Chapter 19
The next morning, as Penny stared at her bathroom mirror in her snug-but-cozy apartment, ready to face what was undoubtedly going to be a very busy day, she found herself replaying the conversation she’d had with Daniel at the cafe.
Finishing the tree and filming the videos for Eva hadn’t taken a lot of time, and though Penny would have been happy to linger, the fast-approaching snow and Holly’s concern about Daniel driving over an icy patch on the orchard road had led to her suggesting they call it a night.
Daniel had agreed, though he’d seemed reluctant about letting their day come to an end.
“Penny,” he’d said as they left the cafe. “Can I ask a favor?”
“Sure,” she’d replied, locking the door behind her. “What kind of favor?”
“Would it be okay if I spend time with you tomorrow at the bookstore?”
The jolt that went through her had felt wonderfully real. “You want to hang out at the bookstore?”
“A story idea’s come,” he’d said with a hint of nervousness, “and it’s set in a bookstore, and….”
“You want to do research.”
“I do.”
“You’re welcome to spend as much time at the bookstore as you like.”
“Excellent,” he’d replied, his eyes flashing with pleasure. “Thank you. I’m looking forward to it. What time works for you?”
“Anytime. The store opens at ten. I’m usually there at eight-thirty.”
“I’ll get there early.” As they reached their cars, he’d added, “Listen, I enjoyed today. Thank you for everything, and for sharing what you shared.”
“I enjoyed myself today, too.”
His gaze had been full of emotion. “You’ve given me a lot to think about, Penny Quinn.”
Despite the cold night air, her cheeks had warmed. “In a good way, I hope?”
“In a very good way.”
“Drive safely, and don’t forget to slow down after you turn off the county road.”
“Will do.”
Her heart had fluttered as she watched him drive off — and was still fluttering, twelve hours later, as she stared at her reflection in her bathroom mirror. Was she reading too much into what he’d said?
No, you’re not, the woman in the bathroom mirror told her. The connection was definitely real. She felt it and Daniel felt it. Denying the obvious was pointless.
And so was obsessing about what will never be, she told herself.
In two days, he’s leaving. She picked up her hairbrush and started running it through her thick dark hair, her movements more forceful than normal.
She needed to remember that nothing in life was guaranteed.
The existence of a connection didn’t mean a relationship was destined to follow.
One thing didn’t always lead to another.
She set her hairbrush down — her hair was brushed more than enough — and out of habit began pulling it into her usual “I’m-very-busy” ponytail.
When she realized what she was doing, she stopped.
Wear your hair down, a voice whispered.
Don’t be silly, her practical side shot back. The bookstore will be a madhouse today. You’ll want your hair up and out of the way.
Focus on what’s important, her inner romantic urged, not yielding an inch.
Being comfortable is important, her practical voice pushed back.
“Okay, stop,” she said out loud, irritation surging through her. What was going on with her? Getting herself riled up wasn’t helpful.
Thankfully, the solution came: She didn’t have to decide now — and she could always change her mind later.
Relieved to have landed on a sensible, flexible plan, she loosened her hair and quickly brushed it out again.
A glance at her watch told her she needed to get moving.
After applying her usual mascara and protective lip gloss, she hurried into the outfit she’d already selected for today: a green-and-white holiday sweater, her favorite jeans, and her favorite sneakers.
A final glance in the mirror near the front door confirmed that she was good to go.
Six minutes later, after a brisk walk to The Tattered Page, she stepped into the bookstore and dove into her usual morning routine. As she was finishing the vacuuming, she heard a tap at the front window.
Her heart lifted when she saw who it was: Daniel. With a smile, she hurried to let him in.
He stood at the door in the bright morning sunshine, dressed in dark jeans and a burgundy sweater, looking as handsome as ever. “I brought you something,” he said as he handed her a familiar cardboard box from Heartsprings Valley Cafe.
“Oh, gosh,” she said. “You shouldn’t have.”
“I stopped by the cafe and loaded up,” he said as he stepped inside. “You and your team have a busy day ahead.”
She opened the lid and found the box stuffed with freshly baked scones and muffins. “Very thoughtful. Thank you. The team is going to love you.” She set the box on the sales counter and glanced at her watch. Did she have time to do what she wanted to do?
Yes, she decided, she did. “Before we open for business, how about I show you the reason we met?”
“I’d like that,” he said.
“Follow me.” She slipped behind the counter and headed up the spiral metal staircase to the attic office.
“Am I about to meet the famous leaky roof?” he asked as he followed her up.
“The one and only. Watch your head at the top.”
Much like Luke had done five short days earlier, Daniel held his hand over his head as he stepped into the attic. His gaze went immediately to the six-foot gap in the drywall on the sloped ceiling. “That’s where the leak is?”
“That’s where the leak was,” she said. “At least I hope. Luke, a contractor friend, patched the leak and covered the roof with a tarp, which hopefully will protect us until spring.”
“That’s when you’ll put in a new roof?”
“Thanks to your Christmas essay,” she said with a smile.
He smiled back. “And to think my critics are saying my essay hasn’t helped anyone.” He took in the rest of the attic and gestured to the desk. “Is this your command center?”
“If a messy desk in a small attic under a leaky roof qualifies as a command center, then yes.”
He chuckled, his dark eyes alive with feeling. Yes, he was definitely interested in being here — and being with her.
Nervously, she glanced again at her watch. Was there time?
Yes, do it now, she told herself. Right now.
She cleared her throat, attempting to settle herself. “Before everyone arrives and the day gets crazy, there’s something else I want to share with you.”
“Share away,” he said, turning to face her.
“You were very open with me last night about your divorce. I feel I should be the same about my engagement and why it ended.”
His eyes flashed with emotion, his expression becoming serious. “If you’re willing to share….”
She took a deep breath. “I am. Which is kind of new for me. For a long time, I avoided talking about it because I very much preferred not talking about it.”
He nodded sympathetically. “But bringing it up now is … okay?”
She stood up straighter. “You aren’t the only one Mabel blasted truth at the other night. She said I’m ready to move past what happened.”
“Is she right about that?”
“I think she is. So here goes.” She took a deep breath. “You’re sure you’re okay listening to this?”
“I am,” he said, completely focused on her. “I want to know.”
“Okay.” After another deep breath, she began.
“I met my ex when I took a job at a marketing agency in Boston. I was in the design department and he was an account manager. He was smart, good-looking, great with people, and our chemistry was immediate. We started dating and pretty quickly I found myself wondering if he might be the one. Six months after we met, completely out of the blue, he got down on one knee, pulled out a ring, and proposed.”
“You were surprised?”
“Very much so. It seemed … too soon. But I got caught up in his enthusiasm and said yes and we started planning the wedding. For a while, everything seemed perfect.”
Daniel nodded, his expression serious. “What happened?”
A tremble went through her. “The building we worked in has three floors and our agency was on the third floor. The elevators were slow, so instead of waiting for them, people often used the side stairs when they were heading out.
“A week before the wedding, I was working late at the office, trying to finish a project that needed to be wrapped before we left for our honeymoon. Everyone else had gone home. I heard people talking on the side stairs, which made me a little nervous. I wanted to see who was there, but I didn’t want to make my presence known, so I went to the stairs and quietly opened the door and… .”
“What did you see?”
“I saw my fiancé and a woman who worked with us. His arms were around her, her arms were around him, and they were kissing.”
He shook his head. “I’m sorry.”
“I was completely shocked.”
“What did you do?”
“I almost backed away without saying anything. They hadn’t seen me. I could have done that. I even took a step back. But then something inside me said no. I stopped. And instead of running away, I cleared my throat — loudly.”
“And they…?”
“Jumped.” She took another breath. “Long story short, that was the end of me and him. He tried to get me back by telling me that he and our coworker had been seeing each other casually for over a year but what they had didn’t mean anything and I was the only woman he loved and….”
Daniel shook his head. “I’m sorry.”
Emotion welled up within her as the pain of the moment returned, but she pushed it back. “When I realized I couldn’t stand being in the same office as him, I quit my job and came back to Heartsprings Valley and started working with Mom and Dad at the bookstore.”
“You needed a break. A change of scenery.”
“I needed to recover and lick my wounds.”
“I’m sorry.”
“For me, the hardest part wasn’t discovering that he was a cheat — though that was hard, don’t get me wrong.
What shook me most was realizing that I couldn’t trust my own ability to see what was going on.
I was blind to the truth that my charming fiancé had been cheating on me the entire time we were together. ”
Daniel shook his head. “My wife and her ex snuck around behind my back for months without me knowing. When I finally found out, I started questioning myself and my judgment. I wondered what else I wasn’t seeing.”
“Exactly.”
“I’m sorry you had to go through that.”
“I’m sorry, too,” she said with a sigh. “And I’m sorry it’s taken me so long to let it go and move ahead without letting it weigh me down.”
“Is that where you are now?” he asked, his eyes full of sympathy.
It felt good to be sharing this with him. “I think so. I hope so.”
“Good. You deserve to be happy.”
She was about to tell him he deserved the same when her phone buzzed.
She pulled it out of her jeans pocket and, after a quick glance, brought it to her ear. “Hey, Nancy.”
“Penny, I’m so sorry,” Nancy said, her voice hoarse. “I won’t be able to do my shift today.”
Oh, dear — Nancy sounded awful. “You sound like you caught something.”
“It came on last night. My nose is running like nobody’s business and I don’t want anyone getting sick because of me and I….”
“No worries,” Penny said firmly. “Thank you for calling. I want you to rest up. You need to focus on you, okay?”
“I’m also supposed to do a shift tomorrow….”
“No worries about tomorrow, either. We’ll figure it out. Do you need anything? I can swing by the pharmacy or the grocery store.”
“I’m good. Hubby’s out now, loading up.”
“I’m sorry you’re under the weather. Call if you need anything, okay?”
“Will do. Thanks, Penny, and sorry.”
“Hope you feel better very soon, Nancy.”
The call ended. For a long moment, Penny stared into space, considering her options. Getting a replacement for tomorrow was easy: Mom or Dad could help out.
But today? Mom and Dad were shopping in Eagle Cove today.
Elsie would likely say yes, but Elsie’s knitting circle met in a few hours at the community center and Penny didn’t want to pull her away from that.
Anna wasn’t available yet — the fall semester at Middlemore didn’t end till next week.
Ben and Sara were already on today’s schedule, so asking them to extend their shifts was probably the way to go.
She heard a cough and came out of her head. Daniel was looking at her with concern.
“Bad news?” he asked.
“Nancy — who works here — is sick.”
“Sorry to hear that.”
“With her out of commission today, I need to figure out who can take her shift and I —
“I can take it.”
She blinked. “What?”
“I can take her shift.” He straightened his posture. “Put me to work, boss.”
“You?”
“I’m here and want to know what it’s like to work in a bookstore, so.…”
She stared at him, not fully ready to accept that the serious, careful man she’d met four days ago was the same fellow standing before her now.
The seriousness was still there — that trait was clearly a core part of his nature — but this morning he seemed more open, more receptive, more interested in engaging with his environment.
“Are you…,” she began, then stopped. “Have you ever worked retail?”
“Sure,” he said immediately. “I did catering gigs in college and bartended for a year before my first book came out.”
“You’re telling me you’re ready to spend an entire day participating in the full-on, non-stop, no-holds-barred commercialization of Christmas?”
He smiled. “Try me and find out.”