Page 42 of Austen Persuaded

“Huh,” I mumbled. Then what on earth was that? Did this Melanie somehow disapprove of me as a friend for Jack? How ridiculous did that even sound?I shook my head to clear my thoughts. “So, Jack, how are you doing?”

“I’m fine. How about you?” he said, studying me. “I’m sorry if last night wasn’t great.”

“It … wasn’t. I shouldn’t have come,” I admitted. “I mean, Viv and I have had a serious fracture in our friendship, and showing up randomly to put her on the spot while playing board games? I should’ve known that was a dumb move.”

“Well, you can blame me for suggesting it. I’m sorry, Annie,” Jack said, frowning.

“You were just trying to help.” I sipped my coffee and gazed at him thoughtfully. “Viviana did seem troubled by something else though. Maybe it wasn’t just me.” When he didn’t reply, I asked, “Did you notice that?”

“I … did,” Jack answered. He looked past me then and gave a polite nod to the server on the way to their table. As the server arranged the food in front of me, I took the opportunity to watch Jack. He appeared uncomfortable, which struck me as peculiar—he was always so at ease. Still, I could postpone any further questioning for the moment.

“So, I have news,” I said, my tone rising with excitement as I picked up the buttery croissant sandwich in front of me. “I’m officially doing an internship for Bookshop. I’ve got my foot in the door!”

Jack’s face lit up, all traces of his previous mood vanishing. “That’s wonderful, Annie! What is the position?”

“We’re calling the position the literary events coordinator. So I’ll plan book clubs, book signings, and other special events to be hosted at the store. It sounds like a dream, doesn’t it?”

Jack laughed heartily. “For the right person, yes. And I do believe that person will be you. When do you start?”

“I already did, the day after I walked into the store insisting they give me a job.” I laughed. “My boss is pretty demanding and wanted me to start immediately.”

“Sounds like a great match then.”

“Yes, but it was an uphill climb. It was really hard to convince him to give me a chance. Turns out he was a guy I’d been briefly involved with years ago, but I hadn’t recognized him … It was a mess.” I shook my head but then smiled. “I convinced him I’m worth a shot.”

Jack smiled admiringly. “I’m not at all surprised. Congratulations, Annie. Can I come to the book club? It’s been years since I was part of one, but I’d love to join.” Then a frown marred his face. “Under normal circumstances, Vivi would come too, but … well, you know. Maybe someday.”

“Yeah,” I said wistfully. “But I’m not here to mope. I’d love to pick your brain for ideas about events. Maybe you could be our inaugural guest author!”

Jack scratched his head, making a face. “I sure could, if it would help you out, but surely people would be more interested in an author with a recent release. I haven’t published any books in a couple years. And maybe an author with a bit more mass appeal.”

“So modest, Jack.” I grinned. “We’ll see. So for the book club, I’m thinking of organizing around themes that change on a quarterly basis. For example, historical fiction for a quarter, or even more specific, Victorian literature. Or if that’s too academic, then modernmystery or romance, YA, books with social justice themes, that sort of thing. And then each quarter, we’d select a handful of books within that theme to discuss. I’m still organizing the ideas before writing them up for Hakeem—he’s the manager. Do you have any thoughts? I’m particularly wondering if—”

I closed my mouth when Jack’s eyes widened as he seemed to spot something beyond me.

Viviana was standing near the front counter, smiling in our direction until I met her gaze. Her face immediately fell, and she gasped audibly.

Then, with no subtlety whatsoever, she simply spun around and turned her back on us. A woman behind the counter—not Melanie from before—came over to give her a coffee. I stared for a moment and then turned back to Jack, whose face was a mix of emotions.

“What—”

“That’s—”

We both sighed and eyed one another with sympathy.

“Jack, I don’t know if I should stay—”

His throat cleared loudly, and he looked pointedly over my head. Even as I turned, I knew what I’d find. Viviana was standing a few feet from our table. I studied her closely. She looked tired, physically and emotionally. Her usually cute, wavy brown hair looked limp, her eyes tired, and her posture slumped.

“Vivi, I never thought I’d see you here so early!” Jack said, still looking shocked but not unhappy to see her.

Viviana was clearly trying very hard to be polite and maintain composure, but I could tell something was bothering her. Tension was radiating from her in waves. “Well, that makes two of us. Or three, I guess.” Her eyes darted to me for a split second before turning back to Jack.

I should speak up. Why not try to mend things? Maybe this wasn’t the best scenario, but there might never be a perfect time. “Hi, Viv. Would you like to join us?” I asked in a quiet, friendly tone.

Jack added, “Yes, Vivi, pull up a chair.”

Her eyes met mine but then drifted down, if I wasn’t mistaken, to my dress, and she was quick to decline. “Oh, no, I can’t. I have alotto do today.”

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