Main Street Books was bustling when Jane started her shift on Wednesday. The espresso machine hissed, and the entire store smelled of fresh coffee and sweet baked goods. Grace was behind the counter, her chestnut hair pulled back in a ponytail, her cheeks flushed.
“Busy in here,” Jane commented, as she tied on an apron. She waved at Rosemary, who sat with her book club at one of the larger tables. This week’s selection appeared to be The Shining. An appropriate choice for this time of year and a friendly reminder that it was better to be alone than married to the wrong man.
“Rosemary has the club meeting twice a week now,” Grace whispered under her breath. “Not that I’m complaining. Let me just finish this order and then I’ll duck out. Unless you wanted to cover story time today.” Grace blinked rapidly and blew a wisp of hair off her forehead.
Jane gave her a reassuring smile. “You seem like you could use a break. Don’t worry, I have it covered.”
Grace plated a scone and handed it to the waiting customer. “Thanks,” she said, untying her apron. “I have to go over our inventory today, and make sure those new releases are on their way. The café should slow down after the book club leaves.”
Jane glanced over at the women again, recalling how they had strategized to set both her and Anna up on dates last spring. Things had turned out just fine for one of the Madison sisters. She hoped that would be enough to keep Rosemary and her clan satisfied.
Grace disappeared behind a stack of shelves, but her head poked out a mere second later. “Oh, and I forgot to tell you that Henry stopped in here a little while ago, something about featuring the store in his article. When he saw how busy we were, he said he’d be back. I told him you’d be more than happy to help him out.”
Jane felt her heart drop into her stomach. “Oh—”
“Thanks, Jane! You’re the best!” Grace smiled and retreated again, and this time, Jane knew she was on her own.
Well, fabulous. She’d vowed to stay clear of Henry since the ballroom class, and now her traitorous heart began to pound at just the thought of seeing him again. She smiled shakily at the next customer and took their order, but her gaze darted to the main door every time it jangled.
“Jane? Yoo-hoo! Jane!” Rosemary wiggled her fingers across the room. “Come sit with us for a bit.” Her lips curved into a knowing smile.
Jane shook her head and closed the cash register drawer. “I’m sorry, but I’m too busy at the moment to get away.”
“Nonsense. If someone comes in, we’ll understand. And this will only take a minute, I promise.” Rosemary stared at her, as if challenging her to refuse.
Jane glanced at the door one more time. Maybe a distraction would help.
“I was just telling the gals about the Nutcracker auditions,” Rosemary said as Jane pulled over a chair.
Oh, good. Ballet talk. She could handle this. What she couldn’t tolerate was a heart-to-heart about her nonexistent love life, or a rundown of all the eligible men she should be going out to dinners with. Relaxing against her seat back, she looked around at the other women, but she felt her grin fade as she noticed the eager glint in their eyes. Oh, sugar.
“Henry was a real help with our sign-up sheet, wasn’t he?” Rosemary pinched her lips and gave her a long, pointed stare.
Jane resisted the urge to roll her eyes. “He was,” she said diplomatically. Why, she didn’t know, but he had shown a legitimate effort in helping their cause. She could only hope he hadn’t suspected how bad off they were, but seeing as no one else outside the studio had picked up on anything being amiss, she had to assume he’d gleaned nothing he could report back to Adam.
“Such a thoughtful young man,” Rosemary continued. “Handsome, too.”
Jane sighed heavily. “I thought I explained…”
“Pshaw.” Rosemary waved off her concerns and reached for her tea. “I was just going over your dilemma with the gals, and we reached a conclusion.”
Jane hesitated, realizing they were waiting for a response. “Which is?”
“All is fair in love.” Rosemary beamed.
“And war,” Jane reminded her. And that’s what this was, wasn’t it? She and Adam were at war, and Henry, at the end of the day, was not her ally.
“Oh, why turn this negative?”
“Because in my experience, the two are jointly linked,” Jane replied, and instantly regretted saying a thing when she saw the women’s eyes widen in alarm. One tsked under her breath; two exchanged lingering sidelong glances. The others looked at her with naked pity, shaking their heads.
Rosemary just warned, “Don’t become cynical, Jane. You’ll never find a man with that attitude.”
Jane tossed her hands in the air and laughed, “Who said I’m looking for a man? I’m not. I told you I’m not. And even if I was, it most certainly wouldn’t be Henry Birch!”
“Oh no?” a deep voice purred behind her.
Jane felt the blood drain from her face as her heart began to pound. She turned with growing dread to see Henry standing behind her, his brow arched in question, his blue eyes gleaming with mischief.
Her cheeks grew hot, and she knew the creamy white turtleneck sweater she was wearing didn’t help matters. Oh my God, another turtleneck! When would she learn to stop dressing for comfort? “The ladies here were trying to play matchmaker,” she explained hastily, pushing back her chair.
“And clearly you didn’t agree with their opinion.” His dimple quirked, and Jane felt her pulse skip. Why’d he have to be so damn cute? With his brown tousled hair and a day’s worth of stubble gracing his jaw, he looked like he’d just rolled out of bed, and now all she could do was think of him in it. And her with him. And the things he would do to her.
Stop it, Jane!
“Well, you and I are all wrong for each other, obviously.” She bristled at the way his chin tipped on her words.
“Obviously,” he said sagely.
She frowned. “I mean, you’re only in town for a few weeks. And we’re—” She was going to say friends, but now she wasn’t so sure.
With her head held high, she walked on shaking legs to the counter and stared blankly at the espresso machine, waiting for the heat to leave her face. Leave it to Rosemary to get her all fired up. She stole a glance in the direction of the book club’s table. All the women were laughing at something Henry was saying, all beaming up at him, hanging on his every word, as if he was adorable or something.
So maybe he was pretty damn handsome. And maybe he knew how to make a woman feel good. Clearly, she wasn’t the only one who thought so, given the dreamy quality of Rosemary’s gaze.
She ground some fresh coffee beans, whirring out the sound of his smooth voice, wishing he would just go.
“Hey there.”
Jane cursed to herself as her rattled hands nearly dropped the coffeepot she had just reached for. From the corner of her eye, she caught a hint of that grin as she set the pot upright and started the machine.
“What can I get for you?” She smiled pleasantly as she rounded to face him, keeping her tone brisk and professional.
“I was actually here to see you.”
“Grace told me you would be the best one to talk to about Main Street Books. For the article.”
Seeing that the bookstore was Grace’s pride and joy, her sister really would have been the better person to interview. Jane bit on her thumb, wondering what Grace was up to, and then dismissed her suspicion. Her sister was busy today, Main Street Books had been their father’s store, and Jane worked here with her sisters. She was certainly capable of answering a few questions for his article. Surely she wasn’t that far gone.
She wished he would stop looking at her like that. It would have been so much easier if he’d just called on the phone.
Jane set a finger to her forehead and gave a small smile, hoping he hadn’t detected any misplaced excitement in her earlier reaction. “Of course. She mentioned it. I’ve just been distracted—”
“By a group of middle-aged women trying to sell me to you?” His eyes flashed. “Don’t worry, Jane. You were right. I am the last person on earth you should be getting involved with.”
She blinked in surprise. Well, when he said it like that… Jane’s shoulders slumped slightly. “Right. Of course. I mean… obviously.”
“Obviously.” Amusement had long since left Henry’s eyes, and his jaw tensed now. “So what do you say? Do you have time to go over this with me?”
Jane stared at Henry, a part of her wanting to know exactly what he meant when he agreed that they didn’t belong together, but she pushed the urge away immediately. What mattered was that he was right, that he was not the man for her, even if she did start to wonder what it might feel like to kiss those lips, run her hands through those wavy locks, press her chest against his the way she had the other night at the studio… She sucked in a breath, steadying herself, and glanced to the door, where a couple had just entered, heading for the bakery counter. The café’s tables were mostly filled and a few patrons were sipping coffees in the English armchairs near the bookshelves. She couldn’t fight the pride she felt for everything their family had accomplished.
“It’s busy right now,” she said, as the door opened yet again.
Henry shrugged. “I can wait.”
Of course he could. No matter how much she tried, there was no getting rid of him.
She snorted to herself. Fancy that for a change. The last man in her life ran through the door the second she cut him loose.
“How’s the house coming along?” she inquired as she poured him a mug of fresh coffee.
He accepted it and motioned to a pumpkin scone. “Those look delicious.”
Anna would be pleased to hear that, Jane noted as she plated one for him. “Do you think you’ll be ready to list it soon?” Are you leaving town soon? She wasn’t sure why she still cared.
“It’s hard to say. The place needs more work than I thought. We want to make sure we get as much out of it as we can.” He handed over a ten-dollar bill and she reached for it, her fingers so close to his, they nearly touched. She hesitated, admiring the long, tanned fingers, and then all but yanked the money from his hands. That was about enough of that!
She rang up his order and slid his change along the counter, hoping to avoid another chance at physical contact, even though a part of her wanted nothing more than to feel the soft heat of his skin on hers. “Well, I hope it all works out for you. And Ivy,” she added, recalling that Ivy was depending on the proceeds from the sale of the house to grow her business.
Henry’s smile was warm. “Thanks. I hope everything works out for both of us, Jane.” His voice was low and insistent, and entirely too intimate. She pulled back from the counter. “I mean that, Jane.”
“Do you?” She couldn’t hide the hurt that crept into her tone. “Or are you just saying that because you feel sorry for me?”
Henry frowned. “I feel sorry for what you’re going through. I also know you’ve grown into a strong woman who will find a way to get through this. Look how many hurdles you’ve already crossed.”
When he put it like that… She shook off the kindness in his words. He didn’t want to get involved, and she shouldn’t be dragging him into this. “I’m working. I can’t get into this now.”
“I’m not finished with this conversation, Jane,” Henry said firmly.
She met his eye. “Well, I am.” The couple had reached the counter and she gave them her full attention. “We have some lovely chocolate croissants this morning.”
“Jane.”
She slid her gaze to Henry’s and waited.
“Come sit with me in a minute. Please.”
She glanced at the couple and let out a breath. “Fine.”
She watched as he retreated and settled at the last free table near the window. She took her time filling the next few orders and watched the door, willing someone to enter. It would seem the rush was now over. How convenient.
Henry’s hooded gaze pulled her attention back to his table. She sighed and decided to face the inevitable. Rosemary’s group stopped talking and watched as she swept by them.
“Let’s just forget I said anything,” she said, dropping into the chair opposite him, happy her back was to the book club. “I don’t have very much time, and I promised Grace I would help you with the article.”
“That’s all you have to say?” he asked, his expression incredulous.
“Well, thank you,” she managed. “For featuring the bookstore. It will certainly help business, and I appreciate that.”
“I’m not doing this to help you,” he replied. He ran a hand over his face. “That came out wrong. I care about you, Jane. And your welfare. ”
“My welfare?” she repeated, crossing her arms across her chest. Figures. “Pity, then.”
His brow knitted. “Jane, you’re one of the most capable women I know. You wrestle two jobs, you take care of a child, and you’ve created a beautiful home, all on your own. And you still make time for your sisters and mother. That’s more than most people could say. More than I could say.” Something in his eyes fell flat.
Jane studied his face, wondering what had gone wrong in his marriage. It was something they had in common, after all: divorce. Henry didn’t seem to want to talk about it, though, and she of all people could respect that.
“You know, I had a bit of a crush on you when we were younger,” Henry confessed, his mouth curving into a bashful smile.
Jane felt herself blush, and she laughed to cover her embarrassment. His grin slipped a bit, but his eyes were honest, and all at once her heart started doing jumping jacks. Henry, this man who had started consuming all of her waking fantasies, had at one point in time been attracted to her. Was it possible he still was? “I don’t believe you.” And she wouldn’t. Henry was lean and muscled and smooth and sincere. He was sweet and kind, and he… Oh, God.
“I never said anything.” He stirred his coffee and set down his spoon. “What point was there? You were crazy about Adam.”
She pursed her lips at that. “I was.” Why, she couldn’t even remember anymore. She supposed it was better that way.
The door jangled and Jane looked up to see a group of women weaving through the book display tables. “I should go attend to them.” She stood, remembering. “The article. I’m tied up with class and the Nutcracker auditions later today.”
“I’ve got some contractors coming out to the house tomorrow and Friday. How about this weekend?”
The suggestion of a weekend meeting felt somehow personal. “I promised Sophie I’d take her to Old Country Orchard Saturday to pick apples. It’s sort of a family tradition.” She frowned on her words. Family still felt awkward; like it was meant for more than a pair. “Well, a tradition for us.”
“Old Country Orchard? Don’t they supply cider to the state?” When Jane nodded, he continued, “Might be good for my article. Mind if I join you?”
Jane fumbled for an excuse and came up blank. “Oh, um.”
Henry held up a hand. “It’s a family tradition. Sorry. It just sounded fun.”
Jane thought of the laughter and warmth she felt the night of the Harvest Fest, when the three of them had gathered around the kitchen table, eating pizza and commenting on the events of the day, focusing only on the positive ones. Sophie had lit up at his presence, or maybe by the way Jane’s energy responded to him and his easy smile, his gentle eyes, and that killer smile that made her insides tingle and her mind wander into places it hadn’t been in too long.
“Want to meet at the house and drive out together? Say, noon?”
Henry’s grin widened. “Noon’s perfect.”
Jane inhaled a shaky breath as she backed away from the table. If she didn’t know better, she’d think she almost just planned a date!