Page 93 of Playing it Country

TWO MONTHS LATER

HANNAH

My cheeks hurt from smiling as our family and friends mill around Wandering Pages—my brand-new bookstore in the heart of Clementine Creek. The name had been an easy one. Being with Case hadn’t tamed my wild spirit; it simply grounded me in a way I didn’t know I needed. With him, I wasn’t restless. I’d fallen unapologetically in love with the man, and it was the best decision I’d ever made.

I received an email from Cal this morning saying he was proud of me and wished he could be here. Being with the Thayers and in this incredible little town has made me acutely aware just how much I miss my brother. These last few months really brought home how many accomplishments and events and holidays wehaven’tspent together.

Growing up, we’d thrived on fresh air and rest stop snacks as we traveled from one landmark to another. It was a season of my life that I tried to preserve, but just like spring turns into summer, growth is essential for the soul.

“Never til Now” by Ashley Cooke and Brett Young plays softly on the playlist Case made for tonight’s soft opening, and I can’t help but take it all in.

The bookshelves that Waylon made and stained fit perfectly in the space and are filled with hundreds of books of all genres. Indie and traditionally published books sit side by side, but my favorite corner is the local features wall housing books by authors right here in Tennessee, jewelry and paintings from artists in the surrounding towns, and even handmade soaps and lotions that I love so much I use them at home.

Photographs I’ve taken over the years and here in Clementine Creek are framed on the walls—some for sale and others because they make me genuinely happy. It’s a feeling I’ve embraced over and over since deciding to stay.

Marlee and Isla have handled the marketing, and I already have a full calendar of events and promotions scheduled for the next six months. Those girls have no idea how to do anything small but honestly, I love it.

Hank and Rhea tag teamed the food for tonight, and I smile as she pops her head in from the other side of the newly installed sliding barn door. We’d hemmed and hawed about it, but I was already in love with the idea of joining our two businesses.

Customers would be able to move freely between the bakery and bookstore, and I couldn’t think of anything better. I was proven wrong when a small hand wrapped around mine.

“Aunt Hannah?” Looking down, I smile at Briggs’s sweet face and toothy smile. The kid had lost a couple of teeth recently, and he remains one of my favorite people in the room.

“Hey buddy, are you having fun?” He nods and pulls my hand toward the kid section he helped me design and stock.

His little fingers wiggle the book until he can free it from the shelf and then he turns to me with a proud smile and a puffed-up chest.

“I asked Mom and she said I can buy it.” My gaze finds Fallon’s and she bites her lip and nods. Her eyes are glassy, and I have no doubt it’s due to the pregnancy hormones coursing through her body.

“All right, let’s go buy a book.”

Taking his hand, I lead him back to the counter and ring up the book. I tell him the total and he pulls dollar bills and change from his pocket and counts it out in front of me.

My heart swells, and I can’t look at Fallon because I know she’s crying and if we make eye contact I’m going to start too. A ball of warmth hits me square in the chest because I’m exactly where I’m supposed to be. This is my path, and all of my wandering has led me to this little slice of heaven.

“Did you know,” I say, swallowing the lump in my throat as I put the money in the register and complete the transaction, “you’re my very first customer?”

“I know,” he says with all the smugness of a little boy who knows exactly how cute he is. “Can I have my receipt?”

I laugh and hand the little slip of paper to him and watch him run back to his mom, who hugs him tight as she tries to gain her composure.

“He earned that money, you know,” Case says as he wraps his arms around my waist and pulls me back against his chest.

“He did?”

“He’s been pullin’ weeds for Isla, sweeping part of the garage for Hank, and he’s been helping me tidy up the greenhouse. I think even Sorren has him working over at the new place.”

I can’t stop the tear that rolls down my cheek because—this.This is what you miss when you’re jumping from place to place and never settle down. Sure, you meet incredible people, but there’s no substitute for the connections I’ve made here.

“Thank you,” Fallon mouths above Briggs’s head just as Tanner comes in the front door.

“Hey, sorry I’m late.” He pulls me in for a quick hug and then shifts from foot to foot as he hands me a box the size of an ice cream container. “I didn’t know what to get you.” He throws an annoyed look at Case. “Not like I can give you flowers.”

“You didn’t have to get me anything,” I say and he scoffs.

“You’re basically my sister-in-law.” He shrugs sheepishly. “You’re family.”

Blinking back tears because, dammit, I can’t cry all night even though my heart is so full, I open the box and stare inside at the most beautiful wooden bookmarks with Wandering Pages printed across them and then as a cursive overlay on top.

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