The thought rankled. No sense dwelling on it though. He wasn’t here to cause her problems. He was here to help solve them.
When he entered the store he headed back to the office, Dog in tow. Shelby was behind the desk and just ending a call. She beamed at him as the dog begged shamelessly for her affection, which she gave. “That was the rep from Sturgis. I explained about Gram passing and my inheriting a bit of a mess. She seemed reluctant to cut us a break at first, but she came around. She’s giving us till after Christmas. Normal rent payments will have to resume in January, and we’ll have to pay what we owe in back rent then too.” Her smile faltered. “And now that I’m saying it out loud, it sounds kind of impossible.”
“No, no, that’s great. The holidays are where it’s at in retail—you know that. We’ll implement some changes and make it bigger than ever.”
“You really think we can do this?” Shelby said.
“We’ll give it everything we’ve got.”
Chapter 19
Eleven years ago
In the end Shelby didn’t tell Brendan about Gray as she broke up with him. She was too worried about how Brendan and his friends might respond. She didn’t worry she’d break Brendan’s heart. In fact, she suspected he’d move on quickly—he was never without a girlfriend for long. Once he had another girl on his arm, maybe he wouldn’t care who Shelby was with.
She ended the relationship during her lunch break the day after the Fourth of July. He responded with a curled lip and awho caresattitude, making her wonder why she’d even been with him at all.
He and his family had such a great reputation in the community, but she was beginning to see he didn’t live up to it. Conversely Gray, who’d been all but condemned by the town, seemed the bigger person.
I broke up with him, she texted Gray as she walked back to the bookshop, her steps light now that she’d done the deed. Gray had texted her first thing this morning and she scanned the simple text as she awaited his reply.Good morning, Sunshine.
Her lips curved into a smile as warmth stole over her that had nothing to do with the hot sun high overhead.
A minute later his response appeared.How did it go?
Uneventful. I didn’t tell him about you though. Thought it might be better.
I’m glad. I was worried about how he might respond toward you.
He was worried about her. Shelby’s heart turned over in her chest. Who knew Gray Briggs could be so sweet?
Have you told anyone about us?he texted.
She could hardly believe there was anything to tell. But every time she remembered his kiss, every time she remembered the way he touched her, the way he gazed at her, she craved him yet again.
Not yet, she replied.
Okay, good. Let’s talk first. Can we meet up before my shift at the hardware store? Around 3:30?
I can meet you behind the bookshop for a few minutes.It was a scraggly yard, sheltered by buildings on both sides, that went unused. She’d tried to talk Gram into glamming it up for book club meetings but hadn’t had any luck so far.
Perfect. See you then.
The minutes dragged by as Shelby anticipated seeing him again. Would it be the same as it had been last night, or had the storm and darkness woven some kind of magic spell around them?
Maybe in the light of day the magic would be gone. Maybe he would wonder what he’d ever been thinking. They were so different. He was exciting and interesting andreal. She was a little... boring. She read books and got good grades and excelled at small talk. Suddenly all that seemed so trivial.
As her nerves jangled, she worked out a plan that would allow her a few minutes’ privacy. Her grandma was working downstairs in her office. Shelby would offer to take the empty book boxes to the dumpster behind Cedar Lake Gallery—a daily task Gram hated. No one would notice if it took Shelby a few extra minutes. Charlotte could easily cover the store.
At three fifteen she entered the office to find Gram scanning newbooks into the system. “Things are a little slow upstairs. I’ll take the boxes out for you.”
“Bless you, dear. That’s so thoughtful.”
Guilt pricked as Shelby gathered the broken-down boxes, took them out the back door, and hauled them to the dumpster they shared with the gallery. Deed done, her heart thumped heavily as she approached the bookshop from the alley. When she rounded the corner, there was Gray, sitting on the back porch, legs dangling over the side.
At the sight of Shelby, Gray dismounted the porch and headed toward her, his gaze sharpening on her as they closed the space between them. He was drawn to her as if she were magnetized. Didn’t stop until she was in his arms and his lips were on hers.
She seemed just as eager for him. Relief enveloped him, quickly followed by desire. She embraced him as he kissed her with the same fervor she brought out in him.
