Jon pulled up and parked in the front of the bookstore. He sat in his truck for a moment, looking into the store.
It pained him to think the store was in disarray. Shelves were pulled away from the walls and inventory was in boxes to be disposed of.
Jon was used to fixing things. But he’d never built anything and then watched it be destroyed.
There was a tightness in his chest and he realized that was wrong. He’d built a relationship with a woman, married her, built a family with her, and then watched as his world crumbled into a darkness he couldn’t rebuild.
Thanks to his parents, he’d at least come out of the isolation he’d put himself into. And now, he was enamored with a woman that made him feel fresh and new, just like her store would be.
He stepped out of his truck and walked to the front door, only to have it open before he reached it.
The fans from inside whirred, and it made his head pound.
Leona stepped outside and closed the door behind her. “It’s horribly noisy in there,” she said with a laugh and Jon thought that strange, especially since he’d left her in tears.
“It’ll be that way for the next week.”
“I’ll bring headphones,” she joked again.
“I’m so sorry this happened,” Jon said, and he felt it in his core. As if he could have prevented this if her father had only listened.
Leona shrugged. “What’s done is done. When she’s all put back together, she’s going to shine like a new penny.”
Jon studied her. No, this wasn’t the same woman he’d left there earlier, he thought.
“Where is everyone?”
Leona turned and looked at the store. “I sent them home. Really, what are we going to accomplish? When the dumpster gets here, we’ll start throwing out the ruined and planning for the new.”
That resonated with him.
She resonated with him.
Jon moved to her, and she didn’t shift or move away.
Placing his hand on her waist, he pulled her to him, and easily, as if they’d done it a thousand times, Leona lifted her arms around his neck.
This time, it wasn’t him who moved in, it was her.
She cupped her hands at the nape of his neck and drew him down to her. Her lips brushed over his, and when he parted them, she held on a little tighter and dove into the kiss she was offering.
Jon staggered them back to the closed door and pressed her against it. The afternoon sun beat down on his back, and he was fully aware of the traffic on the street around them, but he just didn’t care.
Leona’s tongue ran over his bottom lip and then moved against his.
Now both of his hands were on her waist, like an anchor, so he could push back at any moment. But he didn’t push back.
“Sorry,” she said now as she eased back from the kiss, but stayed close, her forehead pressed against his.
“For what?”
“Kissing you like that.”
“No need to be sorry,” he said, still a little out of breath. “I didn’t expect to come back, and have you be in this good of a mood.”
“I had some clarity about my life,” she admitted as she drew back and looked up at him.
“I can’t wait to hear about it.”
She eased from him and took his hand. Their fingers linked together as if they’d held hands like that their entire lives.
“Come in. I’ll tell you all about it.”
Leona kept her hand tucked into Jon’s and opened the door to the store. He followed her, and she proceeded to tell him about the epiphany she’d had about starting from scratch—something that was truly hers.
She was shouting over the fans. Her arms waved in dramatic fashion as she told him of color schemes, shelving, book sections, lighting, and whatever else crossed her mind.
When she was done, she turned to him, only to find him standing in the middle of the wet room grinning at her.
“What do you think?” she asked.
“I think you’re beautiful.”
She felt her mouth open and her eyes widen. She hadn’t expected that.
“Thank you.”
He took a step toward her, lifting her hand to his lips. “I think this all sounds wonderful,” he said, and then pulled her into his arms. One hand on her waist, the other still holding her hand, he swayed them in a dance to music no one could hear. “I want to be part of it.”
“You do?”
“I do,” he said, lowering his mouth to hers.
“What are we doing?” She stopped swaying, but he didn’t let go. “We met yesterday morning.”
“You know the story of Ellen and Charlie McGowan, right?”
“And you knew Charlie McGowan,” she reminded him, narrowing her eyes on him.
“I did. And he was one of the finest men I’d ever met.”
“So, you don’t think this is too fast, if you’re of his state of mind.”
Jon laughed. “Right,” he said, swaying against her again and she followed. “I want to be your partner in all of this.”
Leona stopped now and took that step back to separate them. “Why?”
“Because I want to do something with this building. Because I love hearing you talk about what can be in this space. Because I feel something for you that I thought was lost in me forever.”
Her lips began to tremble. “Jon…”
He moved to her, taking her hands into his. “I mean it. I didn’t think I could love again, but…”
“Don’t.”
“Leona…”
“Don’t say something like that.” She pressed her hand to her chest. “I’m beginning to think Charlie McGowan was crazy.”
She laughed after she said it, and so did he.
Jon moved to her again. “I won’t say it like that. But here,” he said, and he pulled a piece of paper from his pocket. “I want us to make this legally a fifty-fifty deal.”
“What are you talking about?”
Jon handed her the paper and Leona unfolded it. “This is a bill of sale.”
“I gave your dad a check today.”
She lifted her eyes to him. “This isn’t legally binding. He can’t sign legal papers while he’s in the facility.”
Jon nodded. “I thought about that too. He still has the check, but I figured you were his power of attorney?”
Leona worried her bottom lip. “No.”
Jon’s eyes widened. “Well then, I might have given my money to the wrong person.”
“I think we’ll be okay. I’ll talk to him, my father’s power of attorney.” She folded the paper. “You really did this?”
“I did.”
“Why?”
“For all those reasons I gave you. I want to be your partner.”
Leona studied him. His dark eyes did something to her, she couldn’t explain. This man, this gruff and cranky man who wore work boots and drove a pickup truck, twisted her insides enough she could believe Charlie McGowan’s thoughts on instant love.
“You don’t just mean in this building, do you?” her question was breathy.
Jon wrapped her in his arms again, pressing a kiss to her lips. “No. I don’t.”
“Wow,” she let the word out on a breath.
“Yeah, wow.”