“Look at that. Progress.”
I turned onto the road where our next destination was. “Speaking of progress, are you ready for what I’ve planned?”
“I’m trying to be.”
“It’s up ahead on the right.”
Piper leaned forward in her seat, eyes widening when she saw the sign for Nashville’s largest used bookstore. “I’ve heard of this place before. It’s supposed to be huge.”
“It is,” I replied.
“It’s really busy.”
And it was. The parking lot was packed with cars, though it wasn’t as bad as it could get.
“This is a slower time for them, though the small parking lot doesn’t do them any favors. I’ll make sure no one gets close.”
“And how will you enjoy it?”
“I’ll enjoy it if you do,” I said. “I figure this will have a few books the library doesn’t.”
She eyed all the people walking in and out. “You really think I can do this?”
“I do.”
Piper bit her lip as she considered it, but then she nodded. “Let’s try it. You won’t judge me if it goes wrong?”
“I would never.”
That was enough for her to finally step out of the car. She lingered near the door, still unsure, and I offered my hand.
With one stabilizing breath, she took it, and we walked inside.
I didn’t love reading as much as she did, but this was incredible, even for me. Piper watched everyone else for a long moment before she finally took in all of the books.
And at the adorable way her eyes went wide, I knew I’d done the right thing.
“Holy shit,” she said.
“Buy whatever you want. I’m paying.”
She slowly turned to me, jaw hanging open. “Do you know how hot that sentence was?”
“I have an idea. And I’m serious about it.”
“You know how to treat a woman.”
“I know how to treatyou. Enjoy yourself, love. I’ll keep an eye out.”
That was all Piper needed to hear before making a beeline right for the romance section, pulling me with her. She stopped at two tall shelves packed with books and slowly started going through them.
I stayed next to her, ready to warn her when someone was squeezing past. I would put a hand on her lower back to move her so she would be out of the way. At first, shejumped each time, but then we found a pattern. She figured out it was me and let me adjust her to wherever she needed to be to avoid strangers.
A new sort of trust grew with each moment. Slowly, she relaxed and was able to focus on what she was doing, and I made sure she enjoyed herself. By the time she had a massive stack of books, she was acting the same as she did in Strawberry Springs, with no signs of tension at all.
“I think I might have enough,” she eventually said.
“That stack is almost as tall as you.”
