Page 62 of A Novel Love Story

TWO BOTTLES OF FRANK’S HOTTIES, $5.99 EACH.

“It has to cost more than that,” I said, and he waved his hand.

“I’ve not worked on a Pinto in years. You’re givin’ me a treat.”

I felt bad anyway, because he was doing more work than he’d probably agreed to, and I was next to useless. “Thank you, really,” I said, and went around to the back of the hatchback just to make sure I had already taken everything out that I needed. The box of books sat beside the crate of wine, and honestly I wouldn’t have looked twice at them if the cover hadn’t caught my eye. Curiously I pulled one out.

The cover was blurry—like someone had spilled water on it, but without the damage.

“It’s not a problem, not a problem,” Frank was saying, and I only half listened as he advised that I should get moving before the thunderstorm.“I hear it’s comin’ in from the north, so it’ll be a doozy.”

“Yeah, thanks,” I said absently, opening the book.

There was nothing. No words. No chapter titles. Only, on the second page, where the title page should be, was my name—To Elsy.And at the bottom was Rachel’s signature. The other three books were the same.

They were all blank.

Was that how Anders saw them the first night? Blank books with only a name and signature?

“Somethin’ up, kid?” Frank asked, startling me.

I quickly put one of the books into my purse, and closed up the box. “No, no, everything’s fine,” I told him, and closed the hatchback. “Take care of her, Frank.” I waved goodbye as I left the auto shop with a book that no longer had a story inside tucked into my purse.

NOT TWO MINUTES LATER, AS I WAS WONDERING HOW ANDERSwould react to knowing I’d be here for two more days—happy that I would be, or nervous that I had more time to “cause ripples” in Eloraton, whatever that meant—I decided to take a shortcut through one of the side alleys behind the café to get back to the bookstore. I worried that the missing words were permanent. I hoped they weren’t. These were all first editions.

The sky was clotting with rain clouds again. I guessed it was about time for that early afternoon storm that Frank talked about. A droplet hit my cheek, then another on my face, the storm coming on quickly.

I sped up my pace.

I didn’t expect to stumble on Ruby and Jake behind the café, in the back alley by the dumpster.I recognized Jake instantly, because he was still in his work apron, his oversized white tank top grease stained, and dark messy hair pushed back over his forehead, his eyes bright.

I started to shout hello to them, when Jake’s voice cut me off—

“Is everything all right?” he asked, lacing their fingers together. “You’ve been quiet lately. Are you getting sick? Hurt? Are you okay, sugar?”

In the books, the way he called hersugarundid her a little more every time. It made her feel like a part of a recipe, an ingredient in a life that tasted sweet.

The rain started to come down harder. Maybe if I headed back toward Frank’s, I could duck under some of the awnings and make it back to the bookstore by the time the storm hit—

Ruby said to Jake, while holding his hands, “I love you, but I think I need to find out who I am again. The lines have blurred.” Then she took a deep breath and said, “I want to take a break.”

My heart slammed into my rib cage.

Shit.

I’d misheard. She must’ve meant something else. Yeah, she couldn’t have meant, I mean, it couldn’t have been—

Jake, thinking along the same lines, gave a nervous laugh and asked, “From … the café? Sure, sugar. We can make that work—”

“No,” Ruby said, untangling her fingers from his. “Well, the café, too, but—” And she took a deep breath, looked him in the eyes, and said, “Us.”

20

Four Shadow o’Clock

IDUCKED INTO THE BOOKSTORE,drenched from the storm, shivering in the entrance. I hadn’t made it to the bookstore before the bottom fell out of the clouds, it’d come on so fast. Anders looked up from the book he was reading at the counter, his eyebrows raised in question, but I didn’t know what to say, if anything. Maybe I’d misheard Ruby and Jake, or made it up, or maybe they were practicing forRomeo and Julietat the community theater—

A rumble of thunder shook the bookstore. Anders raised his hand to still Butterscotch, who’d jumped up on all fours, his tail puffed out. We watched the ceiling, the dozens of colorful glass chimes trembling with the vibrations.

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