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“You still doing alright, hon?”

I blinked up at Lina. Crap. How long had I been sitting there in the cafe? It wasn’t like me to get lost in work like that, but it was hard not to when I was so excited about something new.

“Yeah. Thank you for everything.” I smiled at her as I pulled out my wallet and set a stack of bills on the table for her. I didn’t even know how much the meal was, but I knew the fifty bucks should have been more than enough to cover it and give Lina a hefty tip for putting up with me.

It was almost four in the afternoon when I made it out onto the sidewalk. In a way, it felt good to get lost in my work like that. My ex had made me feel so guilty about it. He constantly accused me of being more interested in my job than in him.

To his credit, we’d dated for almost a month before I felt confident enough to even kiss him. Another month before I let him hold me in public. It wasn’t that I was against public displays of affection. I thought it was really cute that couples found the freedom to do that, but something about being in a relationship had always felt so perfunctory to me. Like I was doing it because everyone around me was, and not because I actually wanted it.

After a year of being together, and turning him down for sex for the fourth time, he finally let loose on me. He swore I was broken, that I was wasting his time, but maybe I was a little broken. Everyone around me seemed so excited to talk about sex, boast about all the people they’d slept with... and then there was me.

It wasn’t that I was a virgin—I’d had sex a few times—but it wasn’t something I felt like I needed. It wasn’t the earth-shattering experience everyone made it out to be. Maybe I always had the wrong partner? But I never sought out the right one either.

I was about to turn into a cute little bookstore when my phone chimed with an incoming message. When I saw it was another e-mail from the organizer of the festival, I smiled. She was really looking forward to having someone help her promote things.

Hi Allison,

I just received another application from a vendor. The guy who owns the place isn’t the friendliest, but I’m really interested in his idea. Would you mind swinging by Maple Lane Falls Animal Shelter and talking to him?

An animal shelter? Oh, heck yeah! I loved anything to do with animals. They were innocent, and if this person wanted to set up a booth to bring attention to that—I was all for it.

As I walked into the bookstore, something caught my attention. What exactly did she mean he wasn’t the friendliest? Surely that wouldn’t be the case if he took care of animals for a living. Pets made everyone happier, and if he was running a shelter, you had to have another level of empathy, or it just didn’t work.

I didn’t get to dwell on the issue of the mysterious animal shelter owner for long because the smell of warm baked goods greeted me the second I walked in the door. It wasn’t what I normally thought of when walking into a bookstore, but it made me want to settle in with a cup of spiced cider, a comfy blanket, and a really good book. Maybe I’d find a new romance novel on the shelves to keep me entertained for the evening.

“Welcome!” a woman at the front counter shouted. That was when I noticed all the treats that surrounded her and the register. It brought a smile to my lips because I would be walking out the door with one of those goodies.

The shelves were filled with all kinds of colorful books. I browsed each section, taking my time through the thriller section before moving on to mysteries.

“Is there anything in particular I can help you find?” The woman from behind the counter was now at my side. She’d moved so quietly that I hadn’t heard her, causing her sudden question to make me jump.

I pressed a hand to my chest, feeling my heart beating wildly against my ribcage. “Mostly just browsing, but I’d love to take a look at your romance section.”

The woman gave me a wide grin. “Not a problem. It’s quite the popular section. There are some days I wonder why I offer other types of books at all.”

She led me to another corner of the store, and it became obvious what she was talking about. The romance section was so much larger covering two whole walls. There were authors I recognized, but what I wanted to see the most was the section that was labeled for local indie authors.

For some weird reason, indies sometimes got a lot of flak, but I found myself loving those books so much more than some of the traditionally published books. There was just something about how an author was able to put their heart and soul into something they put out themselves, that added to the story.

There weren’t a lot of titles, but I pulled a few books from the shelf. The woman from the front counter smiled at me. “Not many people reach for those. It makes me happy to see someone giving those authors a chance.”

“Are you kidding me?” I asked. “These are always some of my favorite books. More people need to give them a shot.”

We walked up to the front counter, and she started ringing up my books. “I don’t think I’ve seen you around here before. Everyone around here calls me Ms. Shelly, and you’re welcome to do the same.”

Her smile was so warm, but that was something I was quickly learning about the residents of Maple Lane Falls. It didn’t matter that I hadn’t grown up there and I was a stranger—I was just as welcome as someone who had always been there.

“Well, thank you, Ms. Shelly. I’m Allie, or Allison. Though most people just call me Allie. I just moved into town.” I held up my camera to show her. “Social media marketing is my specialty, and I’d love the opportunity to come in and feature your shop at some point.”

Ms. Shelly blushed. “Oh, I don’t know about that, dear. Not sure what kind of people would be all that interested in a small-town bookshop?”

Instead of answering her right away, I looked over all the goodies around the register, grabbing a few packages of sliced zucchini bread to add to my order. There were so many treats that looked amazing, it only meant I needed to come back for more.

“You’d be surprised. People eat stuff up like this.”

Ms. Shelly wrapped the bread in extra tissue paper before placing it in the bag with the books. I was thankful for that because even though the snack was in bags, that didn’t mean that oils didn’t still try to get to the books. She was obviously someone who cared about the products her customers purchased.

She tilted her head to the side as if she were giving it some deep thought. It didn’t take long for her to make a decision as a smile spread across her face. “In that case, yes. I would love for you to come and do a feature on the shop.”