Page 2 of A New Chapter

Zack glanced between the two of them and said, “It’s ok. I understand. Didn’t mean to keep you. I just wanted to come over and say hi.”

Emma experienced a flicker of guilt. Maybe he was just being nice. She shouldn’t condemn the man for being an asshole five years ago, should she? Maybe he’d changed now that he had a daughter…

“If Gracie likes books, I conduct a story hour for kids every Saturday morning at eleven. It’s free, and she’s welcome to come.” Yep, my guilt got the best of me.

“Thanks for the suggestion. I’ll let her know.”

Her good deed done for the day, Emma turned back to the business at hand, and Zack drifted away toward the back of the store.

“Wow,” Kelly whispered as soon as he was out of sight. “He is absolutely delicious!”

“He’s a man, not a pastry, Kell, and if you knew his backstory, you might feel differently.”

“So, enlighten me. How did you two meet, and holy Greek God!”

Emma reluctantly let out a giggle. “I’m not going to tell you the story while he’s still in the store. Oh look, Mrs. Simmons just walked in. Why don’t you see if she needs any help?”

Mrs. Simmons was one of their “regulars,” and she almost always bought a book from the classics section. Lately, Emma had noticed her hovering around the erotica shelf, and she might have even paged through one of the books when she thought no one was looking. That wouldn’t have been such a big deal with most customers, but Mrs. Simmons was an eighty-year-old, gray-haired grandmother who dressed like a throwback from the 1950s. To say she was prim and proper was an understatement. Emma and Kelly had shared a good laugh over the idea of Mrs. Simmons reading Fifty Shades of Grey, but hey, who were they to judge?

Kelly stepped out from behind the counter and approached Mrs. Simmons just as Zack and Gracie walked up, each with a couple of books in their hands.

“We just need to pay for these, and we’ll be on our way,” Zack said apologetically.

Looking into Gracie’s eyes as she placed her selections on the counter, Emma couldn’t help but soften her stance. Zack couldn’t be that bad if he had created such a beautiful and seemingly well-behaved little girl.

“I didn’t mean to rush you,” Emma said, extending her olive branch. “I just got a big shipment of books in today, so I’m anxious to get them priced and on the shelves.”

“It looks like you have a thriving business. I’m glad to see that an independent bookstore can still survive; they seem so few and far between these days.”

“You’re right, but I’m determined to stay afloat.”

“Well, the store looks great. Gracie already said that she’d like to come back, so I’m sure you’ll see us again.”

Oh boy. “Great,” Emma said, hoping that she sounded enthusiastic.

Emma rang up their purchases and gave Gracie her own bag with a complimentary kid’s bookmark. She adopted a neutral expression while she bagged Zack’s books about single parenting. Gracie rewarded Emma with a beaming smile and then tugged on her dad’s hand to lead him out of the store.

When Zack had one foot out the door, he turned around and gave Emma a wave. Damn it, why had I still been looking?

As soon as Emma changed the sign on the front door to “Closed” and turned the lock, Kelly started in with her questions.

“Ok, so what’s the deal with Mr. Tall, Dark, and Handsome?”

Emma went about running the register tape for the day’s sales and tidying up the front counter while she relayed the short version of the story to Kelly.

“Zack is a college buddy of my cousin Phil. You know, the one who currently lives in Charlotte. Anyway, Zack and I stood up together in Phil’s wedding five years ago, and that’s how we met. I haven’t seen him since, so it was a bit of a shock that he showed up here today.”

“And?” Kelly said, tapping her toe impatiently. “There’s got to be more to the story than that.”

Emma could try to trick her best friend, but it was pointless. Kelly would get all of the details out of her in the end no matter what.

“And he came on to me all night long, even though we were there with our future spouses! The tragic irony of the tale is that we both ended up divorced. Crazy, huh?”

“No, I don’t think it’s crazy at all. I think it’s destiny,” Kelly replied earnestly. “You might not believe in fate, but I do, and I think that there’s a reason why Zack showed up here today.”

Emma set the register tape down and let out a heavy sigh. “Kelly, you are hereby officially cut off from reading romance novels. I forbid you to so much as lay a finger on one when it comes into this store. Understood?”

“Nice try, but you’re just trying to deflect. It’s obvious that you find each other attractive, and hello, who wouldn’t find that dude attractive? He’s so…”

“Delicious? Yes, you already said that. Listen, he’s the classic playboy, and I plan on staying as far away from him as possible.” Although, now that we live in the same town, that’s going to be a little more difficult.

“Maybe he’s changed. Have you considered that? Think about how much your life has changed in the past five years. His obviously has too.”

Kelly’s words resonated with her as Emma drove the mile and a half home from the bookstore. Her friend was right. Emma’s life had changed drastically in the past five years, and she hoped it was on the upswing. The divorce process had taken the wind out of her sails, and she was just beginning to feel stable again. She would never forget the day that Mark had told her he wanted out. His words were forever etched on her brain, and whenever she recalled them, she felt hurt and confused all over again. Her husband had simply decided that he didn’t want to be married anymore. He hadn’t had any specific complaints, and he’d sworn up and down that there wasn’t another woman, which Emma had believed. No, Mark had “come to the conclusion that marriage was not for him.” He wanted to be “free” to live a life without restrictions.

If Emma had a dollar for every hour she had spent analyzing those words, she probably wouldn’t have to work at all. But thank God for the bookstore; it had been her anchor throughout the divorce process and beyond. Mark had promised it would be a “congenial” divorce, and it was, relatively speaking. He’d signed off on any and all rights to the bookstore, and now Emma owned it free and clear. Sometimes she wondered if that was supposed to be her consolation prize. Tell her what she’s won… her very own bookstore! Looking back on the time when she had first opened the shop three years ago, Mark had been so supportive of her. He had been her cheerleader through it all, insisting that she follow her passion. Had he set her up with everything he thought she wanted just so he could leave her? Was that supposed to soften the blow?

“Just stop!” Emma shouted out loud, and realized that she still sat in her parked car in the garage. She didn’t even recall opening the garage door. This was exactly why she tried not to relive those awful days. The questions swirled around and around in her mind, but there weren’t any satisfactory answers. Nowadays, she found solace at work and with her friends, and of course with books. Books were the one thing she could always count on, and they would never let her down.