Page 46 of If Tomorrow Never Comes

“What do they do?”

“They own a bookstore in Lincoln. The biggest fight they ever had was over T-shirts and whether they should use reading puns or not.”

“Who doesn’t love a good pun?”

“My mother, apparently. My dad and I are with you.” HerReading is a Novel IdeaT-shirt was her favorite one to sleep in.

Blythe tapped a finger to her chin. “T-shirts ... Should I have T-shirts?”

“Maybe. Though I think if you’re wanting to consider branded merchandise, other things might be a better place to start, like coffee tumblers or stickers. T-shirts can be hit-or-miss with restaurants.”

“Sure, that makes sense. I’m getting ahead of myself anyway.” She gestured to everything Elliott spread out on the table. “Where should we start?”

“How about the website?” Elliott flipped open her laptop, multiple minimized screens ready to go. “I have several designs for you to look a—”

Blythe’s phone buzzed on the table. She glanced at the screen and grabbed it. “Sorry, it’s my brother.” She typed out a message and set her phone down again, the screen still illuminated.

Something warm and terrifying twisted in Elliott’s chest at the mention of Jamie. The urge to glance at the message was real.

“He’s been a little needy this weekend since ... Well, I’m sure you know about the breakup. Being friends with Carly and all.”

Breakup?

“The what?” Her voice came out wobbly.

Blythe winced. “Shoot, I just assumed you’d have heard. I hope they weren’t, like, keeping it quiet or anything.”

A thread of unease unraveled in her gut. Did something happen after she left the restaurant Friday night? Did Carly somehow find out Jamie was the one Tiffany had told everyone about?

Had he come clean and told her?

Oh God.

“No, but that’s ... I’m sorry to hear that. Are they ... um. Is he okay?”

“Yeah.” Blythe seemed genuinely unconcerned, so it must not have been ugly. “I like Carly and everything, but between you and me, they’ve always been an odd pair. I think maybe he finally realized they’re not the best fit, you know?”

Elliott blinked, unsure how to respond, her thoughts no longer in this room. Somehow she managed to get back to business as if Blythe hadn’t just dropped that huge bomb on her, and she made it through the rest of the meeting without incident.

But as soon as she left the bakery, anxiety and frustration rushed in full force, along with a tiny sliver of hope she refused to acknowledge.

Nothing about this was good.

She had to know what happened. Was she somehow responsible?

Blythe said Jamie was fine—was that true? Even if it was, what about Carly? She couldn’t bear the thought of Carly’s heartbreak.

She had to talk to Jamie.

As soon as she arrived in her apartment she went to the balcony—the exact spot she’d stayed away from all weekend—searching the dog park.

Jamie wasn’t there.

She’d have gone straight to his apartment if she knew where it was, but when they first met he’d just pointed in the opposite direction. There were five buildings on that side.

Agitation crept higher up her spine with each passing minute, so she sat down to wait. Took several deep breaths and attempted to calm down. Made a valiant effort to inhale the summer air and enjoy the weather while she waited.

In a stroke of good luck, she didn’t have to wait long. A yellow blur moving across the grass half-an-hour later caught her eye, and she lurched to her feet. “You!”

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