Chapter 27
CHAPTER TWENTY-SEVEN
A my found herself restless, unable to focus on her writing or anything else to do with the newspaper. Scott worked quietly at the desk next to hers, but finally, after she’d fidgeted for what seemed like an hour but was probably only ten minutes, he spun his chair to face her and said, “What’s wrong?”
She opened her mouth to deny anything was wrong but instead decided to open her heart to him and tell him the truth. “I have a big decision to make.”
He waited patiently, not speaking but clearly paying attention.
“Both you and my mom said I should open a bookstore. I realized that sounded fun. Years ago when I was maybe twelve or thirteen, I went into a used bookstore. I think it was in Europe, probably Germany, because Dad was stationed there for a while. It felt magical. Shelves were stacked with used books, and the historic building was beautiful. At that moment, I said, ‘Someday, I’m going to own a bookstore.’”
She sat back and blew out a breath.
“And? Are you going to open a bookstore?”
She jumped to her feet, her arms raised in frustration. “I’d like to. But I already have this building. And before you say I should make half of this a bookstore, picture that. It doesn’t have a warmth that would envelop you because half the room would have desks. And I’m so far away from possible foot traffic and the other new businesses that it wouldn’t have much of a chance.”
“I wasn’t going to say that. I was going to say I couldn’t picture it being here.”
A flicker of hope came alive in her. Maybe he would agree with her about the other building. Even if not, another opinion and fresh ideas from someone she trusted could help. Amy grabbed her purse and pulled out her keys. “Let’s go.”
He stared at her for about two seconds before he got to his feet. “I don’t know where we’re going, but I’ll follow you wherever it is.”
Amy stumbled a bit at his words. They sounded almost . . . romantic. Outside, she stood beside her car. “Drive or walk? We’re going to Main Street.”
“Walk. Is everything else okay? No crisis?”
“My brother has a friend looking for a place to live. Dexter thinks he’d make a great roommate.”
Scott’s brow wrinkled. “I thought you said it was a two-bedroom. Would he be sharing his room with him?”
Amy blew out a breath. “No, he wants me to find my own place because I said our arrangement would be temporary. We’ve agreed that we love each other, but we’re two very different people and probably shouldn’t be sharing a home.”
“Is there somewhere for you to move? I know rent is cheap in this town. Two or three people have told me that.” He chuckled. “They’re probably trying to convince me to move here.”
Everything kept coming back to the fact that Scott had come to Two Hearts as a visitor and would return to Chicago. He had a house there. Yes, it was currently overrun with his sister’s family, but it would be his alone again.
When they arrived at the building, he said, “I’m uncertain about some things.” He looked up at this two-story brick building in front of them. “Is this the place you see as a potential bookstore?”
She stared at it, hoping for an answer to leap out at her. A neon sign flashing Rent Me. “Wait here a second. I’m going to get the key from Bella.”
“Don’t worry about me following you in there.”
Amy chuckled as she raced next door. She quietly approached Bella and what sounded like a bridal party, regretting coming here on a whim and interrupting them. Bella stepped away from the bride she was working with, pulled the key from her pocket, and handed it to Amy. “I had a feeling you’d be back soon.”
It seemed everyone knew what she wanted more than she did. They were matchmakers and business enthusiasts.
Amy opened the door to the building, and they entered the large room. She’d been here once, but this time, she saw more details. The tin ceiling overhead would be perfect for a bookstore. The bow window had a wide windowsill she could use to display books.
She pulled out the tape measure she’d tucked in her purse a week ago. “Will you hold this at the end of the long counter for me? I want to see if this whole thing could be shifted down to the end of the room.”
Scott did as she asked. Then he nudged the unit to the side, scooting it an inch on the floor. When she looked over at him with what she knew must be a question in her eyes, he said, “I wanted to make sure it wasn’t attached to the floor. If it had been, you wouldn’t be able to move it without leaving damaged floor behind. I think you can, though.” He pointed to the wood floor that had been hidden under the unit. Scott turned in a circle, checking out the room. “I can see this as a bookstore. The big question is—can you?”
Amy nodded. “From the first moment I stepped in here. Perfection.” She sighed. “I can see books lining the shelves. I can see another bookcase over here. And Bella had the idea—which I think is pretty genius—to have a section of new books about weddings. I could ship all over the country.”
“Maybe have a Plan Your Wedding bundle. It would be fun if Cassie, Bella, Simone, and Paige wrote how-to books. You could sell those.”
His vision lured her further into the dream. “You’re going to make it a lot harder to say no to this.”
“Why would you if you love this place and the idea?” After a second, he said, “Oh! I understand. Everything costs money.”
“Exactly. I already have one building I’m paying utilities for and will owe property tax on. But let’s pretend for just a minute that I find a solution to my problems. Let me show you the upstairs.”
She led the way up the steps. Today, the sun was shining brightly, and even with the filthy windows, she could tell this would be a beautiful room to work in. “It’s quite large here.” He wandered around, opening the closet doors and looking inside. He closed one of them rather abruptly. “You may need to fumigate before you move in.”
“I already figured that out. I don’t even want to know what you spotted.”
At the bathroom, which included a shower, he said, “This actually isn’t too bad. I think it will clean up and be fine.”
Amy kept trying to picture what she would use the upstairs room for. “I can envision the downstairs level being a bookstore, but this level is wasted space. Maybe I should look at a smaller building.”
Scott faced her and put a hand on each of her shoulders. “I just had an idea. You’re either going to love it, or you’re going to hate it.”
“With an opening like that, I don’t know how I can say no to hearing what you have to say.”
He grinned, and her heart fluttered.
“I can picture the desks from your newspaper office over there.” He pointed by the windows. “You could even have a couch or comfy chairs for people to sit on when you are interviewing them. There’s a lot of built-in storage, so your newspaper archive books would easily fit in one of the cupboards.”
She could see his vision. “I’d have plenty of room for storage here, wouldn’t I?”
“So much. If you wanted, you could even wall off this back section behind the staircase and turn that into storage for the bookstore.”
“I love it!” Amy felt like dancing around the room. The bubble burst when she remembered her situation. She sighed. “There’s a glitch in your wonderful plan. I already have a building for the newspaper.”
“Could you find someone to lease it from you?”
Her newspaper office currently held four desks, piles of boxes, and still had extra room. She might have a chance in a city to find someone who wanted that much space, but there weren’t many businesses searching for a rental in Two Hearts.
Then she remembered her conversation with Cassie. Was she serious about wanting an office away from her home? Amy pulled out her phone and called. When Cassie answered, Amy said, “I want to bounce an idea off of you.” She explained the concept of a bookstore and the newspaper together in the Main Street building.
“I love it. But you already have a newspaper office.”
Everyone kept saying that. Amy bit her lip for a moment before continuing. “You mentioned that you’d thought about getting an office outside your home for your business. Would my current newspaper office work?”
Cassie laughed. “That’s just a thought that comes to mind sometimes. I haven’t seriously considered it.”
Oh, well. She’d need a new plan. Maybe Dexter would like a permanent place to have interviews and write, but she doubted that.
To her surprise, Cassie continued. “Your newspaper office has decent light from the front windows and on-street parking. You’ve got me thinking more seriously about this. I must admit I’m getting tired of bringing clients through my living room to my office. After Greg and I get married—whenever that is—this will also be his home they’re trudging through.”
“I hadn’t thought of that.”
“Believe me when I say that I often think about life married to Greg. One day soon, we’ll have that ceremony. But enough about my failure to commit to a wedding date. I can commit to this. I’ll take the newspaper building off your hands. I wouldn’t want walk-in traffic like I might get on Main Street. I like scheduling appointments so the client has my uninterrupted attention.”
This was almost too good to be true. “You’re sure?”
“Positive. I know this is right. I had an office in Nashville, and I have missed that privacy in my personal life. Now, if only my own wedding could come together this easily.” Amy heard Cassie’s frustration through the phone. She hoped her friend meant that because she was about to have a chance for that ceremony.
They ended the call after they’d agreed on a figure for Cassie to pay for the building, and Amy offered to contact Micah to draw up the papers.
“That all went well.” Scott’s deep voice startled her.
Amy jumped. “I got so wrapped up in the call that I forgot for a second you were there. This is monumental. I just sold the newspaper office to Cassie!” She hugged him, and he wrapped his arms around her, holding her close. “One problem solved.” She still needed a place of her own to live.
And for Scott to stay here forever.
“Amy, I have another idea. A way to solve another problem you shared with me.”
Her heart leaped so fast and hard that he must have felt it. Had he decided to stay?
“What if the couch I mentioned for your new newspaper office was a foldout bed? You could live here. I know it wouldn’t be the same as a real house, but?—”
She stepped away from him, immediately wishing she could have the warmth of his arms around her again. But when she turned and pictured what he’d said, she grabbed her phone to call her brother.
“Dex, I’m going to lease the building on Main Street and live upstairs here for a while. You can tell your friend he can move in anytime. Well, as soon as I get this place cleaned up. Give me a few days.”
Silence greeted her. “I don’t know, Sis. That sounds like something that’ll get Mom and Dad over here as fast as their car will drive. And Mom will yell at me on the phone the whole time for kicking you out of my house.”
As he spoke, Amy started smiling. That would probably happen, but everything felt right to her. “I’m certain. I’ll even call Mom to place the blame for your lack of brotherly love on me.”
He laughed. “Then let me know when you’re ready to move.” He hesitated for a moment before adding, “I’m happy to wait.” His words said he could wait, but she knew him so well that she also knew he wanted to move forward with his own plans.
If her friends helped, they could clean everything before the wedding. She might be able to live with the current wall colors for a while to save on paint costs. “As soon as we’ve cleaned this place, I’ll get out of there.”
“You sure you want to do this?”
“Yes. You don’t have to ask again. It’s all good. I’ll give you a heads-up if I find out Mom’s in the car on her way here.”
Dexter laughed. “I think you’ll be fine if Mom knows you’re happy.” Then he surprised her by asking, “Can anyone else hear me speak?”
Amy glanced toward Scott. “Yes, Scott’s here with me.”
Silence greeted her.
“Dex?”
“Step away for a second. And Scott, it isn’t anything bad. I just wanted to mention something personal.”
She went downstairs. “Now, what’s so secret?”
“We aren’t usually touchy-feely. But I want to tell you that Logan was a jerk. I could never see what you liked about him.”
Amy gasped. “I thought he fit in with the family.” Had her whole relationship with him been in her imagination? She had thought she loved the man and had planned to spend her life with him.
“We all put up with him for your sake. When he broke your heart, we weren’t surprised in the slightest. We just hated seeing you hurt.”
Amy felt tears prickling her eyes. “Why didn’t anybody say anything?” she whispered.
“Because you were head over heels for him. We all talked about it and decided you must have seen something in him we didn’t. Turned out we were right, I guess.”
Amy stared out the window toward the street. “Why are you telling me now?”
“Because Scott’s a good guy. Don’t judge all men by Logan.”
“Scott?”
“I’ve seen you around town with him, and . . .” He paused for a moment, and she could see him pursing his lips as he thought about what to say next. “If he’s the one for your future, figure it out. I’m worried you’re still hurt about the past.”
She and Scott had lives to live that didn’t intersect, so she wasn’t about to let him in to break her heart.
“Gotta go to work,” Dex said. “See you later, sis.”
Once she’d hung up, she went back upstairs to Scott, who had patiently waited through the call.
He cocked his head to the side as he watched her. “Everything okay?”
Amy nodded. “Fine.” As she stared back at him, she wondered what Dexter had noticed when he’d seen them together. She shook off those questions and went back to business. “I finally feel as if I’m getting my footing here in Two Hearts. I think between the bookstore and the newspaper—and with both in one location—I’ll be able to manage everything and do better financially.”
“It’s all turning out well.”
They were standing in the messy building, so she wasn’t sure why he’d said that. When she glanced up at his face, though, she realized he was looking at her. Amy sucked in her breath. “Thank you for coming over to check it out with me.” She wanted to ask if he’d like to visit Two Hearts sometime in the future and sit at the desk he’d been using but in this new location. She just wasn’t sure how to do that. Then she realized she might be able to move in while he was still here.
“You could try out your desk beside mine before you leave town.”
Scott reached out and pressed his palm onto her cheek. Gently, he rubbed his thumb over her cheekbone. Somehow, the two of them moved closer together, but she didn’t remember either of them taking a step.
When he leaned down to kiss her, alarm bells began clanging that she didn’t want this in her life. Complications would arise. But in her heart, this was exactly what she wanted.
He kissed her, and she wrapped her arms around his waist, pulling him close. When they came up for air, Amy leaned her forehead against his chest. “Does that mean that you’ll give the desk a test run before you head out of town?”
He wrapped his arms more snugly around her and didn’t say a word.
Amy worked on the wedding article. A few weeks ago, she might have done that from the kitchen table at home. Today, she found herself at the newspaper office. She caught herself glancing out the window for what must be the tenth time and realized she was waiting to see if Scott would stop by. Her heartbeat went into overdrive at the thought that she might see him soon.
She laid her head down on her desk. “I can’t be falling for someone who’s going to break my heart.”
Pushing thoughts of Scott out of her head, Amy took a deep breath and focused on her article again. It had come together very well. She might be able to sell this article to other newspapers. She hadn’t done that in the past because everything had been so focused on Two Hearts, but this was an article with known experts in the wedding industry giving their seasonal forecast. They’d all done weddings for celebrities, so they had already been in major publications and online in the past.
When a shadow passed her front window, she forced herself to stay focused on her computer screen and not look up, only to have her hopes dashed when someone continued down the sidewalk.
Much to her surprise, her door opened. She looked up with a smile, expecting to see Scott but instead finding Mrs. Brantley.
“I wanted to check on the progress of everything related to the wedding.”
Amy did her best to hide her disappointment. She’d have to have a stern talk with herself after this because she couldn’t be fixated on this man.
“Everything—much to my amazement—is on track.” Other than the oversight with the invitations, Amy thought she’d done a decent job working behind the scenes on the event.
“I’ve spoken with Cassie’s parents. I had to talk to her mother for close to forty-five minutes before she calmed down about the secret wedding. It didn’t feel ‘proper’ to her.” Mrs. Brantley used air quotes when she said proper. “I think she has accepted the situation. But after my conversation with her about the wedding’s details, something seemed off. This morning, I realized I didn’t know who was in charge of flowers. There’s nothing about them on my task list. I stopped by to see if you knew something I didn’t.”
Amy brought out the list she’d made and kept in the bottom drawer under lock and key in case Cassie stopped by. “I’m sure we talked about flowers in at least one of our meetings. I made notes in case I needed information for the article.” She tapped her finger on the spot on the pad. “Cassie wants a simple arrangement of flowers for her bouquet. She loves ribbon, so maybe something tied with ribbon.” Amy looked up and down the list. “I don’t see anything about buying the flowers, though.”
She felt herself go faint. They were days from a wedding with no floral arrangements in sight. “We can’t have a wedding without flowers,” Amy breathed the words quietly.
“I woke up with that thought myself this morning. We’ve assigned everyone tasks except this one. I’ll call Cassie’s florist Henri to see if something can be done. I know they have a close relationship. Cassie has introduced me to him before.”
“Cherry and Levi have a floral farm. If her florist can’t help, maybe we can put something together with flowers they grow.”
Mrs. Brantley’s expression turned even more serious. “It’s a good thought, but I don’t know a single person who’s done that before. Cassie is used to professional weddings.”
“That’s true, but she also loves less conventional things. Like the cupcakes and appetizers instead of a full-service dinner and tiered wedding cake.”
Mrs. Brantley exhaled. “That is certainly a valid point and may help me sleep tonight if I can’t get flowers from Henri. But those unconventional cupcakes will be the best of the best, not made by someone who’s never picked up a mixer.”
Amy saw her point. To her knowledge, none of them had done more than put flowers in a vase.
Mrs. Brantley patted her shoulder. “Please know that this wasn’t your fault, dear. If anyone’s to blame, it’s me.” She left just before it was time for Amy to leave for Mrs. Robinson’s house.
As Amy walked over, she went through her current list of problems, which felt greater than her strength to solve them. She needed to resolve her business’s financial issues. She did have a flicker of hope things there would improve. She also had to get through this wedding without any more mistakes. Or one of them blowing it with a single wrong word.
She wanted to get her new building cleaned up and livable so she could move into the upstairs. Her brother had been on a conference call around five o’clock this morning that had woken her up. He must have been speaking to someone in a much different time zone to find them available that early.
And last, but certainly not least, was the situation with Scott. What was she going to do about that? There was no question in her mind—or her heart—that she’d fallen for him.
She kicked a tiny pebble on the roadway. What could she do about it? An infatuation on her part didn’t mean he felt anything permanent. Sure, they’d had a romantic moment last night, but she would still be watching his taillights as he drove out of town. She had too many connections to this town, especially with the signing of the new lease, to move and follow him. Besides, she’d done that once, and it hadn’t gone well.
She arrived at Mrs. Robinson’s and hesitantly went up the driveway. When people broke their pattern as much as the older woman had with this invitation, Amy didn’t expect good news.
She tapped on the door and received her usual invitation to enter.
When she opened the door, Nosey was waiting for her a couple of feet inside. She edged the door open and quickly stepped inside, closing it behind her so the rabbit couldn’t escape. It was easy to see how he’d gotten out because Mrs. Robinson didn’t do anything quickly anymore.
“Come in! Please take a seat and join us.”
For the first time, Amy realized a man who looked to be in his sixties or seventies was seated in a chair beside Mrs. Robinson. “I’m Cameron Robinson. Mavis is my mother.”
Amy had never heard Mrs. Robinson’s first name, but it suited her.
“I’m going to be moving in with my son. He’s here to help me load everything up.”
Amy glanced around the room. It was filled with a lifetime of treasures and furniture Mrs. Robinson must enjoy having around her.
“Will a moving truck be coming soon?”
Mrs. Robinson glanced over at her son. “Cameron bought me new everything. It’s so exciting. A brand new recliner and other furniture. And a shower I step straight into. I won’t have to climb into a bathtub anymore.” Mrs. Robinson beamed.
“That’s wonderful.” They’d started to become friends. That must be why she’d been invited over here. “Are you leaving soon?”
Her son answered. “She’ll be leaving in the morning. We’re going to pack up the things she wants. But we have something to ask you.” He turned toward his mother, clearly waiting for her to speak.
“I know you love Nosey.”
Amy realized then that the rabbit would be leaving town too. She’d enjoyed finally having a rabbit to play with. She needed to get her own pet because it wasn’t acceptable to fall in love with an animal and then have him leave town weeks later. “I do. I’m going to miss him.”
Mrs. Brantley leaned forward in her chair, an earnest expression on her face. “Cameron has dogs. I think I told you that?”
Amy nodded. She remembered that discussion, so moving with the rabbit surprised her.
“I can’t take Nosey with me there. Until I got to know you, that was a problem.” Mrs. Robinson reached down and petted the rabbit in his bed beside her. “I wondered if you’d like to have him as a pet.”
Amy’s first thought was an affirmative yes . Her second one was that she couldn’t. “I’m sorry, but I don’t have a place of my own here yet. I don’t think it would be fair to Nosey to be in a place with people coming and going.”
“Oh my goodness, I realized that I skipped a question here. Would you like to live in my house?”
Amy stared at her and then turned her head to look at Cameron, who seemed fine with his mother’s question if she read his expression right.
He said, “You could live here for the life of the rabbit and just pay utilities. If you’d like to buy the house at any point, I’d finance it for you with zero money down or interest.”
Amy gazed at him with suspicion.
He smiled, and when he did so, she could see how much he resembled his mother. “I know the offer sounds too good to be true, but it is genuine. I’ve done well in life, and I know Mom would love to have this home go to somebody who truly wants it. Neither of us wants it to be unoccupied. I know Two Hearts is growing and changing, but there are still too many empty houses. Some of them are in great shape. Some have been empty far too long and will need a lot of work to bring them back to life.”
“I’m going to need to think about this before I give you an answer.” Amy stood. Then she realized there was nothing to think about. “You know, I take that back. I’m going to say yes.”
Mrs. Robinson rubbed her hands together with glee. “I thought so. Nosey is going to be so excited to have you living here. And maybe your young man will come visit too.”
Amy was certain that wouldn’t be happening.
Her son pulled out a document. “We had an agreement drawn up, but you should run this through your lawyer.”
She left with the legal document in her hand and shock in her heart. She had a place to live.
And a rabbit.