She hurried inside the house. When she was safely inside, she leaned against the wall to catch her breath, her hand pressed to her mouth, aware of a flutter of excitement for what the future might hold.
For now, though, she was content to leave things open-ended, knowing they had time to explore these new feelings when the time was right.
Chapter Thirty-Five
Bryce
Something was going on with Emma.
As Bryce carried in another load of lumber for the open shelving he was building in the extension, he caught her once more staring into space, her features tight and troubled.
Even with her uneasy expression, he couldn’t seem to stop looking at her. From her purple-tipped hair to her piercings, to her ink, Emma gave the appearance of a tough girl but he knew it was all an illusion, the masks she wore to hide the vulnerable woman inside.
He found her breathtaking and wished he had a better ability with words so he could tell her so.
The bookstore was busy on this rainy day, filled with tourists and locals alike. Only one other employee was working today, Maya Thompson, who grew up near him. She was about four or five years younger than Emma and worked for the bookstore when she came back to town from college during the summer.
He wanted to ask Emma what was wrong but she seemed to go out of her way to avoid him, striking up conversations with Maya or a customer whenever he tried to approach.
His opportunity to talk to her finally came after he had made a trip outside to his truck in order to grab a tool he had left out there. When he came back inside, he found her standing in front of one of the bookcases he had redone, her mouth set and her features in turmoil. She didn’t seem aware of him.
Maya, he saw, was speaking to the only customer currently in the store, so he decided he probably wouldn’t have a better chance to ask Emma what was wrong.
“Hey, Emma, could I steal you for a minute? I could use some advice about something.”
That seemed to jerk her back to awareness. With a wary look, she followed him into the extension.
“It’s looking so good in here. How much longer until you think you’ll be done? I’ve been on a wild ordering binge to fill all the new shelves.”
“Close. Another two weeks, maybe?”
“Thank you for working so hard on it.” Her polite smile didn’t reach her eyes. “What did you need help with?”
“I wanted you to tell me what’s bothering you.”
She gazed up at him in surprise. She swallowed but looked quickly away. “Nothing. Everything’s fine.”
“Really? Because you’ve been distracted since I got here.”
She shook her head. “You’re imagining things. If that’s all, I need to get back to work.”
He couldn’t force her to tell him, he knew. Still, he wished she trusted him. “Okay. If you change your mind and want to talk, I’m here.”
She studied him, then leaned back against the brick wall they had stripped, eyes closed with complete exhaustion.
“I didn’t sleep well last night. I’m a mess.”
He wanted to tell her she was beautiful, as always, but he sensed that wasn’t what she needed right now.
“What happened? Was the book group meeting a complete disaster?”
She hesitated then finally sighed. “The meeting itself was good. Andrew read from his new book and it was wonderful. I can’t wait to read it. Everything went great until... untilmy mother accidentally found out something I’ve been trying to keep from her.”
He waited for her to continue. When she didn’t, he frowned. “You can’t leave me hanging like that.”
“I don’t really want to talk about it.”
He nodded. “Okay. I’m sorry I pushed. None of my business. I don’t like to see you looking so distressed. Since you’re here, would you help me measure again for these shelves? I want to be sure before I start cutting boards.”
