To a certain extent, Parker reminded me of a flame—beautiful, hypnotic, but hard to capture, and capable of burning you if you tried. For that reason, I was every bit as afraid as she was. Underneath it all, I had a feeling we were worth it.

  Chapter Eleven

  “Can I help you find something?” I asked an elderly man I’d seen move up and down the aisles of the shop about six times now. He was really adorable in his tweed hat and glasses but seemed to be lost.

  “Hello, there. I pass by here some mornings on my walk, so I stopped in today.”

  “We’re so happy you did,” I said. I had a feeling this man needed his perfect match, and I was going to make sure that happened. “Is there a certain type of book you’re looking for?”

  He nodded, seemingly happy for assistance. “I need something specific. But I can’t find the books on cooking desserts anywhere. I need to cook one, see?”

  I grinned. “Follow me to the baking section.” I glanced back. “What will you be baking?”

  “I’d like to cook a cake with chocolate pieces in it for my next-door neighbor. She likes chocolate things, and well, I like her. I’m Wally, by the way. Wally Spooner.”

  My heart squeezed. “Then it’s important we find you a good recipe, Wally.” We pored through a few different books together and opted for one with simple instructions and some photos for guidance. There was a fairly straightforward recipe for vanilla cake with a ribbon of chocolate frosting through the center of it.

  “Oh, I think Tillie is really going to love this, and if she does, I’ll be in. She might even want to smooch.”

  “She might.”

  He paused and took off his cap in thought. “If she doesn’t, I’ll just have to be ready to accept that.”

  I nodded. “You seem to have examined this from all angles.”

  He gestured with his cap. “Matters of the heart are nothing to leave to chance. Gotta put some thought into it. I like Tillie. She deserves a cake, smooching or not.”

  “Good point.” I nodded. “But I hope there’s a smooch.”

  “From your lips.” Then he smiled. “Or rather Tillie’s.” He chuckled at his own joke, and I couldn’t help but laugh along with him because today was a good day, and he was a sweet-seeming man. Romance was in the air. Smooching was. Not only had I been charmed by the potential smooching, but as I walked back to the front of the store, I felt a pair of welcome eyes tracking me. I met Parker’s gaze across the room and smiled. She’d wanted to come to work with me and said the backdrop of the books would inspire her writing. She sat behind the counter with her laptop open, typing and watching, typing and watching. To say I loved having her there was an understatement. When we got busy, she even jumped in to offer a hand.

  “Can I help you with something, ma’am?” I turned when I heard Parker speaking to a customer and smothered a chuckle when I saw who it was. Oh, man. The woman from the book club, the very one who’d asked if Parker might ever return for a signing. I watched with interest.

  The woman clutched two paperbacks to her chest as she peered up at Parker, who had a good four inches on her. The woman blinked, looked down at her books—which, joy of joys, seemed to be Parker’s—and blinked again. Finally, she flipped one of the books over slowly to the author photo on the back and held it up to Parker’s face to compare.

  I decided to save her. “Hey, there,” I said, casually, coming around the corner. “Turns out Parker Bristow did come back. She might even be willing to sign those books for you.”

  She looked at Parker, then me. “It’s her?”

  “It’s her.” I folded my arms and smiled at her very wide eyes.

  “I’d definitely be willing to sign if you wanted me to,” Parker said, and accepted the books from the woman, who then promptly returned to the shelves for more. When she was done cleaning me out, Parker set to signing the eight books the woman had thrust at her.

  “Hi,” she said to Parker, still a little mesmerized.

  “Hi,” Parker said, beaming.

  The woman turned to me as I rang her up. “Is it because I asked?”

  “It definitely helped,” I lied. “We try and take all customer suggestions into consideration.”

  She looked around in amazement. “This is a really good store.”

  Parker leaned in as if divulging a secret. “My favorite one, in fact.”

  “I see why,” the woman replied. She looked back to me. “But maybe a little more advertising next time. No one else seems to know.”

  I nodded vigorously. “Another great suggestion.”

  “Hannah and I are friends,” Parker said, sending me a warm look, “and I’m a big supporter of her shop. Don’t you just love it?”

  “I do. So very much,” the woman said. She watched as Parker signed her books with a big swooping “P.” “I’m here twice a week these days, and telling all my friends about this place. I’ll tell even more people after today. Just amazing to walk in here, and bam, what do you know? Parker freaking Bristow is sitting behind the counter ready to sign all your books.” She leaned in. “I saw you on the lip sync TV show, and was so happy you beat that schmarmy talk show host.”

  “Me too. He was far too egotistical. I had a great time pretending to sing and dance.” She handed the books back to the woman. “So glad we ran into each other.”

  “You have no idea how exciting this is for me. This store is the best.” The woman bid us farewell and then left the store shaking her head, muttering in victory.

  “Hey, Parker freaking Bristow?” I said. “I think you just made her week.”

  “How’s yours going?” she asked, leaning her chin on her hand. “Because mine is the best in a really long time.”

  “Ahem,” Luna said, rounding the corner to the break room. “Are you two flirting? I feel like you’re flirting but would never dare presume to know the nature of your friendship.”

  “Oh, I don’t know that I’d say that,” I answered, conservatively. Luna knew we’d become friends, but I hadn’t shared a ton of details beyond that. Bo was the only human who knew the entire story, at least from me. But Luna was excellent at filling in blanks, and I wasn’t shocked she was doing so now.

  “She may not be flirting, but I am,” Parker said to her matter-of-factly. “I’m working really hard at it, too. Trying to give little seductive glances and say things that are sweet and playful, toss my hair in her direction. Maybe if I keep doing those things, she’ll notice me. What do you think my chances are?”

  Luna nodded sagely and studied me. “She’s looking fairly weak to me. I think you might be making progress.”

  “I’ve noticed you,” I said to Parker as I began to close out the register. We were near to closing and I wanted to get a head start on the evening. After all, I had a reason to. When we’d gotten ready for the day that morning, Parker told me that she wasn’t sure how long she’d be in town, which in my head meant I’d have her for at least a little while. No end date on the calendar.

  “I don’t have any media booked for a couple of weeks, so I thought I’d just take a step back. Get away from it all, so we can just…be. Is that okay?” she’d asked as I’d stirred my coffee before work that morning.

  I took a moment to answer because she was wrapped in a towel when she asked, fresh from the shower with the tops of her breasts peeking out. I wasn’t clear whether that was by design. I had my suspicions. Either way, it was highly effective and I would have signed over the title on my car had she asked.

  “You can step back from it all here for as long as you like.”

  “You realize that’s a dangerous statement. You might have an author permanently attached to your kitchen counter, sucking down your orange juice and rarely buying more and typing away the details of an imaginary world in your kitchen. It could be a lot. Are you prepared?”

  I lowered my eyebrows. “Are you an orange juice sucker?”

  “No. But what if I become one?”

  “I think we can cross that bridge when we come to it, but I have to admit, it might get dicey. Can you go put on clothes now? That might be good.” I still felt it was in our best interest to go slow, and her wardrobe wasn’t helping my resolve, what little of it remained. This was torture, and another approach might be called for.

  She glanced down in confusion and then blossomed into a proud smile. “You don’t like what I’m wearing?”

  “You know damned well I like what you’re wearing.” I sipped my coffee.

  “I damn well do know,” she said, and then walked back to the bedroom to finish getting ready. I made a point to stay out of there and give Parker her space, but my mind certainly went to town on the most amazing fantasy of me coming up behind her in the bathroom, unfastening that towel, pressing my lips to her shoulder, then her neck, while my hands explored the rest of her. She could consume all the damn orange juice she wanted, as far as I was concerned. I felt more alive than I’d felt since…well, the day we’d spent together in September. Everything since then had paled in comparison. I’d been chasing that feeling, addictive as it had been, trying to get back there, yet knowing Parker was the only route.

  Now here we were, and I just wanted to leap with my eyes closed. So unlike me, yet so compelling. I’d tapped my cheek and whispered to myself, “Go slow. Just go slow.”

  “What do you fun-loving folks have planned for this Monday evening?” Luna grabbed a rag and some Windex and headed in the direction of the interior windows.

  “Um…” I looked to Parker, as we had made no definite plans.

  “I’m taking her to a fancy dinner,” Parker said. “She might protest because she’s practical, and it’s what she does.”

  Luna nodded. “Hannah McSanta is very practical.”

  “Who’s practical?” Bo asked from the door in her business suit, which meant another afternoon in court. “Hannah, right?”

  I balked. “I feel like I have a reputation.”

  “Nooooo,” Bo said, and then froze. “Don’t move, but Parker Bristow is behind your counter.”

  I turned. “How the hell did that happen?”

  Parker waved four fingers at my sister. “Hi, Bo. I’m visiting.”

  Bo looked from me to Parker and back. “Visiting in a good way, right?” She placed her attaché on the counter.

  “It’s feeling very good,” Parker said. My only answer was to exchange a smile with my sister, who beamed at me. After really liking Parker at the signing, she’d continued to quietly root for us even when I’d insisted the possibility didn’t exist. She seemed to celebrate this new development with a gleeful, told-you-so smile.

  “I had a feeling I’d see you again,” Bo told her.

  “The day’s been riddled with stolen glances,” Luna said to Bo with smolder. “It’s been very tawdry in here.”

  I pointed at Luna. “Well, they certainly don’t look like that.”

  “Do so,” Luna said, wiping down the windows. “I had to drop the thermostat in here. Twice.”

  Parker chuckled, seeming to enjoy the dramatic attention. While it was against my nature, I tried to lean into it. “I can’t help it if I’m a little distracted. I’m…happy.”

  “Aww,” Bo said, grabbing me in an upright headlock. “My stoic little sister just emoted.”

  “Stop that right now,” I said, through laughter. “I don’t even know what you’re doing here.”

  “I always swing by after court. You’re literally within walking distance. Plus, I thought you’d want the update.”

  I definitely did. I’d been following Bo’s ongoing fight for her client against the deadbeat dad with interest. “What happened?”

  “He’s lost all rights to see the kiddo until he pays up, which he has yet to do.”

  I threw a fist in the air. After weeks and weeks of setbacks, it sounded like a victory for the single mom at last. “That’s fantastic. Is she relieved?”

  “You have no idea how much. She burst into tears after court was adjourned. The whole time I could feel the guy glaring at us, even though I refused to give him the satisfaction of looking his way. Let that eight-hundred-dollar suit go to waste.”

  “Give me his number. I can’t stand him already,” Parker said.

  “He’s pretty awful.” Bo shook her head. “So many of them are. I’ve always struggled with why some of these parents can’t put the needs of their children before their own needs. Don’t even get me started on the domestic violence claims against him.”

  “We’re living in an ego-driven society,” Parker said.

  I nodded. “But we need people like you to help stand up to them,” I told my sister. “Dad would take you out for an ice cream.”

  “We could do that,” Parker said, seeming to love the idea.

  Bo shook her head. “No way. You two spend your time together. Alone. I’m not pushing you to settle down and get married this week, but at least talk about it for next.” She said it with a playful wink, but I knew she was actually half serious.

  “Well, dinner out I can manage,” Parker said. She turned to me. “If you’d like to go on a date with me. I would hate to be presumptuous.”

  “Since when are you not?” I said back, with a smile. “And since when have I ever turned you down?”

  Luna chuckled from her spot at the window. “This is getting good. The sparks are flying.”

  An hour later, with the shop closed for the night and the moon appearing over the river, I walked next to Parker along the streets of Providence. “Where are we headed?” I asked.

  “Well, we have a reservation at Landon’s.” She smiled. “I read about it on Yelp. It’s all the rage.”

  I laughed. “I know all about Landon’s. It’s really expensive, and I’m certainly not dressed for it.” I glanced down at my jeans and black Henley.

  “They don’t care. You’re beautiful. You walk in a room and people turn. How have you not noticed that?”

  I shrugged off the comment. “Because when I’m with you, it’s Parker Bristow they notice, and why wouldn’t they? You have an amazing presence about you. It’s one of the things I admire most.”

  “Thank you,” she said quietly. She linked her arm through mine, which brought us close together as we walked. “Sometimes I have that thing where you feel like a fraud, and people just haven’t discovered it yet.”

  I nodded. “Imposter syndrome.”

  “That’s the one.”

  I watched her stare ahead of us as we walked, as if something clung to her uncomfortably. How crazy that someone as successful as Parker, who so many people loved and adored, thought of herself as anything less than worthy. Even in my small corner of the world, living my less glamorous life, I felt confident in myself and who I was. I wanted to break a piece off and hand it to Parker. I decided I would do what I could to help her see what I did.

  “Did you notice your manuscript on my coffee table?”

  She looked over at me. “I did catch that. You hadn’t said anything about it, so I didn’t either.”

  “I’d read close to half of it when you knocked on my door. I set the whole thing aside for a while when you and I stopped talking, but I couldn’t stay away from it for too long.”

  She nodded and looked away. Another glimpse of her vulnerability. There was so much more of it there than I ever realized. “And?”

  “I snuck out of bed this morning at six a.m. to finish reading it.”

  “You did not.”

  “Except I did.”

  She stopped walking altogether. “That’s where you went? I thought maybe you’d had a freak-out moment and panicked that you’d let me into your home, or maybe you just needed some space to gather your thoughts.”

  I laughed. “Nope. None of those things. I had my thoughts. I just…needed so badly to find out what happened to Kelly and Erica. You’re that good. You made me give up sleep, which is my favorite, and it was the most perfect ending ever. So sweet. So romantic. I can’t stop thinking about them and the happy life they’re going to lead. I’m sad I can’t go with them on the journey.”

  She looked back at me, beaming. “Really? I’ve been so nervous about this one. I’ve never written two women, and I didn’t know if my style would—”

  “You nailed it. It was the most authentic, heartfelt romance novel I’ve ever read. This feels like a game changer.” I wasn’t exaggerating even a little bit. I didn’t know if it was her knowledge of the way two women connect that elevated it above all the other wonderful reads of hers, but the emotion, the chemistry, the angst, it all came roaring off the page in an incredible unravel.

  She let out a slow breath. “I can’t tell you how relieved I am to hear that.”

  “I do have a question, though.”

  “Tell me.”

  “It doesn’t have a title. What are you going to call it?”

  She walked a few feet ahead of me. “Back to September.”

  I stopped walking. Smiled. Caught up to her. “September, huh? Because you like to shop for school supplies?” I had noticed the tie-in, and how important the month was to the two main characters.

  She nodded. “It was a key month for me, so it is for them, too.”

  “And don’t think I didn’t recognize that sex scene. The first one?”

  She chuckled. “I wondered if you’d pick up on that. I tried to disguise it a little. Change up the location and the circumstances.”

  “I’m not sure you could ever disguise it enough,” I said quietly. “I’d recognize even the most subtle of details from that night.”

  “Me too,” she said, matching my tone and taking my hand as we continued walking. It was dark now, and we were along the Providence River. The lights from the nearby buildings reflected beautifully on the water’s surface, making downtown feel like the most romantic spot on Earth with Parker’s hand in mine. The weather was helpful, giving the night a warmish feel. Spring peeked out from its slumber.

  “I hope you’re hungry. I sure am.”

  I liked that about Parker, her unending appreciation for food. Hell, I liked watching Parker enjoy anything, myself included. “I barely had lunch,” I pointed out. “So, this is a welcome idea.”

 

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