12. True
I knew I needed to go inside because Noah wouldn’t leave until he saw that I was no longer on the sidewalk.
But an unwelcome wave of dread had crashed into me the second I got to the door.
My feet stayed fixed on the cobblestone, my eyes roaming over the festive hay bales with painted pumpkins just outside the shop. The pumpkin closest to me was painted black and white to make a face. And it had a miniature book resting on flimsy legs and arms. It was cheesy and cute and a reluctant smile tugged at my lips.
Pulling in a breath, I pulled open the door and the chimes above my head signaled my arrival.
It was toasty inside, making my puffer vest unnecessary.
Scents from the bakery next door wafted into the bookshop and my mouth watered while my stomach rumbled in protest, reminding me I hadn’t had breakfast.
Fresh baked bread, sugar and the aroma of coffee battled for my attention and taste buds.
“ Woah . Where’d you come from?”
The déjà vu her question evoked was quickly chased away when I looked down at the beaming woman in front of me.
“Hey,” she greeted conversationally, like we’d met before. Her smile hadn’t dimmed as she looked me over from head to toe. “What can I do for you today, gorgeous?”
She was a full head shorter than me but her piercing honeyed orbs made me feel like she was the one peering down at me.
“Just here to write,” I supplied, shifting my purse strap on my shoulder. It was heavy because luckily, I’d remembered to put my laptop inside before going to sleep last night.
My answer had her eyes alight with joy. “Okay, feel free to spread out wherever you want.” She spun in a slow circle, gesturing toward every cozy corner of the cavernous space. “We have couches down here but if you want to be away from foot traffic then we have some tables and nooks set up upstairs.”
She pointed toward the staircase hugging the wall.
“Oh! And if you get hungry, lunch is served all day next door. My name is Goldyn. Just shout if you need me.”
Then she disappeared, back behind the counter I hadn’t noticed when I walked in because I was too busy taking in the layout.
All the bookshelves were up against the wall with a few spotlight tables set up in the middle of the open space.
From where I stood, I saw a table dedicated to polyamorous romance and another for Black fantasy novels.
The lighting inside was dim and cozy, the opposite of what I was used to in chain book stores, but I noticed the lamps in every nook.
The level of attention that had gone into designing this space wasn’t lost on me. It was welcoming without being overwhelming. Warm without being contrived.
My feet carried me to the staircase and when I got to the top, I was surprised to see other customers up here.
They were in their own worlds, reading and typing.
Standing near the iron railing, I studied the bookshop from above, grinning when I saw Goldyn nose-deep in a paperback while she mindlessly munched on a bowl of pretzels.
The inexplicable dread I felt before walking in had slowly dissipated, making room for excitement. I hadn’t been in a bookstore in over a year. They used to be the norm when I lived in King’s Town, but mostly just for the vibes. I rarely got any writing done because the store employees usually hounded me every five minutes, asking if I needed help, making it clear they expected me to make a purchase to justify the amount of time I was spending there.
But Goldyn seemed unburdened by that expectation. Hell, all of Bliss Peak seemed to be and I was still trying to get used to it.
“I’m going to like it here,” I murmured, finding a table for two ducked off in the corner.
I would love to tell you I spent the afternoon making progress on my draft, but I spent most of that time researching ways to “cure” writers’ block and trying different sweets from the bakery next door.
The pumpkin cinnamon rolls were a new favorite. And I could still taste the cinnamon sugar latte I had with my pesto turkey sandwich at lunch.
I added exactly zero words to my work in progress and ate my weight in pastries.
All that being said, I still couldn’t bring myself to regret coming here.
“Hey,” I said, approaching Goldyn’s checkout counter.
Her brow rose at whatever she was reading before she used a receipt to mark her place. When she closed the book, bile shot up in my throat when I saw it was one of mine.
Oh. God.
“How can I help you?”
For two agonizing beats, my stare stayed glued to the last book I released before I gulped.
“Um, I want to order some craft books, but first I want to check if you have them in stock.”
Her eyes lit up in that contagious way before she shook her mouse to wake up her computer.
“Which books?”
“The Art of Writing Romance, second edition.”
Goldyn typed. “I can order it for you.”
“Perfect.”
“Anything else for you?” She watched me with kind eyes and it suddenly dawned on me that this was the woman my grandma spoke of often. I didn’t know why I expected her to be older. Ruby Jean was friends with everybody , so I really shouldn’t have been surprised.
I laughed quietly to myself and she cocked her head at me, those golden blond curls bouncing as she moved.
“Sorry, that’s all. Thank you.”
“It’ll be here in 2-3 days. You can pay when you pick it up.”
“Thanks, Goldyn.”
“Of course, love.” She smiled again and sat back down.
Then she picked up my book as if she couldn’t wait another second to get lost in the pages. She instantly forgot I was standing there.
I may not have written anything in over a year, but there was still at least one person hungry for my words. Knowing that gave me an unexpected surge of confidence as I walked back upstairs to get my stuff.
And when Noah pulled up outside four hours after he dropped me off, there was an extra bounce in my step when I went to meet him near the passenger door he’d just pulled open for me.
“You had a good day, Red?”
I beamed at the nickname and the familiarity we already seemed to have with each other, telling myself not to obsess over the future and take everything for what it was right now. There was no need in worrying about a future I wasn’t even sure existed. This was exactly where I needed to be today and that was all that mattered.
Reaching for my seatbelt, I sighed, “The best I’ve had in a while.”