Page 20 of A Novel Love Story

Anders cleared his throat. “She’d like the club s—”

I pulled myself together. “The Honey Surprise.”

“Great choice,” Ruby replied with a wink. My heart felt like it could explode. “Bacon on the side? Grits?”

“No thanks, just Grumpy,” I said, thankful that my mouth seemed to be working again. Grumpy was the code word for a sprinkling of a special blend of powdered sugar and cinnamon—I couldn’tnotorder it grumpy.

Ruby’s face brightened. “Someonecame prepared! Did Anders tell you about us?”

“I’ve just read about this place a thousand times.”

“In the localBuzz,” Anders quickly added, giving me a warning look.

“That’s fantastic,” she said, scribbling down my order. “I’ll have to tell Jake we’ve got a fan.”

“Thebiggest. Do you sell T-shirts? With the logo? Or, um, hats, or, ooh! An apron?” I went on, because now that my mouth worked, it couldn’t stop. “Christmas ornaments? Specialty pens?”

If looks could kill, Anders would have murdered me ten times over by now.

Ruby laughed, and stuck her pencil into her ponytail. “You know what, weshould, but we don’t, sadly. I’ll tell you what …” And she unpinned the name tag from the apron, rubbed off the nameBECKA, and handed it to me. It had the name and logo at the top. “There you go. A souvenir.”

“You’re too nice,” Anders deadpanned as I excitedly pinned it onto my shirt.

“Better than boring,” Ruby shot back.

He handed her our menus. “I prefer routine.”

“So a club sandwich, hold the greens?” she guessed.

“As always.”

She rolled her eyes, jotting down his order, as someone else called her away. She seemed stretched in four different directions at once. A customer wanting her in one place, another one wanting her at the counter, her cook wanting her at the window—it looked a little overwhelming.

When she was gone, Anders hissed. “I said act normal.”

I scoffed. “I’m not quoting from the books yet, am I? This is normal.”But I couldn’t hide my excitement, looking down at the name tag. My insides felt like squirming, giddy worms. Ruby gave me her name tag. She actually gave me her name tag! “Totally, totally normal— Is it crooked?”

He glowered.

I tilted the name tag to the left. “There, good enough.”

He sipped his black tea. How boring.

When I was satisfied with the tag, I realized that I hadn’t stopped smiling. “I can’t believe that wasRuby! Is Jake here, too?” I glanced around for the café owner, but the only people working were Ruby, and the cook and dishwasher in the back.

Anders said, “Jake’s probably still asleep. Or doing the accounts in the back. He takes the evening shifts.”

“And she has the morning?”

He nodded. “Every day.”

My excitement dulled a little. “It must be hard for them to see each other.”

He gave a one-shouldered shrug. “I don’t ask.”

“She seems overworked, and he probably is, too,” I went on, remembering the end of her book.Unrequited Love Songwas divisive among readers. Some said it was a happy-for-now, like Bea’s story in the fourth book, but others said that Ruby found her happy ending. Thatthis—the strong coffee, the all-day breakfasts, the checkered-tile floors—was her happiness. I didn’t believe that for a second, but I also didn’t think this was her happy-for-now, either. “I wonder if Rachel meant it this way. I wonder if Ruby’s happy.”

If he heard me, he decided not to respond. At least, not at first. Not until he said quietly, “The worst thing that can happen here is a burnt hamburger and a rainy afternoon. How can she not be?”

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