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You’re not gonna spend the day alone, right True?

My mother’s concern was valid. My built-in best friend was no longer on this earth and she wasn’t near me to make sure I was good. Without a doubt, I knew she wouldn’t hesitate to hop in her car and drive across the state to get to me on Thanksgiving if I answered wrong, so I rushed to quiet her concern.

Me:

I’ll be fine. I have grandma and grandad. And Noah and Greyson

Mama:

Oh, that’s right. Your neighbors

I hadn’t told any of my parents about the turn that relationship had taken and my heart knocked in my chest at the thought of having to. Not because I thought they would care I was dating two people. But because it would put them on alert that this temporary hiatus in the mountains was possibly going to turn into more. And honestly, I didn’t have the words to reassure them that it wouldn’t. It was only a matter of time before one of my grandparents spilled the beans and I planned to enjoy whatever time I had left in the meantime.

Stuffing my phone in my coat pocket, I reached for the door of Read the Room and waited for my grandmother to walk in ahead of me.

The scent of pinecones and cinnamon permeated the book shop, mixed with the aroma of fresh baked goods from next door. I could never walk in this place without my mouth watering. And even though I was still full from the breakfast I had with my grandparents, there was no way in hell I was leaving here without something sweet.

For the next hour, I alternated between texting my parents and walking through the store, slowly collecting books before adding them to a pile at the checkout counter. Since my grandfather dropped us off at the physical therapist’s office, Noah had volunteered to pick us up. But I sent him a voice note,explaining that he didn’t have to give up his lunch break because my grandma and I would be at the bookstore for a while.

I didn’t know why he always communicated in voice notes, but I loved hearing his voice every time he texted me, so I followed his lead. Sometimes, when he was working he’d send me five-minute voice notes and it was the first thing I heard when I woke up. I fucking loved it.

A few seconds later, a new message from him arrived.

“Shit, I already told Greyson to go get you. He left a little while ago. He should be there now.”

My stomach plummeted at his words, but I cleared the prickly emotions from my throat and said, “Okay.”

Okay?

Why had I wasted a voice note on that? Goldyn saved me from obsessing over it too long when she let out a startled gasp. “I’ve never seen you buy this many books. What’s the occasion?”

With an unconvincing hike of my shoulders, I said, “Just felt like getting more fiction on my shelf.”

Theshelveswere hypothetical because these books were joining the neat stack at the foot of my bed. They wouldn’t see an actual bookshelf until I got back to my room in King’s Town.

I’d readSweet Heatin less than two hours the day after the Fall Festival, and I’d just picked up a copy of each of the polyamorous books she still had on display. One thing I could say about Goldyn? She had top tier taste in romance.

She scanned all my books, bagging them in four separate bags so the weight was distributed evenly. Then she smiled warmly and asked, “Will that be all?”

I looked over at my grandmother who was on the couch under the staircase reading a magazine. “Ring up whatever she’s reading too.” My eyes flitted around the checkout counter. “Oh, and this bookmark.”

“Okay and how will you be paying for this today?”

I reached in my purse, ready to pull out the titanium card I hadn’t used since Charlotte when a short stack of crisp bills landed on the counter. My brows creased at the same time Goldyn’s eyes swelled. Then I looked up at the man who smelled like leather and tasted like sin.

Greyson.

His right hand balanced a cup holder with four different coffees and a paper bag from next door. His dark eyes were cloudy with…fear? He looked at me before turning his attention on Goldyn and the money she was counting with a smirk.

“Is that enough?”

Goldyn pursed her lips. “Well, if you’re feeling generous?—”

“Goldyn!” I hissed lowly to which she simply grinned at the cash register, sliding the bills into the right slots.

“Fine. Here’s your receipt. Come back and see me soon.” She winked at me, handing Greyson his change, and suddenly I couldn’t help the smile on my lips.

Turning to Greyson, I licked my lips, telling him, “Just so you know, I was gonna use your credit card before you swooped in here.”