Page 9 of Stars Shine In Your Eyes

Malcolm shook his head. He had no business wanting Josie, for so many reasons. First off, he hadn’t yet broken it off with Katrina. But even more important, he was exactly the wrong match for a woman like Josie. A woman who was sweet and nice and lived her life in the world of books.

With great effort, he forced his brain away from the thought of Josie in the shower with warm water and bubbles rippling over her smooth skin. Instead, he got down to business assuring Kieran Taylor that everything was going to work out and tried to ignore the fact that even as he did, there was a part of his brain—and his body—that was still hyperfocused on Josie.

CHAPTER THREE

Elderflower Island was absolutely beautiful. Malcolm pointed out the tearoom, several of the boutiques, the old concert hall where so many massive rock ‘n’ roll careers had begun, the manor house and grounds where locals walked their dogs and laid out blankets on sunny days to sun themselves or savor a picnic. He showed her where the stand-up paddleboarding group met at least once a week to take their boards out on the river. He took her into the Elderflower Café, where she met the owner, Jacob, a large and cheerful man with a bushy beard and a big personality.

“It’s good to see you back on the island,” Jacob said to Malcolm after they shook hands. “We miss you.”

“Good to be back,” Malcolm admitted. “Are your sausage rolls still the best in London?”

“Naturally,” Jacob said. “But don’t even think about franchising my baked goods all over the world. I prefer to keep my business local.”

Malcolm grinned. “Then I can simply enjoy your food and not worry about how it would sell in San Francisco.”

“Obviously, my sausage rolls would sell brilliantly in San Francisco,” he said with a twinkle in his eye. He passed one to Josie on a square of parchment paper. “Don’t you agree?”

She bit into the flaky pastry and then the fragrant, spicy meat filling, and as the flavors hit her tongue, she nodded enthusiastically.

Malcolm bought them both sausage rolls and two teas to go. Then they sat in the manor house grounds and enjoyed the people-watching. It was so good to sit in the warm sun and breathe fresh air after being cooped up in a plane for so long. Josie felt almost as though she were in a dream, which she attributed to jet lag. Though, when she glanced at the gorgeous guy beside her, munching on a sausage roll and drinking tea from a paper cup while wearing a designer suit—more gorgeous now than he’d been fifteen years ago—it was no wonder she felt like she was in a dream.

After a friendly dog had happily taken the last bite of her sausage roll and licked her hand clean into the bargain, she felt ready to face anything.

They disposed of their garbage in a nearby container and then headed for the bookstore.

She felt like she was floating on air. Though they’d gotten off to a rocky start in the airport, he was obviously trying hard to make it up to her by being charming and friendly. Also, she couldn’t deny that her companion was magnetically handsome.

Of course, he was completely out of her league. He’d made that perfectly clear in high school, and now that he’d matured, he’d obviously become extremely successful. He had an air of wealth about him, and considering the way he gave crisp instructions over the phone, he had a staff of minions at his beck and call. Besides, even if she’d thought she might have a chance with him, she’d sworn off men forever.

But that didn’t mean there wasn’t a little part of her still thrilled by being with Malcolm Sullivan today.

Okay, so her exhaustion from the flight was clearly playing into her emotions. But the truth was, she was having a wonderful time with him. He hadn’t said anything about what had happened in high school—and he certainly hadn’t apologized—but perhaps that was for the best. There was no point in stirring up an old hornet’s nest. High school was a million years ago. They had both been teenagers, and most teenagers did super dumb stuff. Especially in front of their peers. He surely hadn’t meant what he’d said to her at prom. And even if he had—well, what did it matter after all these years? The best thing was to focus on how thrilled she was to be on Elderflower Island, how much fun it was going to be to stay on his houseboat, and how they’d even shared a couple of laughs today, especially after his dance on the roof of his boat.

He pointed out the pub, and then she spotted Mari’s bookstore across the street, on the riverside. The painted sign above the door said Elderflower Island Books, and she could see a window full of titles she’d no doubt want to read. As she drew closer, she saw that the building dated back to 1883. Excitement filled her at the idea of meeting the woman she’d been emailing with for a couple of months now. Mari had explained that she’d inherited the bookshop and was looking for new ways to add value. When she read a blog post Josie had written about her work, Mari had contacted her, and they’d soon begun chatting like old friends about the books they’d loved and new releases they couldn’t wait to read. Then, finally, Mari had asked if she could hire Josie to come to London to help her create a space where she’d hold reading retreats. Naturally, Josie would lead the first one.

She hadn’t stopped to think about it, but had enthusiastically agreed. She’d set up reading retreat spaces in a couple of hotels, a spa, and a library, so she felt confident in her ability to give Mari exactly what she wanted.

“Wow. I absolutely love it,” she told Malcolm. She felt like a broken record, but it was true. She was loving everything she’d seen since she’d landed. The only thing she hadn’t loved was when Malcolm had been so grumpy, and she’d realized that her past had possibly come back to haunt her. But as she’d just told herself, there was no point in getting in a funk over bad memories of things that had happened a long time ago.

“This is exactly the way I’ve always pictured a British bookshop,” she continued. “With ivy growing down old stone walls and pretty window displays crammed with books.” She sighed. “I have a feeling I’ll need yet another suitcase when it’s time to go home.”

“It even comes with a black cat that sleeps on the counter after Mari lets it in in the morning,” Malcolm informed her.

Grinning from ear to ear, Josie said, “I’ll have to take pictures of that so I don’t forget it after I’m gone.”

She already knew she was going to miss Elderflower Island when she left. It wasn’t practical to even dream of staying, so she wouldn’t waste her time lamenting that.

The door opened, and a pretty woman with a tumble of auburn hair and a huge smile stepped out. “Josie. I’m Mari. Welcome. I’m so glad you’re here. It’s wonderful to finally meet you in person.”

When Mari opened her arms, it felt perfectly normal for Josie to walk into them. As two major bibliophiles, it was like greeting a long-lost friend, all because they shared a love of books.

“I’m so happy to be here, Mari. I love absolutely everything about the island so far. Malcolm’s houseboat. How gorgeous the island is. The sausage roll I ate from the Elderflower Café. The classic British pub across the street. And, best of all, your bookstore.”

Mari beamed. “I love all those things too. Now come inside. You must be exhausted after your trip.” Mari gestured for Malcolm to come in too. “Can you stay a few minutes for a cup of tea, or do you need to rush back to the city?”

“I could do with a quick cuppa,” he replied. Since they’d just finished tea, Josie imagined he wanted to visit with Mari for a few minutes.

“Thanks again, Malcolm, for picking Josie up,” Mari said. “Things got out of control so quickly in the store today. When Grace called in sick, there really was no way I could leave.” She glanced toward an older woman who was chatting with a customer. “Clare fills in when I’m stuck, but she couldn’t come earlier, and besides, she doesn’t know books, so I had to be here.”

---