The Bookstore's Secret
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Makenna Lee
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18,2K
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24
Chapter One
Grieving a husband that you’re upset with was a multifaceted emotion, much like the many faces of a sharp-edged crystal, but Nicole Evans was finally in the driver’s seat of her own life with plans to steer it in a new direction.
After one humiliating but necessary detour.
Nicole—once a PTA mom, homeowner and pastry chef—winced at the twinge in her back as she heaved the overpacked suitcase onto one of the twin beds in her childhood room. Driving for two days had taken a toll on her body and mind. Each mile from Montana had layered on a little more weariness and fear of being the latest topic of whispers and sideways glances in her small Texas hometown.
The same cherrywood furniture filled the room. Two twin beds with a nightstand between them, two dressers and a desk. But rather than lavender, the walls were pale blue with crisp white trim around the deep-sealed windows. The curtains and bedding where soft shades of blue and gray, making the room soothing. Something she could use a whole lot of right now. On the wall where her hard-earned ribbons and certificates had once been, now hung a large landscape painting signed by local artist Alexandra Walker.
It was January 2, and barely a week ago they’d been here for Christmas. All the decorations still adorned the house inside and out. It had been a wonderful holiday with her family, but the day after flying home to Montana, the final stroke of bad luck had her packing what she could in her SUV and driving back to Texas.
The wooden floor in the hallway creaked with approaching footsteps. “Mommy, am I sleeping in here with you?”
Nicole opened her arms to her nine—going on twenty-year-old—daughter, Katie. Her long chestnut hair was tangled from too many hours in the car. “You certainly can if you want to, or Jenny’s old room can be yours.” Nicole glanced at the second bed tucked under the windows and remembered how her niece, Jenny, would sleep there when she was scared.
With her thin arms still around her mother’s waist, Katie looked up and twisted her mouth into a thoughtful expression. “I think I should stay in here with you. At least for the first night.”
“Good plan, Katie Cat.” She hugged her close once more before letting go.
“Mimi said supper is ready.”
Nicole knew she should eat, and her mom’s stew was delicious, but exhaustion was rapidly claiming her. She longed for a hot bath, and then all she wanted to do was crawl into bed and sleep for days, especially now that she had someone who could look after her child while she rested. Truly rested. Not the one-eye-cracked sleep she’d been subsisting on for weeks. She glanced from her suitcase to the door.
She’d come this far, and a few more minutes of consciousness wouldn’t kill her. Hopefully.
“Come on, Mommy.” Katie tugged her hand. “You have to eat. Mimi said you’re too thin.”
“She said that?” Nicole glanced down at her own body. Her jeans were hanging a little low on her hips, and she couldn’t afford new ones. “Okay. Let’s go eat.”
In the hallway, she paused momentarily in front of her wedding photo hanging on the wall in a silver frame. She’d been so happy and in love. Her heart ached for the old times before Jeff’s true nature had come out and he’d become controlling and basically turned into someone she no longer knew. Their marriage had become a facade. She’d lost that man in the photo long before his death. But because she’d been too embarrassed to say anything, no one knew the truth of her turbulent marriage.
As they came down the stairs, the savory scent of home cooking made her mouth water.
Maybe I’m hungrier than I thought.
Her mom, Mary Winslet—who most people called Mimi—was moving around the eat-in kitchen, putting corn bread and salad on the sturdy rectangular table that had been in the two-story white farmhouse for seventy years. She’d done a bit of remodeling and freshened things up over the past year. The cabinets had a new coat of white paint, and the butcher-block countertops of her childhood had been replaced with light granite that looked almost like marble. The hardwood floors were varnished to preserve the years of wear. Her mom had chosen to leave all the dents, scrapes and gouges because she said they were a road map of her life.
Nicole ran her big toe over the dent from the time she dropped a pipe wrench while helping her dad fix the kitchen sink. “The house looks really great, Mom.”
“Having a grandson-in-law with a restoration and construction company is very handy.” She tucked her brown hair behind her ear, now liberally streaked with silver and curlier than it had been before cancer treatments a few years ago.
“Eric does great work. When will they be home from their vacation?”
“In four days. Jenny will be so happy to have you home.” Mimi poured glasses of lemonade. “Grab a bowl. They’re already out of the cabinet and beside the pot of stew.”
Nicole helped her daughter then filled her own bowl before taking a seat in the same spot she’d used her whole life. It had a view of the orchard out the window on her left, and across from her was the empty chair her older sister—ten years her senior—had used until they lost her years ago. When her sister died in an accident, Nicole’s baby niece Jenny had come to live with them and basically been raised as her sister.
Mimi stopped behind Nicole and kissed the top of her head and then Katie’s. “I’m so glad to have both of you home with me.”
Home.
Nicole flinched. She loved being here with her mom, but the realization that this was now the only home she had made her throat burn.
I should be thankful. Not whining.
Having a safe place to regroup was more than some people had. “It’s really good to be here. I’m lucky to have a home to come to.” She took a bite, and the flavors of savory beef and vegetables blended into a lovely dance on her tongue.
Mimi sat at one end of the table. “It will always and forever be your home, sweetheart. I still wish you had told me you’d made a decision and were driving from Montana. I could have flown out and driven with you.”
“I know, Mom. But you just paid for the plane tickets for us to come home for Christmas, and you were in Montana six months ago for Jeff’s funeral. Plane tickets are expensive. We did fine. Right, Katie?”
“Yep,” her daughter said around a mouthful of corn bread. “We took care of each other, just like we always do.”
An ache started in Nicole’s chest. She loved that her daughter was a natural caretaker, but she hated that because of the relationship Katie had observed between her and Jeff, she felt the need to look after her own mother. A major part of her new life plan was to set a better example for her child.
Nicole sighed, so much weariness in one sound. “I did call and tell you when we were on our way to Texas.”
“But not until you were already on the road.” Her mother’s pursed lips conveyed her displeasure.
“Mimi, we listened to a whole bunch of audio books,” Katie said. “One of them was a mystery, and I guessed who the bad guy was.”
“I love a good mystery. Tell me about it.”
Nicole let them talk about stories and characters and drifted into her own thoughts. A place that could be dangerous as of late. She’d known her mom would be upset about her waiting to call, but honestly, she had needed the drive to think and prepare for whatever this unexpected return to the Texas Hill Country had in store, but the time hadn’t helped much. She had not returned—as she’d claimed she would—as a successful chef. Although she had worked in kitchens of restaurants and a resort, she had not been in charge. Never been the chef.
Her husband had accused her of wasting money on culinary school, but he sure hadn’t minded eating what she cooked. She could not under any circumstance let him be right.
Her daughter patted her shoulder. “Mommy, you’re not listening.”
“Sorry, Katie Cat. I’m just tired. What did I miss?”
“I want to see Lilly the same day they get home. I already have to wait four days for them to get back from vacation.” In her excitement, Katie climbed onto her knees, and Nicole motioned for her to sit back down.
“We will have to see what time of day they get home.” When Jenny married Eric, she had adopted his four-year-old daughter, and Katie adored her little cousin.
The doorbell chimed its five-note tune. “Are you expecting someone?” she asked her mom.
“Oh, yes. A delivery.” Mimi left the table and disappeared around the corner to the front door. “Hello, Liam.”
Liam? No! An alarm shrieked in Nicole’s head.
She considered running upstairs, but her mother had just told him she and Katie were in the kitchen and invited him in. She hastily yanked the hair band off her wrist and tried to tame her riotous curls into a ponytail, and then she swiped her fingers under her eyes in case her mascara was smudged before she remembered she wasn’t wearing any makeup. Not even concealer on her dark circles.
Why did I come downstairs? I should’ve just gotten into a nice hot bath.
Her mom returned to the kitchen with the guy Nicole had loved from afar since she was twelve years old. For twenty-five years he’d been her fantasy man.
“Look who stopped by to deliver the books I ordered.”
Katie’s head shot up. “Books? I love books.”
“One of them is for you,” Mimi said. “But you have to finish eating first.”
Liam smiled at Katie and then turned to Nicole, and her stomach fluttered with the kind of nervous sensation she’d always felt as a teenager. The years had been good to him. Very, very good. A maroon T-shirt hugged his biceps and shoulders, and her fingers tingled with the inappropriate urge to reach out and see if the denim of his faded jeans was as soft as it looked.
“Hello, Liam,” Nicole said with a small wave.
“Nicole, Katie, so good to see both of you. I didn’t know you were visiting.”
“We’re not visiting,” Katie said unhelpfully. “We have to live here now.”
Nicole’s heart sank, and she made a mental note to once again talk to her daughter about blurting out every thought that came into her mind.
“Sit down and eat something,” her mom told him. When he started to protest, she pulled out a chair and motioned for him to sit.
“I’d love some.” He sat across from Nicole, in the chair that had been her older sister’s, and they shared a smile as Mimi filled another bowl with beef stew.
His black hair had only the barest hint of silver above his ears, and it felt as if his dark eyes could see more than she was ready to share. Was this the start of the whispers? Not that she thought Liam was a gossip, but without warning she might have to answer the first questions about why she was back in town or discuss the disaster her life had become.
Liam accepted the bowl of stew and a glass of lemonade. “This smells delicious.” He took a bite, and his face morphed into a satisfied expression that made his eyes close. “Mmm. So good.”
Nicole’s skin pebbled as his expression and deep, rumbly voice made her envision him bare-chested and braced above her. It wasn’t the first time she’d fantasized about Liam being that satisfied with her...in bed. She quickly ducked her head and focused on her meal.
What is the matter with me? Has being here only a few hours turned me back into a teenager?
She hadn’t felt the intimate touch of a man in well over two years, long before her husband’s death. It had been ages since she’d wanted anything to do with a man. Until now. As they ate, she couldn’t stop sneaking glances at the way his muscles shifted with each movement. She admired his deep olive complexion against the white of his teeth when he laughed, and she liked the way he talked to her daughter about her interest—in a way that her father rarely had.
“I’m done,” Katie announced. “Can I see my book now?”
“Yes. It’s on the coffee table in the living room,” Mimi said.
Katie put her bowl in the large apron-front sink and skipped from the kitchen.
“It’s nice to see a kid so excited about books. It’s certainly good for my business,” Liam said, then looked straight at Nicole. His smile softened. “I’m so sorry to hear about your husband.”
“I appreciate that.” She couldn’t hold his gaze. Every time someone expressed sympathy, a voice in her head screamed, If you only knew the whole story.
Mimi pushed the plate of corn bread closer to Liam. “How was your family’s Christmas at your sister’s new house in Dallas?”
“Very nice. With two toddlers and a new baby, there was a lot of excitement.”
“Have I told you Nicole graduated from culinary school?”
“No.” Ice clinked in his glass of lemonade as he set it down. “Do you have a specialty?”
“Yes. I’m a pastry chef. I was working at a resort.”
“No kidding? I’m looking for a chef at the bistro in my bookstore. We offer appetizers and desserts along with wine and coffee. Are you looking for a job?”
“Actually, yes.” Her stomach trembled when she met his gaze. His handsome grin widened to show dimples and fine lines at the corners of his eyes. This man knew how to make forty-one years old look really, really good.
“Want to come by Sip & Read tomorrow and we can discuss things?”
“That would be great. Is after lunch okay? I plan on taking the rare opportunity to sleep late tomorrow morning.”
“I’ll be there all day. We live in the apartment above the bookstore.”
She was about to ask who lived with him, but her mother stood and thankfully interrupted her intrusive question.
“If you two will excuse me, I’m going to check on Katie,” Mimi said and then left them alone in the kitchen.
The air seemed to heat and crackle between them. What was this pull Liam had always had over her? And why had he never felt it too?
He took a bite and chewed thoughtfully. “I guess you’ll be registering Katie for school?”
“Yes. I’ll go in on Monday. I hate that she has to start at a new school in the middle of the year.”
“I have a feeling she’ll catch up in no time. I just registered my son a few months ago. He’s not very happy about being at a high school with no swim team or photography class.”
“Change can be hard for kids. Maybe he can start a photography club or something.”
She’d heard that Liam was getting a divorce, but did his son going to school here mean he’d gotten back together with his wife? His left hand was wrapped around his glass, and he was not wearing a wedding ring, but that didn’t mean much. She’d taken hers off months before asking Jeff for a divorce, and he hadn’t even noticed.
When Nicole woke the next morning, she felt more rested than she had in months. Coming home had been the right decision. Even though it had been her only choice. Cracking her eyes open, she saw that the other twin bed was empty. She closed them again and savored a few more minutes of rest, knowing someone responsible was looking after Katie.
After a late breakfast, she took her time getting ready for her meeting with Liam. She changed her outfit three times before deciding on charcoal gray jeans and a red sweater. With her hair and makeup carefully done, she left her daughter in the pecan orchard with her mom and drove the few miles to town.
When she made it to the Oak Hollow town square, she was surprised by the lack of open parking spaces. She finally found a spot near the courthouse and made her way across the center of the square, passed the gazebo and the playground filled with happy children. Tourism appeared to be up, and they had picked a beautiful winter day to be out walking around.
The Christmas decorations would be coming down soon, but for today, the swags of greenery, lights and sparkly ornaments made the historic square look like something out of an old movie. The only thing missing was the snow she had left behind in Montana.
Being Texas, you never quite knew what weather to expect, but today was mild and she didn’t need more than her sweater to stay warm. A cold breeze lifted Nicole’s hair, tossing the curls she’d carefully tamed into soft waves. Leaves skittered around her feet, and the savory scent of Southern cooking drifted from the Acorn Café, the Friday lunch crowd filing in and out with happy smiles.
She continued walking along a row of businesses in historic buildings. There was a new jewelry store, an art gallery beside Jenny and Emma’s dress shop and a florist with containers of chrysanthemums out on the sidewalk. Two doors down from the bookstore, she paused to look at a window display of kitchenwares. All her cooking supplies were still wedged into the back of her SUV with the other things she hadn’t sold before leaving.
“Nicole.”
She turned at the sound of her name.
“We’re all so happy to have you back in Oak Hollow,” said Mrs. Jenkins.
How did she already know I’m back?
She accepted a tight hug from the plump, elderly woman who would most definitely spread any secret or juicy bit of gossip that she heard. “It’s good to see you.”
“I’m so sorry for your recent loss.”
“Thank you.”
“I’m late for a meeting at the newspaper office. I write an advice column for them now. We’ll have to find time to visit soon because I want to hear everything that’s been going on with you.”
I bet you do.
“Sounds good.” Actually, it sounded more like she’d just set herself up for a polite interrogation, and she’d take a bet that Mrs. Jenkins’s advice column included gossip.
Mrs. Jenkins hustled down the sidewalk, weaving in and out of shoppers, her long coat swishing around her calves as she moved.
Nicole waved to a cute bundled-up toddler in a stroller, wondering if the little girl’s family were locals she didn’t know or out of town visitors. She continued her walk along the storefronts. It’s not that she disliked her hometown, because it was actually very nice, but it’s not where she had planned to be at age thirty-seven. And she certainly hadn’t planned to return as a widowed single mom—broke and without a home through no fault of her own. Unless you counted her poor judgment choosing to marry a man with a gambling problem. An addiction that had made a wreck of her world. She’d gotten loads of sympathy and well wishes after the logging accident... But no one knew the whole story. She hadn’t even told her mom or Jenny about the day of the accident or the many months leading up to it.
She had not lost a loving husband who she missed having beside her. She’d lost a roommate who she had loved...once upon a time. But even so, she had still cried for many nights after putting her little girl to bed.
A horn honked and startled her back into the present. Nicole took a deep breath. She was physically ready to walk into Liam’s bookstore, but her emotional readiness was a different story. She wanted to project confidence and poise. Things that had never been a problem...until she married a man who was more likely to criticize than he was to compliment or encourage her dreams and desires.
She opened one of the glass French doors of Sip & Read. The two-story building had originally been a hardware store in the 1920s, then a dress shop, a restaurant and then vacant before Liam bought it. It was a magical bookstore with red brick walls partially covered with old plaster that had chipped away in large chunks, a high ceiling covered with pressed tin squares, dark woodwork and an eclectic mix of antique shelves. The nutty aroma of coffee mingled with the sweetness of fresh flowers and that scent of books that can’t be put into words.
Liam waved from behind a coffee bar that looked as if it were made from stacks of hardcover books but was actually bricks painted to look like the spines of famous novels. Beside it stood a glass bakery case that held a meager selection of what was probably store-bought pastries. Last night, he’d said we live above the bookstore, which must include his son, but did it include a wife? If he was still married, she’d be forced to ignore the temptation, and that would be a good thing. She couldn’t be running around lusting after a man when she was so recently widowed. It would only give people a reason to talk. Running into Mrs. Jenkins had been a glaring reminder.
But what if she told everyone the whole story? Maybe they would understand. She shook her head and walked toward Liam.
She might never be ready to share some of her secrets.
