The Girl Next Door

Chapter One

You’re gorgeous with your arms full of books.

Jenna Murphy pushed the tissue aside and took in the bookmarks tucked so snugly in the box.

They were glossy and purple and exactly what she’d hoped for when she’d ordered them.

On one side was the tagline she’d come up with.

On the flip side, the name, address, phone number, and social media links were printed and all, thankfully, correct.

“Look at these.” She held one up for Shane to see.

One of her only two employees, he stopped dusting the bookshelves and crossed to her. “Oh, this is nice,” he said as he turned the bookmark in his hand. “I like the way it feels. The smoothness.”

“Me too.”

“That tagline is fire.” He grinned at her.

“Agreed.” She popped a stack of the bookmarks into a cup and set them near the cash register on the counter. “One goes in every sold book, okay?”

“Got it,” Shane tossed over his shoulder as he went back to dusting.

Breaking down the box, she flattened it, then simply stood there behind the counter, braced her hands on it, and took in her very own little bookshop.

BookLove was small, but a dream come true for her.

Little Jenna Murphy, running her own business—a business she’d created out of something that gave her endless amounts of joy: books.

Specifically, romance books, which she had been reading and loving since she was probably too young to do so.

The shop was small, but that was okay, and she glanced around with pride, having one of those moments when she couldn’t believe the place was actually hers.

She’d expected that feeling to go away once she’d gotten into the swing of things, but it never truly had.

It would fade away for a while, allowing her to do other things.

But then one day, out of the blue, it would surge up like a little wave of emotion in her chest, and she’d be filled with pride all over again, chest puffed up, standing tall.

She moved out from behind the counter and stood in the open area just inside the door.

“You okay, boss?”

Shane’s voice reached her as if from afar, but he was only feet away. She blinked several times, as if coming out of a trance, and smiled at him, gave him one nod.

“You basking again?” His grin was knowing.

“Can you blame me?” she asked with a laugh as she held out her arms and spun in a circle. “Look at this adorable place.”

“It’s the best,” he said, and Jenna loved him for that. He always played along when she slid into moods like this, ones where she couldn’t believe she owned her own bookshop.

“Little ten-year-old Jenna would never have believed it,” she said, moving to the window display and straightening the books there. “Sitting in the library reading her Baby-Sitters Club books…” She let the thought drift off, shaking her head fondly.

“So, you were super popular then,” Shane said, and she heard the teasing in his tone.

Jenna feigned a gasp of insult. “Hey. I had friends.”

“The library staff doesn’t count.”

“Oh. Never mind, then.”

His chuckle was good-natured. “I was kind of a loner myself.”

“You? But you’re Mr. Popularity with all the school moms now.” She turned a book slightly to the left for better visibility from outside. “Was that not the case at school?”

Shane gave a snort. “Please. I was the fat kid. I had a couple of buddies, that’s true, but no, I was far from popular back then.” He sighed softly. “The school moms now are only enamored with me because I’m such a rare breed.”

“The kept man,” Jenna teased.

“Hey, it’s not my fault my wife is a high-powered attorney and that she chose to marry me.”

“Nobody can blame you,” Jenna said, her turn to play along.

“Plus, have you seen my wife?”

A laugh burst out of her. “I’m gay, Shane. Of course I’ve seen your wife.” She turned to regard him over her shoulder. “And tell her to stop leaving her underwear in my bed.”

Shane’s gasp of horror made her laugh out loud. “How dare you?” His eyes went comically wide, making her laugh harder. “Also, we need to get you a girlfriend so I can toss these lines back at you.”

“Listen, I’m trying. Dating apps are hell on earth, have I told you that?”

“Only about six hundred times.” Shane took a stack of books down and dusted the shelf behind them.

“They’re awful. The worst. They make you feel awful about yourself.

You throw out likes and you get nothing back from those people.

The ones who do like you are people you have no interest in.

It’s a vicious cycle and it’s never-ending.

But…” She shrugged and blew out a breath of frustration.

“How else am I supposed to meet somebody? Am I just going to bump into the girl of my dreams on the street? I think not.”

“I know. I don’t envy you, that’s for sure.” Shane returned the duster to its spot underneath the counter. “Hey, isn’t the new Lily Chambers novel coming in today?”

“Ooh, that’s right,” Jenna said, her mind shifting from her wreck of a love life—well, wreck was being generous, since her love life actually could be better described as nonexistent—back to her little bookshop. “She’s always been really great about doing signings with me. I’ll reach out.”

“Great.”

They were quiet for a moment, then Jenna asked, “Feel like coffee?”

Shane touched his own arm, rubbed it, pinched it gently. “I mean…not really?”

“Oh my God,” Jenna said with a laugh she couldn’t help. “The dad jokes are endless with you.”

“I gotta practice regularly,” he called after her as she headed to the tiny back room that served as an office, a break room, and a closet, all in the space of about ten by ten—not including the tiny powder room tucked in the corner.

Back there, she grabbed her jacket off the hook and slipped it on.

“Hold the fort,” she said as she pushed out the front door and into the crisp September day.

Living in the Northeast could be a complete crapshoot when it came to the weather, but Jenna Murphy wouldn’t have it any other way.

She was born in Northwood, raised there, and had zero intention of ever leaving the small city in upstate New York.

She couldn’t imagine anyplace else being half as wonderful, festive, or comfortable for her as Northwood, and the desire for the adventure of a new place didn’t exist for her.

She stood on the sidewalk in front of BookLove and zipped her jacket as the wind kicked up.

September was one of her favorite months, but her jacket was a bit too light for today, and her body gave an involuntary shiver as she turned to her right and headed down the street.

A car honked its horn, and she glanced toward it as she walked, and bam!

She crashed smack-dab into another person.

“Oh God, I’m so sorry,” she said as she involuntarily reached out to steady the person she’d hit.

Firm arm muscles tightened under the grip she had of a black trench over a black pantsuit, and she looked up into deep blue eyes that flashed behind black-rimmed glasses.

The woman was taller, brunette, and absolutely fucking stunning as she held her cell phone away from her ear and glanced at Jenna.

“No problem,” the woman said quickly, then put her phone back to her ear and continued on her way, her heels clicking on the concrete in a hurried staccato rhythm.

Click-clack, click-clack. Jenna followed her with her gaze, heard her say, “Yes, I found a new place. No. You absolutely cannot have the address…” before she’d moved out of earshot.

Jenna had to force herself to turn back toward the direction she was heading and move her feet to take her that way.

Well, she was fun to look at. She grinned and gave her head a quick shake.

When she reached Café Dakota, she pushed through the door and was suddenly enveloped by the most amazing scents on the planet, as if they were tangible and could physically wrap you in a warm hug.

Pastries and coffee and chocolate, oh my.

“There she is” was called out before Jenna had taken more than three steps into the shop, and Dakota James stood behind the counter with her usual welcoming smile on her face, always several notches warmer for Jenna.

“How’s the café biz today?” Jenna asked once at the counter. There were several people sitting at tables, eating croissants and muffins and cookies from small, red plates, but nobody was in line at the moment.

“Not bad at all for a Monday,” Dakota said, her wheat-colored ponytail pulled through the back of her hat. “Trying out a new scone recipe. If you can stick around for five more minutes, you can have one.”

“How can I refuse that offer?”

“The usual?” Dakota asked, knowing that Jenna ordered a vanilla chai nine times out of ten.

With a nod, she added, “And also a soy caramel latte for Shane.”

As Dakota went to work on the order, Jenna was transported back five minutes to the street, the crash, those blue eyes taking her in behind glasses. Why can’t somebody like that be on the dating apps? Of course, why would she be? She probably had somebody at home who worshipped her. Jenna hoped so.

If nothing else, she had some new fantasy material, and the thought made her grin. Gotta take it where I can get it, right?

The wind was too much today.

Everything was too much.

Sawyer Hall stabbed the red button on her phone, thereby ending a very stressful and not fun conversation with Amanda—the way all conversations with Amanda had ended lately, and she knew it was time.

Time to block. She couldn’t do that kind of phone call every day, multiple times a day.

It was killing her mental health. With a sigh, she scrolled through her contacts to Amanda’s number, and her finger hovered over the correct button for a moment before she sighed and backed out.

She should’ve blocked Amanda a long time ago, and like today, she always chickened out. She was clearly a glutton for punishment. What the hell was it about Amanda that kept her crawling back? Ugh. So annoying.