Unexpectedly Bookish (Love in Fairwick Falls #4)

Chapter 1

Chapter

One

REED

R eed Berry was in love .

It wasn’t with a woman, though.

Or a man, or a car, or a wristwatch, or a new flavor of syrup for his coffee.

He was in love with a one-hundred-year-old crumbling former library in Fairwick Falls, Pennsylvania.

His hands caressed the curved walls that were in desperate need of patching. His eyes devoured flawless stained-glass transoms that somehow still stood after decades of neglect.

He nearly fell to his knees when he saw the mint-condition, wide, circular reference desk in a deep walnut finish with built-in card catalog drawers. It spanned at least twelve feet, and the space in the middle was large enough to sit at.

Am I getting half-hard for a card catalog?

Jesus, I am a nerd.

In the quest to find the perfect building for his bookshop, Reed had looked in every major city in Pennsylvania. Finally, he’d decided to try Fairwick Falls, since his best friend had moved to the small town a few years ago.

Cute shops lined the town square. A diner, a flower shop, a local hardware store, and a trendy-looking restaurant were all a few steps from this building. This was exactly the kind of place that could support an independent bookstore. One that could live up to the dream he and his step-grandfather had shared.

He’d already drafted blueprints for his dream bookstore, and this space would slot perfectly into his plans.

The front doors were ornately carved wood with a small stone column on either side. Mistreated marble floors had a starburst geometric design that gave way to dark wooden floors in need of some TLC.

The walls were covered in cobwebs and a mildewy yellow paint, but the dark wainscoting on the lower third was in perfect shape.

Bright light from the afternoon sun shone in the windows on the second story. Dust motes swirled in the air in the sunbeams. A small second story overlooked the open space below, creating a U-shape with plenty of room for book tables or shelves on each side.

The ceiling was vaulted high, and bits of decorative plasterwork formed a large rectangle. Under a heavy layer of grime, dust, and cobwebs was a large arched skylight. It would be gorgeous if they could let in the natural light. Brass rails and deep shelves that would be perfect for displays lined the back wall of the building.

She’s gorgeous.

“Wow.” He ran his hand through his hair, ruffling it.

“Yeah,” the commercial real estate agent sighed. “You’ll need a lot of work to get this up and running. I mean, take out that huge wooden desk–”

“No,” he said quickly. “No, that’s the perfect thing for this space. It’s exactly what it needs.”

He already felt protective.

“Shoot.” The agent held up her phone. “I need to take this. You okay to poke around?”

“Yep,” Reed said, already distracted with all of the architectural details, still somehow miraculously intact. This would be his last project as an interior architect before he hung up his T-square and became a full-time bookshop owner. He couldn’t imagine a better send-off for his career than reimagining this place.

Should he restore the defunct fireplace with original dark turquoise tile around it? He was debating whether to use it for a display or to investigate having it restored when his phone dinged.

LUCA

stopping by in 2. k?

REED

Yes!!!!

k

His best friend was a man of few words.

Reed tended to ramble and have big ideas while Luca was much more quiet and down-to-earth—a details guy.

Reed should have been a details guy, given that his livelihood as an architect required him to be exacting, but that was exactly why he had to leave. He’d always felt like a round peg in too square of a hole.

He walked over creaking wood floors covered in papers and trash. Tall shelves had a brass railing for a rolling book ladder.

He laughed. It’s too perfect.

Something scurried from one pile of trash to another. Okay , almost perfect.

But I can work with this .

The heavy front door opened, scraping against the marble, and the hulking frame of his life-long best friend appeared in the doorway.

Reed grabbed Luca in a bear hug.

“Where’s the tornado?” Reed asked, wondering if Luca’s daughter AB had snuck in behind her enormous father. Reed hadn’t seen them since they’d visited him in Philly a few months ago.

“Field trip with her Girl Scout troop. Brought some company though,” Luca said, throwing a thumb over his shoulder.

Pearl, Luca’s younger sister, sauntered through the door with her head buried in her phone, her thumbs flying over her screen.

His stomach dropped.

It had been approximately nine and a half years since Reed had last seen her in person—Pearl Bishop, the subject of all his high school fantasies, and his best friend’s little sister.

Luca would send photos of family holidays or events, and Reed could remember every single one with Pearl in it. His eyes hungrily traced every detail in the photos of her, filing them away like a meticulous hoarder. Every curve, every pout. They lived rent-free in his head, on a constant shuffle of attraction.

But nothing could compare to seeing her in person.

Her porcelain skin and doll-like face were delicate, in beautiful contrast with her piercings and dark makeup. Her lips were painted a jet black, and she had thick dark eyelashes, with several piercings on her eyebrows and septum. Round cheeks, pouty mouth, an elegant neck, and curves made his heart skip a beat.

Tattoos flowed into a full patchwork sleeve on her arm . She wore skin-tight black jeans that hugged her thick hips, ass, and thighs. She’d ripped an old band t-shirt and rolled the sleeves, cutting the front to make it a deep V-neck. Her cleavage peeked out, showing the tattoos on her chest and neck.

Curves in skin-tight clothing, a permanent scowl etched between her eyebrows, and the black lipstick that she’d worn ever since ninth grade.

She’s so goddamn hot I can’t breathe.

His mouth went dry. They’d all grown up together, with her just a year younger than him and Luca. Reed had watched her go from stoner guy to stoner girl and back to stoner guy, never stopping at his own nerdy, straight-A station. He’d been a little (okay, a lot) in love with her in high school but figured he’d romanticized the past.

He hadn’t.

She glanced up from her phone and did a double take. He waved and flashed her a bright smile, trying to mask the dizziness he felt at seeing her.

Pearl had always made him nervous. She said exactly what she thought, whether or not it made people uncomfortable.

“You got hot.” She frowned, looking him up and down, as if she’d meant, You’re covered in bird shit.

She went back to her phone with an exasperated look on her face.

Why do I love that so much?

“Been a long time, Pearl.” He’d hit his last real growth spurt after high school, so he probably did look different. He’d been so busy in college and grad school that Luca had always come to visit him, or they’d met in the middle to treat themselves to a comic book expo.

She pocketed her phone with a sigh. “So…you’re moving here?” She crossed her arms, looking unimpressed.

“If I can buy this place,” he said with an excited smile, looking around the building. “Isn’t it great?”

“I do love dead birds,” she said flatly, pointing a long, sharp nail at a suspicious-looking mound of feathers in the corner.

Goosebumps covered his arms at her eyebrow raised in challenge. Her black hair was glossy in the sun, and a shine in her hair winked at him as she cocked her head.

Shit, she is distractingly hot.

“What do you think?” Reed asked Luca, trying to ignore his no-longer-dormant attraction to Pearl .

Luca flexed his considerable arms as he crossed them. “This is a lot of work, man. Sure you’re up for it?”

“I know it’s a lot, but I’ve practically seen every commercial bookshop space in the state of Pennsylvania. This space has it —that indefinable star quality.”

“You mean the splatter from recent murders?” Pearl said, lifting a suspicious-looking tarp with her foot.

Okay, fair, that pile of ooze looks murdery.

Luca shook his head at Pearl with a chastising look. “Sorry, she’s no help. This building’s been empty since we moved here, so you’ll have some negotiating room.”

“The building’s at the top of my price range, but it includes the apartment on the partial third floor. If I scrape my savings together, I could make it happen. I want to start right away, maybe even launch this fall,” he said, getting excited.

His dream was at his doorstep after hoping for so long. I’ll be able to quit the job I hate and make something amazing.

“AB keeps talking about beating you at Connect Four again,” Luca said with a smile. “It’d be great to be in the same town after so long. Right?” His pointed look at Pearl made her roll her eyes.

“Just what this cute-ass town needs. Another cute-ass store.” Pearl pocketed her phone and shrugged. “Everyone’s in each other’s business. You’ll love it, since you’re a freak who loves people.”

“Aww, you still remember,” Reed said, smiling warmly despite her teasing.

“You’re a fucking ray of sunshine in human form. It’s hard to forget,” Pearl said, waving a hand in his general direction. “I gotta pick up AB from Girl Scouts.”

She turned on her heel and walked out the door without further comment.

The door slammed behind her, and Luca rolled his eyes, letting out a long-suffering sigh. “That’s her being nice.”

“I remember,” Reed said, sighing over the view of her leaving the building.

“When are you moving?” Luca asked.

“In a month, maybe? I need to quit my job, pack up. I could probably get the keys to this place by then.”

A smile glowed on Luca’s face. “It’ll be great to have you here. AB is gonna flip when I tell her. I gotta get back to the body shop, but let me know if you need anything.”

They hugged, and as Luca left, Reed went back to dreaming about his new love.

His bookshop .

He could practically smell the used and new books already. People would mill through the stacks, sit in cozy chairs. Kids would run to the amazing kids’ section full of bright picture books, with stuffed animals lining the bookcases. Maybe there could be a weekly story time.

He’d have community events and author signings. Poetry readings, too. If those are still a thing.

He couldn’t wait to tell ImpossiblyBookish he was finally taking the leap and starting his dream project. She didn’t know it was a bookshop yet. He’d keep that part to himself until he was certain it would be perfect.

It had to be perfect.

They’d met in a book discussion app and connected over a mutual hatred of Hemingway and love of all things pop fiction. Every day for the past four months, she’d been the best parts of his day.

And a few memorable nights, as things had gone from bantering, to flirty, to very X-rated.

He didn’t know what she looked like, but their easy conversation was more than enough for him to find her endlessly beautiful, alluring, and funny.

Pretty much his dream.

Too bad she lived in Denver.

But today? His eyes scanned the building full of promise.

This just might be the best part of my year.

The real estate agent came back inside. As she was about to open her mouth, Reed did the most rash thing he’d ever done in his life—his mouth leapt before his mind could keep up.

“I’ll take it.”

Hemingway_cansuckit

I’m quitting my job today

Impossiblybookish

CONGRATS AND FUCK THE MAN

welcome to the ‘i’d rather slit open my stomach and rip out my liver than work for a fucking suit’ club

BYOARM

Hemingway_cansuckit

Bring my own …artisanal rabbit meatballs?

Ancient romance manuscript?

Animatronic raccoon miniature?

Also I don’t think that’s where your liver is.

You’d die before you could even rip it out.

Impossiblybookish

see? so metal.

Bring Your Own Anarchist Reading Materials

we meet every tuesday at 3:17pm.

Hemingway_cansuckit

Nothing I love more than a punctual anarchist.

Alas, if only I could fly to Denver for a 3:17 meeting

Impossiblybookish

i’d bring breakfast themed snacks just for you.

Hemingway_cansuckit

Noam Chomsky *and* cinnamon rolls??

You know the way to my heart

Thanks for the support.

I’m nervous to do my own thing

Impossiblybookish

i know, h.

hence my distraction techniques.

if you need more distraction tonight, you know who to message.

Hemingway_cansuckit

Can’t wait, Bookish.

It’s a date