Page 3 of The Library of Second Chances
Lucy hummed along with a song playing over the ancient sound system as she reshelved the books she’d pulled out for story hour. She loved the way the children’s eyes lit up in wonder as she read about magic flying carpets and the way they smiled so sweetly when the princess found her Prince Charming. She wasn’t silly enough to believe life was a fairy tale; she’d learned that lesson when she wasn’t much older than the kids who’d stared back at her cross-legged that morning. But she did know that a good book could transport its reader to a different place and time, allowing them to escape to a place where their parents never fought, mothers never voluntarily left their children, and good always prevailed over evil.
She gathered a couple novels that had been left by the big blue armchairs up front and moved the rolling ladder back into its position along the bookshelves. She didn’t let customers climb the ladder because her insurance agent had warned her it was a potential fall hazard, but she loved to get up on it herself when the store was empty. It was one of her favorite things about the bookstore when she was a kid. When no one was around, Annie, the former owner, would let her get on it and push her down the wall just like Belle fromBeauty and the Beast.
Lucy sighed. She missed Annie. Something in the bookstore reminded her of Annie every day, which was both comforting and heartbreaking. From the smell of the coconut-vanilla candle she lit at the register just like Annie had, to the whimsicalplaylist that reminded her of a fairy tale, she’d chosen to keep most things exactly as Annie had left them.
Annie and the bookstore had been like a port in the storm of Lucy’s parents’ failing marriage when she was younger. Annie had never married or had children, and now that Lucy was older, she realized Annie had needed Lucy as much as Lucy had needed her.
The bookstore was Annie’s final gift to Lucy, bringing her back home to the island when she’d needed it most. Her publishing dreams had gone up in smoke, but she always knew her life was destined to be about books. She’d just imagined it was going to be as a librarian who wrote books on the side, not as a bookstore owner. But life—and Annie—had other plans. Lucy had made it home after Annie’s death in time to have several good years with her dad before he passed away, and being part of the community fabric as a business owner had given her a renewed sense of pride in her hometown.
Lucy grabbed two books she’d left by the cash register, turned off the lights, and flipped the antique wooden sign on the door to “Closed” before locking it behind her. She had forty-five minutes before the council meeting began just a couple blocks away, and she wanted to stop by the Little Free Library in the town square to leave her latest recommendation for someone else to enjoy. She’d also thought of a book she wanted to leave for Gatsby’s Ghost.
As Lucy started walking toward the square, a man stopped to read the historical marker on the building that held her shop. Tourists usually breezed past things like that, pausing only to look at the latest resort wear in the shop windows or to watch as the fudge store spread its hot, sugary mixture onto the marble slab table to cool. Lucy had always been proud of Heron Isle’s history and loved hearing stories of its founders who had planned Main Street and what each building had originally held.
“See that bay window up there?” Lucy said, pointing to the end of the adjacent building as she stepped up beside the man.
When he turned and smiled at her, the first thing she noticed were his green eyes. They were the same shade of bright green as the grass across the street in the park. Then, just as quickly as he’d turned to her, he was looking up at the window where she was pointing.
“Yeah.” He looked back at her, an interested smile on his face as he waited for an explanation.
Staring into his eyes again, she had to catch her breath before she spoke. Was he wearing contacts? She’d never seen eyes that green. They were set against tan skin, his jawline and dark-brown hair forming perfect angles as if he’d been chiseled out of something very intentionally. He was one of the most handsome men she’d ever seen in real life. Definitely not a local. His wasn’t a face she’d forget.
Feeling as if she were falling under a spell while his emerald eyes studied hers with amusement, Lucy forced herself to look back up at the bay window.
“It used to be a dentist office in the 1870s. Back before lighting was what it is today, the dentist that worked out of that office found a clever way to get more light for his procedures by installing the bay window and using a series of mirrors hung around the room to reflect the light into the patient’s mouth so he could see what he was doing. Pretty genius, huh?” She smiled at the man, glad she’d been able to pass along a little bit of the town’s history to a visitor.
“Wow. Now that’s something else.”
When he smiled this time, she looked away from his eyes long enough to notice the dimple in his right cheek. There wasn’t a matching one on the left, and although she was usually a stickler for symmetry, it worked to make him even moreattractive. As if he were more approachable because he wasn’t perfect.
“You must live here,” he said.
“I do.” She nodded proudly. “My entire life. Well, most of it anyway.”
“Charming town,” he said, looking across the street at the town square. “I can see why it was voted ‘Happiest Seaside Town’ inVacations Todaylast month.”
“Yes, it tends to have that effect on people. It’s a great place to slow down and unwind. How long are you here?”
He seemed to take a moment to decide how much he wanted to share. “My return date is open-ended at the moment.”
She wanted to know more but didn’t want to pry. “Well, as we say here, ‘Put a chair in the sand and stay awhile.’”
“I might just do that.” His smile was a little lopsided, but it was enough to make his dimple pop like an exclamation point that said,Look how handsome I am!He’d taken a step away from the building into the sun and he looked like a Greek god with his lean, muscular build, and those otherworldly green eyes.
Was he flirting with her? The way he was staring at Lucy made her heart pound, and she fiddled with the tassel hanging from the zipper of her purse, willing herself to look away. Her mind was a jumble of thoughts, none of which were appropriate to say out loud. She wasn’t normally at a loss for words, especially when it came to her beloved island, but she’d also never met a man who was so undeniably gorgeous. Finally, she decided it was best to extricate herself from the situation before she said something stupid.
“Well, I hope you enjoy learning more about our little town.” She backed away to give him his privacy, but just as she did, something collided into her, pushing her forward into the green-eyed man. Her first thought wasn’t what had shoved her frombehind, but of her face pressed against the man’s rock-hard chest. If he hadn’t grabbed her shoulders and pulled her away to ask if she was okay, she might have just stayed put, breathing in his dreamy aroma.
Lucy was still catching her breath, so she simply nodded her answer.
“I think the lady deserves an apology,” the man said, making her aware of the person who’d run into her. He hadn’t said it gruffly or in an intimidating way. His tone was gentle with none of the false machismo so many men injected to make themselves seem more manly.
“Sorry, ma’am,” a sheepish voice behind her said as she turned.
It was a young tourist, probably no older than twelve or thirteen, who avoided her eyes as he bent down to pick up his skateboard.
She assured him she was fine.
“Maybe don’t ride that on the sidewalk anymore,” the man said. Again, his voice was calm and easy. The way he handled the boy made her wonder if he had kids of his own.
