Page 19 of Estranged Heart
“Yeah. You need your rest. Do you have to work at the restaurant tomorrow?” Grabbing a cup from the cabinet, I add a strainer and toss some tea leaves inside before pouring in hot water from the kettle. Coffee is my usual drink of choice, but lately I’ve been reaching for Stacey’s tea instead and suddenly I’m in the mood for chamomile. Not only do my dreams andthoughts not feel like mine, my taste buds and random cravings don’t either.
“Yeah.” She frowns. “I’ll be off this Sunday though and we can do something fun then.”
“Can we go to the lake?” I blurt out without meaning to.
“The lake?” She lifts a brow. “Feeling adventurous lately?”
“I haven’t been there in a long time and thought it would be nice to go. We can rent a canoe or boat. Maybe have a picnic there.” Removing the strainer, I set it in the sink and lift my cup to my mouth, blowing over the top.
She pushes off the counter, smiling. “Sure. That does sound nice. It’s a date.” She moves in closer to kiss me on the cheek. “You enjoy your day off without me and don’t go too far.”
“Goodnight.” I sip my steaming drink and she walks toward the short hallway leading to our bedroom, shouting behind her. “Night.”
Taking my drink to go, I leave the house and drive to the bookstore I can’t stop thinking about. Instead of parking across the street like the other times I’ve been here, I get out of the car and pause in front of the double doors. I won’t find the answers I want unless I go inside. Why is it so damn hard to open the doors? What do I think I’m going to walk into . . . an episode ofCriminal Minds?
Shaking off my crazy thoughts, I reach for the long wooden handles and enter the cute little store. My nose is met by a sweet scent mixed with the musty pages of old books. It’s a used bookstore from what I gather when I first walk in. Searching around, I notice bottles of wine lining a wall behind what looks like a bar. This is different. What is this place exactly? Cute, cozy, yellow and green chairs are scattered around small tables. Bookshelves line all the other walls, completely filled with oldand new releases. Maybe my first assumption was wrong but the old book smell is still lingering around me.
“Hello there. What brings you in today?”
Not looking at where the voice is coming from I continue checking out the books, plucking one from the shelf. “I was just sitting at home wondering where I can blow all my money on books while getting drunk at the same time so I don’t feel too guilty about it.”
A soft chuckle fills the room. “Well, you’ve come to the right place.” That voice. It’s deep, smooth, and . . . I turn around and the book slips from my hand. It’s him. Elijah. His eyes widen and recognition sets into those big brown irises. “Hey. I didn’t expect the clumsy guy with cheesy jokes to be you.” He smiles big, his lips slightly crooked and giving off a goofy, adorable look about him. My heart speeds up and I’m hot all over, tugging at the front of my shirt.
“That’s only because you don’t know me well enough yet.”
“Flower shop guy, right?”
Sputtering a laugh, I nod. “Yeah, and you’re Mr. Pena.”
“Please, call me Elijah.” Bending down, he retrieves the book from the floor and hands it to me. “Where the Red Fern Grows. I haven’t read that one since I was in high school. Definitely a good choice, but also a sad one.”
“I don’t own a physical copy, but I feel like I should since it’s one of the first books that got me into reading. Also, I need a little sad to go with my happy, and I plan to go the rom-com route next.”
“A little sad to go with your happy, huh?”
“Yeah. Nothing makes a funny and lighthearted book more enjoyable than when you need it most, and I’ll definitely need it after reading this.” Lifting the book, I shake it a little, the paper cover making a flapping sound.
Enlightened, his brown eyes sparkle, the sun bringing out a bit of gold in them. They’re hard to turn away from. Everything about him is. “That actually makes a lot of sense.” He finally speaks again. “Never saw it that way before . . . I like it.”
“Yeah, see?” Lowering my hand, I clutch the book to my side, unsure what to do with my other hand so I shove it in my pocket. “I’m not only clumsy with bad jokes, I also bring logic to the table.”
A smile cracks across his face again and I’m enjoying this side of him more than how he was when we first met. His eyes are lighting up and so is the rest of him. It’s breathtaking.
Did I really just think that?
He keeps looking at me as if he found his happy after his sad, and I can’t stop wanting to run my fingers over his lips so I can not only see his joy, but feel it too. Before I know it, we’re so close the tips of our shoes are almost touching. It’s not the first time he’s felt too far away and my body’s reached out to fill the gap. If I don’t leave soon, it’ll keep happening, and what if we get so close there’s no returning to where I started?
Taking a step back, he clears his throat, looking around the almost empty store. “Shall I show you the happily ever after books?”
“Sure. Then while I browse, you can bring me a glass of wine so I can get the full experience.”
“Red or white?” He places his hands in front of him the way a server would at a restaurant.
I tap my lips, putting on my best thinking face. “White. I’m not picky.”
“White it is, and over there near the large window you’ll find all the romance in alphabetical order.”
“Are these new books or used?”
