“Are we heading home?” she asked. It was still early, and she wasn’t quite ready to call it a night.
“Want to head to the Country Store and check out the books?”
She looked at him with wide eyes. “Do you even have to ask? Lillian Taylor’s new book just came out. I’m waiting for it to come into the library so I can binge read it.”
The night air was warm, so they walked from the resort down to the Country Store. People milled about. Several people were on the outdoor patio of the bar, and Mia and Jackson waved at the familiar faces as they passed by. They arrived at the store and Jackson held the door open for her.
Once inside, they both waved at Felicity, one owner of the store who stood behind the counter ringing up a customer. Then they beelined it toward the books. Mia immediately picked up Lillian Taylor’s newest release and flipped through it.
“Hey, I’m going to go talk to Felicity real quick,” Jackson said.
Mia nodded and continued to flip through the book before setting it back down and looking through the other books. Since she worked in a library, she tried to refrain from purchasing too many paperbacks. She spent a lot of her slow days in the library reading books there, so there wasn’t a need to fill her house when she had most books at her fingertips on a daily basis.
She kept a small collection in her house, but they were typically only books she planned to read a second time, special editions, or gifts.
Jackson came back over to her, carrying a bag. “Ready?”
She glanced at his bag before staring longingly at the book. It would be at the library soon. There was no need to purchase it, she reminded herself.
They waved at Felicity and stepped out of the door into the night air. “What did you get?”
Jackson shrugged. “I ordered something a while back, and it just came in today.”
“And what did you get?” she repeated.
“Curious little bugger, huh?”
Mia smirked. “Yes. Now tell me what you got. Unless you’re embarrassed.”
“If I was getting something to be embarrassed about, I would have gotten it in a neighboring town.”
“So, what is it?”
Jackson laughed. “Okay, come here.”
He took her hand and led her over to a bench and sat down. She sat down beside him and turned to face him expectantly.
“This is for you,” he said, handing her the bag.
“Me?” She turned it around in her hands.
“Yes. Open it.”
She opened the bag and peered inside. A special edition of Lillian Taylor’s newest book sat inside. Her breath caught as she gingerly took it out of the bag. The cover was foiled, and the edges were sprayed. When she flipped open the cover, it had been personalized to her and signed by Lillian herself.
“When did you do this?” she whispered.
He shrugged. “When the pre-orders started. I thought you might like to have it. It’s pretty cool looking, and I know how much you like her books.”
Mia closed the book and wrapped her arms around Jackson. The entire world quieted with that simple touch. It was just the two of them on this bench, and she wished it would never end.
“Thank you. Seriously. This was so thoughtful.”
When they pulled apart, he was smiling brightly at her. “It’s worth it to see that smile on your face.”
