Page 69 of A Novel Love Story

I froze in my footsteps the second I stepped inside.

Anders was reading at the counter. He languidly turned the page, his head propped up on his hand. The afternoon sun through the high windows turned his white-blond hair almost golden when it hit the light just right.

“Nice of you to finally return,” he said nonchalantly. “Did you have a nice walk?”

I winced. “Sorry. I … forgot I left something in my car. So I went to Frank’s to get it. I was just gone a few minutes.”

He pursed his lips, like he knew I was lying, but he didn’t call me out on it. He just asked, “Did you find what you were looking for?”

“No.” At leastthatwasn’t a lie, but still I couldn’t look him in the eyes. Shame ate at the edges of my cheeks, red and awful. I hadn’t thought about what would happen if Ididn’tcome back in time, and now I felt like I’d let him down because—well, Ihad. “I’m sorry. How long have you been back … ?”

“A few minutes,” he replied, standing, and gave a stretch—like a cat unfurling. His Henley rode up a little, coming untucked from his jeans, flashing a sliver of skin above his waistband. I immediately recalled our kiss, the way his chest felt with my hands pressed up against his skin, the solidness of him, the way hesmelled—

I tore my gaze away. “Did they have the latch?”

“No.”

“Ah.” I shifted uncomfortably, remembering what Gemma said about Anders chasing all the girls away.It wasn’t hard for him. “You know the sign is still flipped to closed?”

“I know. I told you I’d take you around Eloraton when I got back, if you’d still like me to.”

Oh, that just made me feelworse. I winced. “You really don’t have to …”

He tilted his head to the side. “If you’d rather not, I understand.”

“You’re … not mad at me? For leaving the shop when you asked me to stay?”

“No,” he replied, shaking his head. “You said you forgot something at Frank’s, and it must’ve been important, so it can’t be helped. Though, I’m sorry you didn’t find it.”

Shit. Now I felt even worse for lying. My shoulders sagged. “Yeah …”

He closed his book. It was an Ann Nichols novel—one of her newer ones. The cover wasn’t blurry, and the pages weren’t blank, so maybe it was just my Quixotic Falls novels? “So, where would you want to go first?”

I hesitated.

My gaze settled on the broken latch on the counter. Ineededto fix whatever I’d broken between Ruby and Jake, but Iwantedto go get tacos and see the clock tower. Besides, I couldn’t really do anything else until Ruby came back, anyway.

Tomorrow, then. Tomorrow I’d talk to Jake, and Ruby, and help them sort it all out. Somehow.

I just … had to be on my best behavior tonight. Strictly Good Eileen.

“If it’s that hard for you to decide …” Anders murmured, studying the crease between my brows, “I would suggest food first. Let me close up.” Then he pushed himself off the counter and came around to lock the front door,but as he passed, he bent toward me, his shoulder brushing mine, and murmured, “You’re still a bad liar, Eileen.”

Well, I was certainly in trouble tonight.

And the worst part was, I feared I was going to like it.

22

Romantic Gestures

THE TACO JOINT WASa small hole-in-the-wall place over on Four Shadow Street.

I got our sodas and found Anders at a table, with a greasy bag of tacos. The restaurant was filled with little knickknacks and paper streamers with the Mexican flag on them, and bobbleheads of mariacheros at the order counter.

IfI was the nosy type, I’d figure out who Rachel dreamed up for him. I bet it was someone who was a foil, an opposite who drew out all the best and worst parts of him. So, basically an optimist who loved books and shook him out of his grumpy shell and had some sort of character flaw that was both a little endearing and very much annoying to him.

But I wasn’t nosy—nosy was reserved for busybodies who poked around for their own self-fulfillment—no, I wascurious, genuinely curious, and that was all the worse.

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