every so often. She’s gonna do a signing with us next month.”
“I’ve heard of her.”
“As a book blogger, I would hope so. She’s pretty well known.”
Sawyer handed the book back to Jenna and dug her wallet out of her bag. “Listen,” she said, then cleared her throat. “I’m sorry. About the blog. I shouldn’t have done that. I was having a shit day, and my ex was making me feel awful and…” She wiped a hand in front of her. “You know what? None of that matters. I shouldn’t have crapped on your store. I’m sorry. I’m gonna take the blog down.”
Jenna rang the book up but then held Sawyer’s gaze for what felt like long enough to make her squirm but was probably only a few seconds. Then she gave one nod and said, “Apology accepted. Thank you.”
Sawyer took the book from her and held it up. “And thankyou.”
