“Just pay at the register after your meeting is finished,” Liam said, giving her a polite smile.
The woman, who he thought was named Whitney, gave him a coy smile, causing Liam to take a few steps back and bump into the table filled with goodies. He was able to catch his balance before tumbling down, but adrenaline rushed through him. A familiar face smiled back at him as he looked up, and he turned, grateful she wasn’t laughing at him.
“Mrs. Holloway, do you have one?” He extended one in her direction.
The woman reached over and snatched her book from the lap of the woman sitting next to her. “This one is mine. My daughter just got in last night and hasn’t had a chance to read it. She’s quite the bookworm, and I’m sure she’d love a copy.” There was a twinkle in her eye before she turned to her daughter next to her.
Liam followed her gaze and took in a woman with light brown hair, a few strands near the front more of a honey color. Her hazel eyes were soft, and the color of her lips a bright pink. He found he’d been staring at them for longer than was comfortable and knew he needed to do something. She was beautiful, which threw him off as he’d usually been attracted to dark-haired brunettes in the past.
Her eyes went wide as she gave her mother a pleading look, and Liam worked to mask his smile at the situation. No doubt her mother was trying to play matchmaker, just like the others in the group. She was beautiful, but he had to remember he wasn’t putting himself back on the dating market.
Stretching out his hand, he asked, “Would you like one, Miss…?”
“Holloway. Danielle Holloway. I think I’ll be fine without it, thanks.” She moved her hand up to wave him off, and her gaze moved away from his face. Her knee started moving up and down repeatedly, and Liam moved away, wondering if she felt the same way he did about relationships.
An odd sense of disappointment flowed through him, and he nodded, stepping back and searching the group for anyone else who needed a book.
Once he’d taken care of the rest of them, he walked back into the main part of the store to cut open boxes and focus on stocking the new books. Several times, the face of the Holloway girl popped up and he’d push it away, chuckling that he would start thinking about someone he’d seen for all of fifteen seconds. He hadn’t really thought about women his age in a while, but that could be because there were only a few of them in this small town.
He was on the last box over by the section of sci-fi and fantasy books when the women filtered into that part of the room. He often made a lot of money after book club meetings, and now whenever a club wanted to use his space, he was more than willing to host.
Leaving the box next to the shelf, he walked over to the register. A line had already formed behind Sharon Crestview. The woman could be overbearing, but Liam had found that if he kept the conversation polite and short, he didn’t have to worry about being on her blacklist.
He came in halfway through the conversation and usually tried to keep to himself, but the conversation intrigued him.
“I’ll still never forget Danielle coming out of the bathroom during the Founder’s Day Festival dinner with toilet paper trailing behind—”
“I think that’s quite enough, Sharon.”
Liam looked up to see the muscle in Mrs. Holloway’s jaw flexing, her eyes narrowed in on the woman at the front of the line.
Sharon giggled and waved her hand. “Oh, she was young.”
Liam wondered what response Mrs. Holloway would give, when Danielle stepped up from behind her mother. “I seem to remember the Fourth of July celebration a few years ago when you decided to wear white pants—”
“That’s enough.” Sharon’s face drained of color as she turned, pushing two books toward Liam. “I’ll take these, please.”
Focusing on ringing up the books helped Liam fight the smile pulling at the corners of his mouth. He didn’t look the woman in the face until he handed her the receipt and said, “Have a nice day.” With his gaze raised, he caught sight of Danielle behind two other women, her lips pursed as she watched the woman walk out the door. She definitely had spunk.
He worked through the next two customers and was surprised by the stack of books Danielle placed on the counter.
Liam glanced down to her books and asked, “All these for you?” As he looked at the titles of each of the books, he realized how many of them were cozy mysteries. A few were romance novels, but it intrigued him.
“Yep. I like to read.” She shrugged and pulled out her wallet as Liam started scanning the barcodes of the ten books in front of him.
“And then she leaves the books on all my shelves at home while she travels around the world.” Mrs. Holloway tried to glare at her daughter, but the smile gave her away. Standing next to each other, the two women looked like they could be sisters more than mother and daughter. But of the little he knew from Danielle over the last hour, it seemed her personality had more spice to it compared to the sweetness of her mother.
“Cozy mysteries, I take it. What do you think of MK Malone after your discussion with the older ladies?” He focused on scanning the last barcode before he glanced up to see her reaction.
“I’m not that far in yet. But the key to a good cozy is if you can’t spot the killer within the first five chapters.” She gave him a mischievous smile, and Liam turned to the computer, totaling the purchase.
“I’ll keep that in mind.” He told her the total and waited as she searched for a card in her wallet. “Are you part of the big wedding going on this weekend? I doubt you’ll finish reading all these before the weekend is over.” Liam tried to make it sound casual, but from her narrowed eyes, she wasn’t buying it.
“I’m extending my stay a few more weeks, but I could probably read all this in one weekend—if I didn’t have other obligations, that is.” She raised her honey-colored eyes to his and raised one eyebrow. “What about you? What do you like to read?”
“I can read just about anything, except the straight romance stuff. Those are a little hard to get through for me.” He motioned to one of the books he’d placed in a monogrammed cloth bag for her and looked up to see Danielle’s wide grin. Something about it made him wish he didn’t have a line of women ready to buy books just so he could talk to her a bit more.
“I can understand that. Mysteries and thrillers are my favorite right now, but I thought I’d give a few of the quick romance reads a try.”
Liam’s fingers brushed hers as she handed him a card, causing warmth to rush through his hand.
He turned and swiped the card, trying not to focus on the little tingles still in his fingers. He handed her the receipt after the payment was finalized. “Thanks for shopping at Just One More Chapter.” He handed the bag to her, and she nodded, stepping to the side as her mother placed several books on the counter.
Once the two of them were out the door, he looked up to find a long line waiting for him. He picked up the pace, knowing these ladies were going to give him a piece of their mind or get suspicious as to his curiosity about the woman who’d just walked out the door.
Chapter 4
Danielle was twenty pages into one of the cozy mysteries she’d purchased earlier that day, reading as she waited for Becca to show up. They’d agreed to meet up at Sage Creek Diner for a bite to eat before they went through all the finalization for the reception plans. She’d ordered fries and a shake, not sure whether there would be time to eat later.
She’d read the same paragraph several times, but she kept picturing one of the main characters with the face of the guy from the bookstore, his light blue eyes etched into her memory.
Something about him signaled that owning a bookstore wasn’t his first career, but she still couldn’t figure out exactly what that sign was. Whatever the mystery was, it intrigued her.
When he’d asked if she’d read her own book, her heart skipped a beat, surprised by the sincerity in his expression. With his blond hair, broad shoulders, and a love of books, the guy was checking all
her boxes. But she couldn’t even think about anything happening between them. She’d be gone soon enough, and life was easier if she didn’t have to recover from a broken heart or her mother’s dashed hopes that she might settle down in Sage Creek.
“I’m so glad you’re here,” Becca’s voice came from behind her.
Danielle stood, stepping into the hug Becca offered. After the week she’d had, she needed some support, even if the people around her didn’t understand what was going on in her life. She’d tell them when she found the right opportunity, but she had to make it through the wedding first.
They both dropped into the booth, Becca leaning over and stealing one of Danielle’s fries.
“Hey! Those are mine.” Danielle laughed at Becca’s expression, her eyes wide and chewing slowly as if she hadn’t done anything at all.
“I’ve been so good lately, and here you are, ordering all the grease.” Becca laid a large binder on the table and placed her purse on the seat next to her. Turning back to Danielle, she asked, “How was the drive back? Hopefully, it wasn’t too bad since the fall weather’s been nice, right?”
“It was good. Just the usual desert and traffic.” Just rehashing the failure of her life for six hours. Danielle took a fry and dipped it into the shake, taking a bite as Becca wrinkled her nose.
“I don’t know why you like that. Gross.” Her disgust faded quickly as a smile returned and she flipped open the binder. “Okay, so here is the itinerary for the weekend.” She turned the book around and slid it in front of Danielle.
Pulling it closer, Danielle wasn’t surprised at the number of activities on the list. “You really think a spa day can be done in ninety minutes? We won’t even have time to make it over to the wedding ceremony if we do that in such a short amount of time.”
Becca bit her bottom lip and pulled the paper back in front of her. “You’re right. What was I thinking? This is why I wish you’d come home sooner.” She paused and opened her eyes wider with a tilt of her head. That was code for Becca’s guilt trip. “Apparently, I can’t make rational decisions by myself.” She took out a pen and leaned over to write something to the side of the itinerary before glancing up at Danielle.
“Whoa, now. Wait a minute. I never said that; I was just trying to be helpful. Did someone say you couldn’t make rational decisions?” Danielle reached her hand out, trying to pull the pen away from Becca’s strong grip, but Becca pulled her arm back with a jerk, succeeding at holding on to the pen. Danielle gave her a fake frown, draping her arm over the itinerary so Becca couldn’t make any more changes.
With a sniffle, Becca held the pen out, her eyes focused on it. “Well, no. But I can feel it. It’s times like these when I miss my mother most.” A tear escaped, and Danielle moved to the other side of the booth, pulling her best friend toward her. Becca leaned her head on Danielle’s shoulder while Danielle did her best to channel the life of a statue, knowing her friend just needed to cry it out.
When the sniffles slowed down, Danielle said, “No one is saying you can’t make decisions. Every bride in the world has to have help in deciding what to do for their wedding. I think it’s the clouded vision of being in love that sometimes makes it hard to see things like I just did. Let’s figure this out and get you married this weekend, okay?”
Becca sat up, wiping at the tears with both hands, and nodded. “I like it,” she said, her voice thick from the tears.
Scanning the list again, Danielle sighed. “Okay, I know you want this to be a lot of fun, but we have four days until the ceremony. You’ve got every moment planned from now until then. Why don’t we pick one thing for every night, starting on Thursday, and then just see how things go from there? You can move pedicures and hair back a few hours to give you time to look perfect for your wedding day.” She grinned and winked, which allowed Becca to relax a little bit. “Then people will have time to just breathe and enjoy the experience. Besides, we’re in Sage Creek. We can bowl any time we want.” Danielle pointed to one of the activities, scrunching her face.
Becca laughed so hard she snorted. “When you make that face, I just—I can’t help but laugh.”
“And snort,” Danielle added, laughing, an ache forming in her side. “I haven’t been home for long, but I’m pretty sure I’m still banned from the bowling alley.”
“I still can’t believe you caused so much damage. It’s been what, eight years, and Roger still left the patched section in the ceiling where your ball hit. The light still flickers, though.”
Danielle slid back against the booth, laughing over the memory. They’d gone for a day activity before prom, and she and her date had to leave after the fourth frame.
Becca took the paper again and crossed out several things, writing for over a minute before looking up at Danielle. “I actually feel really good about this now. The gal planning my wedding had me thinking I needed to do a crazy amount of stuff to make it fun for the guests, but I guess she’s not used to the small-town stuff.”
“Did you get Susie Jones?” Danielle asked, dipping another fry into her ice cream.
Becca frowned, shaking her head. “No, some famous girl booked her a couple weeks before Colton proposed. I know I’ve always been a little annoyed with her, but she has an eye for wedding planning.”
“Did you get to choose most of the things you wanted, though?”
Becca looked a bit sheepish and said, “The flowers?”
Rolling her eyes, Danielle said, “Well, duh. If you had let her hire out your flowers to someone else, I would have thought you’d been abducted. What did you want most that you don’t have set up right now?”
Taking a few minutes, Becca finally said, “The venue. She wanted it to be inside the rec center, but I really want it up by the pond. You know how much I love it there. It wouldn’t fit the whole town, but it would fit the people we really want to be there. And it’s kind of our spot, mine and Colton’s.”
Stuffing a scoop of the melted shake into her mouth, Danielle typed a note to herself on her phone. After swallowing, she said, “Okay, I’ll work on that. Anything else we need to do?”
Becca pulled out a stack of papers and flipped through them, marking things off here and there. After a while, she said, “I think that’s good for now. That was the biggest thing. Velda was worried about the rain, but even if it rains, all we need is to say I do, and then I’m married to Colton Maxfield, man of my dreams.”
The beam on her face made Danielle want to gag, but she forced a smile on her face and ate an overly large scoop of ice cream. The extreme cold caused a brain freeze, probably saying something about how she was wired, but at the moment, Danielle was just trying to get through all the mushiness of her best friend’s wedding.
After Saturday, Becca would have Colton by her side for the rest of her life. Danielle had never worried about not having someone at her side, always able to do everything on her own—even travel to places like Rome, London, Egypt, and Peru. But now that she thought about it, those places would have been even better with someone to share it with.
Well, her best friend, anyway.
Pushing that aside, Danielle said, “You really love him, huh?”
“Of course. He’s amazing and sweet. And he pushes me to get out of my comfort zone just enough to help me conquer things.”
“Where are you going on your honeymoon?” Danielle recalled how nervous Becca had been to cross the county limits when she went after Colton earlier that year.
A hesitant smile passed over her face. “On a road trip is all Colton told me.”
Danielle grinned. “That’ll be so fun. I know you’re probably panicking right now, but he’ll be right there the whole time. Then you’ll be all ready to take a cruise.” She wiggled her eyebrows, hoping Becca would see she was teasing.
“I hope you’re right. How are things with you? Anyone of interest I should know about?” Becca’s somber expression had morphed into one of curiosity.
Danielle threw the w
rapper from her straw, getting it stuck in Becca’s hair. Tipping her head down, she looked up at Becca. “Did you really just ask me that?”
“Life happens. Love happens, Danielle. Look at me. There was no way I was going to marry someone after what happened to my family, and then on my previous wedding day. I was sure I had bad luck and would end up losing him. And who knows? Something might happen even now, but I’m taking the leap and using this time to be as happy as ever.”
Danielle swallowed, trying to dislodge the sudden lump that formed. “I’m so happy for you, Becca. Really. I know how hard it was for you after the accident.”
Becca reached her hands forward, taking Danielle’s hands in hers. “Thank you. But I’m here if you need to talk about anything or anyone.”
“Well, I got fired.” That was a surefire way to derail the conversation. The moment the words were out, she regretted the decision. She’d been hoping to wait until after the honeymoon. “Just, don’t tell anyone, okay? I don’t want my mom to know yet. Or the rest of the town for that matter.”
“What? Why?” Becca’s mouth dropped open.
Laughing a bit, Danielle said, “I attended a protest because the city council had authorized dumping at one of the lakes near Anaheim. I’m usually careful to stay on the inside so I don’t get photographed, but things shifted quickly when a fight broke out, and there was a big picture of me on the front page of the LA Daily the next morning. I can’t be the face of neutrality if I’m seen taking sides.” The words weren’t her own, the slight Southern accent of her former boss shining through.
“Oh, Dani. I’m so sorry. What are you going to do now?”
Danielle stretched her arms in the air, giving her some time to formulate a response. She thought about telling Becca about her alter ego and the books circulating around Sage Creek, but her wedding was coming up in four days, and she could already see the worry in Becca’s face. She didn’t need to rock the boat just yet.
“I’ll figure something out. For now, I’ll help out my mom around the house.”
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