Something changed inside her, once she did.
Somehow, every uncertainty that had risen to the surface two days ago about her existence in this town, every bit of grief she’d cried into the sand next to her parents—it all felt lighter. It all felt a bit more okay, when she remembered books.
Getting to buy books and sell books. Getting to exist alongside them.
When she remembered books, she remembered this would all be worth it.
Thinking of her conversation with Liv, she decided to finally try The Bay Diner for lunch. To say hi to someone new. It was mediocre, but the waitress was nice to her, even when Mae introduced who she was, so she counted it as a win.
And when she returned, her bookshop had a bookshelf.
“Oh my god.” Her bag dropped off her shoulder to the floor.
Dell turned. And for a second, he smiled. Just the slight twitch of his lips that Mae had come to learn was a Dell smile. His eyes, a bit brighter than they had been in days.
And then, like that, it was all gone as he frowned.
“Uh.” He hugged his elbows across his belly. “I hope it’s okay. I realize, now, that I should have waited for you before I actually put the screws in.”
Silently, Mae walked to the shelf, firmly secured against the wall. She ran a hand over the smooth wood, almost soft in the lack of varnish. After a minute, she squatted down to run her fingertips over the detail Dell had carved into the center of each low cabinet door: little flowing waves.
She stood. Turned.
“I have a bookshelf,” she said. The smile tugged its way back to Dell’s mouth.
“With more to come,” he said.
“With more to come!” she shouted, like a dam suddenly bursting. She bounced on the balls of her feet, cupping her cheeks with her palms. “Oh my god.” She twirled back to the shelf. “Okay.” She forced herself to stop bouncing, to think of her floor plan. “I’m going to put local interest stuff here. Guidebooks and travel and non-fiction. History. Kids’ books about whales and seashells and clams. And then!”
Mae twirled again.
“Right where you are.”
She stepped forward. Dell raised a brow, retreating just before she collided with his chest.
“Right here.” Mae spread out her arms. “A beautiful table for new releases. And a rug. I want a gorgeous rug, running all the way from here”—she skipped to the counter—“to here. Oh my god.” She covered her mouth with a hand before dropping it. “The floors are done. I have a bookshelf.”
She restrained herself—barely—from launching her body at the beautiful burly person in front of her and shaking his shoulders. Didn’t he see?
“I can get the rug and the table now.Right now. That’s what I’m going to do.” She took a breath, her day suddenly, brilliantly reconfigured in her head. “I’m going to go see Olive.”
Dell nodded.
“Her store’s got a dumb name for the quality of the stuff she’s got in there,” he said. “Well, some of the stuff. It’s a good idea.”
Mae stared at Dell a moment more. All of the doubts, all of the sadness of the past few days felt ever further away.
“Sorry I can’t do mimosas right now,” she said after a beat. “I’m too full of adrenaline.”
Dell nodded again. “Me too.”
Mae laughed.
“This is you full of adrenaline?”
Dell’s smile grew as he rubbed a hand over his face.
“Very tired but full of adrenaline, yeah.” He looked over at the shelf, stuffing his hands in his pockets. “It looks good.” And then, looking back at Mae, “Maybe we meet back up in a few hours. For the champagne.”
