Page 52 of Fighting Words

“Take it easy then, don’t let that happen.”

His words echo in my mind as I drive down to visit Martin. I end up spending half an hour chatting with him. I buy bags of groceries—anything that looks good—and nearly his entire stock of Cadbury chocolate bars. Summer and I need them for plotting. Wine too.

“How’s the girl? Summer?”

“She’s fine.”

“Beautiful, no?”

“She works with me,” I point out, like that’s answer enough to his question.

He chuckles. “Like Freya’s stepmom worked with me…” His brows rise as he shakes his head. “I know how that goes.”

If I think I’m going to find solace elsewhere, it’s not happening, but I can’t help trying one more place.

I stop into Main Street Books on my way back out of town. With how cold it is, my groceries will be fine in the car for a while. Alice is inside with her reading glasses perched on her nose as she flips through a stack of receipts behind the counter.

The door chimes as I enter, and she looks up with a big smile. “Nathaniel!”

“Hey, didn’t think you’d still be in today.”

She pushes her glasses up onto her hair. “I needed to do some bookkeeping. I’m behind, which is embarrassing because it’s not like I’m dealing with customers all day long. Time just gets away from me. There’s always something else to be doing—shipping orders, cataloguing inventory. Anyway, what brings you in? Need something good to read?”

I can’t tell her I’m here because I’m avoiding going home, so I nod and tell her I’m looking for a good book. Alice is great at giving recommendations. Even if her grandmother hadn’t pushed her into owning a book shop, she would have found her way to the profession eventually. It’s what she’s meant to be doing.

I have a stack of books on my bedside table that will be pissed at me when I add yet another to their pile, but Alice talks me into a murder mystery, and well, you can never have too many good books in your to-be-read pile, right?

“What are you doing for dinner? Want to round up the gang and come by the cottage?”

The invitation is out before I’ve even decided it’s a good idea. I want a buffer between Summer and me. With the way things were going last night and this morning, I know what will happen if she and I are left alone for too much longer.

“I could,” she says, mulling the idea over in her mind. “I’d planned to make a lasagna, but I could easily bake it at your place. Freya and Mike were going to come over for dinner.”

“I’ll let them know to stop by too. Oliver, whoever. Pass word around.”

“Fun! It’s been ages since we’ve had a proper dinner party. Freya was planning to bring a dessert to my place, so that’s already covered. I’ll have Oliver bring a few extra bottles of wine.”

The plan is set in motion so easily I don’t have time to backtrack and rethink my decision.

When I get home, I find the cottage cleaner than it’s been in months. A candle I didn’t even know I owned is burning on the kitchen table, and Summer is cuddled up with Cat near the fire, reading a book. Her chin is resting in her hand, and she looks so thoughtful and serene.

The sight stops me in my tracks. I didn’t know how lonely I felt before, coming home to an empty cottage instead of this.

She looks up, notices the grocery bags in my hands, and then a playful smile stretches across her lips. “Please tell me you got more chocolate.”

I walk in and drop the bags on the kitchen table. “You’re a fiend. Martin said I had to cut you off.”

Her jaw drops. “He did not! It wasyouwho ate through that whole bar yesterday when we were plotting! I only had two bites!”

“Come help me unload this stuff.”

“Please.”

“Please, get over here.”

She rolls her eyes and lays her book face down on the edge of the couch so she won’t lose her place. With gentle care, she lifts Cat and sets him back down in her warm spot, wrapping the blanket over him like he’s a newborn baby.

“You know he’s feral,” I say drolly.