Page 18 of All Too Well
I get closer and extend my hand. “I’m Ainsley, and it’s great to meet you too. Seriously, this place is a booklover’s dream.”
Hazel glances around with a dreamy look on her face. “It is. It’s my happy place.”
“Do you own it?”
She nods. “I bought it a year ago. It used to be a bait and tackle shop, but I thought the town needed some sophistication.”
“Bait and tackle, huh?” I try not to think too hard about the dead-fish smell that once was emanating here instead of old books and coffee.
Hazel grins. “Trying to imagine the before?”
“More like trying notto,” I admit.
She laughs and jerks her head toward the back of the building. “Come on, I make a mean cappuccino and I’m pretty sure that’s your drink of choice, right?”
“Good guess.”
“It’s the shoes,” she says with a giggle.
I follow her, leaning against the counter where there are two machines, a grinder, and a row of syrups that would make any flavored-coffee lover squeal. As Hazel starts on the coffee, I continue trying to look at everything.
“So where are you from?”
“New York City.”
“You’re a long way from home.”
I smile and peruse the store. “I am.”
Over in the corner is a cute little alcove that seems sort of shielded from the store. It has a partition, but it blends so well it took me a minute to really see it.
She must notice where my gaze has landed, because she speaks. “That’s the writer’s nook.”
“It’s adorably hidden.”
Hazel smiles. “I always wanted to publish a book, but ... I can’t write for shit. I imagined a place that I’d want to try in. I hate being alone, so it has to be a public space, but libraries sometimes feel stuffy—at least, ours here is a joke. I tried to put everything a writer could want in there, privacy if they want it, people watching if they need it, and just a comfy place to create.”
“Do you take reservations?” I ask. It seems like the absolute perfect place for me to work.
“Are you a writer?”
“Journalist, not novels, although I’ve thought about it.”
Hazel hands me the cappuccino. “A journalist in Ember Falls? You must be here about our hero fire chief.”
“Yes and no. I am here for Lachlan, but it’s not about the fire. We just haven’t come to an agreement on how this is going to happen yet.”
“Do you know him?”
I smile. “I do. We’re old friends. We grew up together inVirginia Beach when our dads were in the navy.”
“Well, color me intrigued.”
I glance around the room, admiring everything about this place. “I’m more interested in your shop.”
“You’re welcome to look around.”
“Thank you.”
