Page 16 of The Pumpkin Pie Book Nook

If she listened, if she really listened, her instincts were saying the same thing they had for weeks.

Tyler could change her life.

And if she let herself step past the logic that said they could never work, he would wreck her in the most spectacular way possible.

The scariest part was that her heart seemed willing to risk it.

EIGHT

TYLER

Tyler tried to act like everything was normal when he pushed through the door of The Kettle that night, but his nervous system hadn’t gotten the memo. The place was busy. A pool cue cracked and the balls scattered, someone whooped at a near miss, and a guitarist in the corner strummed through a cover song. Families leaned over wood-fired pizzas and friends clustered around darts with baskets of fried pickles and wings. Just another night in Maple Falls.

The air smelled like yeast and beer and garlic, with a faint smoky sweetness from the oven. Tyler loved it here. He always had. Tonight, though, he felt like the world was spinning faster, and he hadn’t stopped to catch his breath.

Jackson was at the end of the bar, talking with Cole Alders, the new fire chief. Tyler had only met him once, but he’d heard plenty from Zach. The two had bad blood since grade school, and Tyler was smart enough to know he wanted to stay out of that.

Jackson strolled back over a minute later, looking annoyingly relaxed for a man whose life currently involved wedding planning, farm responsibilities, and the arrival of a baby in five months’ time. He sat with one arm draped over the back of his chair, the other with beer in hand, completely at ease. Serving in the army had given him that confidence, though Zoe had softened the sharper edges over the years.

“I’m glad you made it out,” Jackson said, pushing the spare stool closer with his boot.

Tyler slid onto it with a deep sigh. “You can thank Zoe for that. I appreciate how much she watches Emma.”

Jackson’s grin turned soft in that way it always did when his fiancée’s name came up. “You know she loves Emma. And she’s practicing for ours.”

“It’s a wild ride, parenting,” Tyler said, reaching for the beer the bartender set down in front of him. “Buckle up.”

Jackson laughed, then studied Tyler over the rim of his glass. Tyler could see the gears turning, all the future questions he planned to ask. “You know I’ll be coming to you for advice.”

Tyler took a sip, the crisp beer grounding him. “I’ll help as much as I can, but honestly, most of it is just… figuring it out as you go. And being willing to Google things you never thought you’d need to Google.”

Jackson snorted. “Fair.”

“And,” Tyler added, gesturing vaguely around the room, “there’s no better town than Maple Falls to raise a kid in.”

“I can’t argue with you there,” Jackson said. “I grew up here. I turned out… mostly normal.”

Tyler huffed a laugh. For a few minutes they fell into easy bar talk—updates from Jackson’s farm, the latest town gossip, someone’s new goat that had beef with the mailman—until Jackson set his beer down and leaned in.

“So,” he said casually. “What else is new? Got any hits on the bookstore?”

Tyler’s stomach tightened. He meant to say something neutral. Something like, Meg has a realtor lined up. Or, The clearance sale is going well. Instead, before he could stop himself, the truth slipped out.

“God, I hope not.”

Jackson blinked. Then his eyebrows shot up. “That’s… not the answer I was expecting.”

Tyler stared into his beer, hoping it held the answers. “It’s not that I’m emotionally attached to the building,” he said, even though they both knew that wasn’t true either. “It’s just⁠—”

“It’s Robyn,” Jackson said, plain as day.

Tyler’s mouth twitched despite himself. He lowered his voice, not because he was trying to keep secrets—Maple Falls was a town where the wind itself carried gossip—but because saying it out loud made it feel real.

“I’m crazy about her,” he admitted. “And I don’t want her to go.”

Jackson leaned back on his stool and took a slow sip, looking far too pleased with himself. “Well, shit. I could’ve told you that, man. The way you watch her when she’s in a room? Your eyes never leave her.” He paused, then grinned wider. “I’m just glad you’re finally admitting it. Does she know?”

Tyler’s chest warmed in a way that was both hopeful and mildly humiliating. “Oh, she knows.”