Page 2 of Bookstore Bliss

The one I thought was my soulmate.

The one that dumped me and basically never set foot in Kastle Harbor again.

After years of imagining what I’d say to her if I ran into her again, I find myself tongue tied. She’s dressed in a striped t-shirt, worn overalls with paint splattered on them, and classic black and white chucks. The black line art style tattoo on her right forearm looks like a bundle of flowers. Perhaps there’s a hint of my old artsy dream girl still there.

But it’s too late. I have Riley in my life and she takes precedent over anything else. I look around, making sure Riley is still sitting at the café table nearby. She waves when she spots me.

“Seth,” Kristen says with more certainty this time, her voice light and airy, as if she doesn’t remember breaking my heart in a million pieces.

“Hey Kristen,” I try to sound nonchalant, “what brings you to town?” I let my eyes gaze above her, looking at the menu instead of her hypnotic eyes.

“I’m sure you heard about Elise…” her voice trails off as she glances down. “I’m here to handle the sale of her bookstore.”

“I’m sorry for your loss, I always loved your grandmother.” Without thinking, I reach out and tuck a strand of her hair that had escaped. It’s as if I stuck my fingers in a wall socket, I immediately pull my hand back and fake a cough to take a step back.

Need more space between us.

“Thanks” Kristen redoes her ponytail, this time avoiding hitting me. “I’m probably not staying in town long but I’d love to catch up. Are you busy now?”

Before I can reply Riley comes bounding over, she hugs my legs as she asks about her cake pop. I pat her head and assure her it’ll just be another minute. Riley looks up at me with her big brown eyes, just like her mom’s. She looks at Kristen before declaring she’s hungry.

“Do you like books?” Kristen asks, crouching down to Riley’s height to chat.

“I like dinosaur books,” Riley replies before she tells me she wants a chocolate cake pop.

“I bet there’s a bunch of dinosaur books in the store,” Kristen tells her before standing up to face me again. Somehow, she’s gotten closer to me, closing the distance I had put between us.Her floral perfume has a hint of something sweet, maybe vanilla or caramel. “You guys are welcome to swing by and look through things. I’ll be getting rid of a lot of stock soon.”

I thought she’d ask more about Riley.

About her mother.

About me.

I look down to the six-year-old clinging to my leg.

Riley grins, “Can we daddy? I like books.”

I sigh, weighing my options. Riley is with me this weekend but I don’t know about getting close to Kristen. I wasn’t going to meet up with her, but Riley doesn’t understand the nuances of past relationships.

She’s six and likes books.

“If Kristen says it’s okay then we can go, but not today. Remember we need to get to your grammy’s soon. Why don’t we stop by tomorrow?”

Riley seems appeased by this. Kristen orders and collects her coffee as she tells me to just swing by whenever. That she’ll be there all day tomorrow.

“Bye Riley!” Kristen waves, her smile just as vibrant as I remembered. “Bye Seth, see you tomorrow.” I watch her leave the bakery.

We get to place our order. Riley jumps up and down eager for her cake pop. Bethany and I chat briefly as she hands me my drink. I take a sip before realizing I didn’t order my usual bitter americano but a vanilla latte instead.

And just like that, Kristen is back on my mind.

Despite the years apart, I can’t help but look forward to seeing her tomorrow. I sit across from Riley as she tells me about her favorite dinosaurs and the ones she doesn’t think are as scary.

I can’t spend my time pining for something I once had, I need to focus on my future. And that means putting Riley first.She said she’s selling the bookstore. Kristen isn’t staying around Kastle Harbor,. The last thing I need is for Riley to get attached and then Kristen to just leave without a word.

History tends to repeat itself, there’s no use in making it even more likely to happen.

3

---