Page 27 of Can We Skip to the Good Part?

TWELVE

Cracker Tray Confidential

D oug’s Books was becoming the equivalent of a cozy coffee shop for Ella.

She’d set herself up at the shiny wooden table at the back of the store, sip the best brew in town, and watch all the locals stroll the haphazard aisles looking for the perfect book to take home.

She vacillated between reading whatever romance novel she was knee-deep in or designing a cover.

Three more commissions had arrived in her inbox after she’d posted the cover for No Pucks Given .

Two contemporary romances and one delicious romantasy, a genre she was quickly educating herself on.

“How are the Weepers?” Doug asked as he passed by with a stack of books to shelve. He wore a blue cardigan today that was a replica of the maroon one he’d worn the last time she saw him. He fit the part of bookishly cozy to a ridiculous tee and preferred to do it in various shades.

She glanced down at the book in her hands, realizing he recognized it as the selection of the week. “Scrappy. Ariana sent a message to the group that she had a bulleted list of grievances for this one. I happen to enjoy it and am prepared to defend its honor.”

“I thought the grump was a bit too grumpy. She should have let the happy sunshine give her the tour of the rooftop.”

She paused. “Wait. Doug. Are you saying you’ve read The Plot Twist ?” She held up the book and turned it to face him. She loved the pink cover with the script typography.

He shrugged. “I was here late one night, and it was the closest book within reach because Stevie always demands a register display and she’s bossy.”

“She is.”

“She’s a lesbian now, too. She told me.”

“She did?” Ella grinned and sat taller. “That’s a compliment that she felt comfortable enough to come out to you. Not everyone in her life is up to speed, you know.”

A tiny smile played on Doug’s lips. “I had no idea.” He wiggled out of the sentimentality. “It’s just that we’ve known each other for years. That’s probably the only reason.”

“Yeah. Nothing to do with her thinking you’re rad or anything. Blech. Friendship.”

“You’re teasing me. You’ve been teasing me ever since you got to town. And drinking my coffee like it’s milk.”

“All of those things are true. You’re stuck with me, Doug. Is there more coffee?”

He grumbled something and shuffled away, which was Doug’s code for I like you, too.

She placed her book face down on the table, her leisurely reading/research on pause, while she went back to a little cover design.

She was experimenting with a new color palette for this particular client who was seeking a fun and flirty look while also grounding it in the essence of autumn.

Chestnuts, coppers, crimsons, and ochres were all up for grabs, and playing with the color combinations was her favorite.

“Well, well. What’s going on back here? Are you holding office hours?”

Ella went still at the very familiar voice and peered up from behind her tablet.

There, next to the mystery section, stood Max in a black suit and white dress shirt holding an identical copy of the book Ella was reading.

Her dark hair was down and tumbled onto one shoulder, which made Ella forget what words were. Holy hell .

Max raised a brow. “You may not be happy to see me. I’m trying to decide. You haven’t spoken.”

“What?” Ella gave her head a shake. Was her face hot? “Sorry. Not on purpose. It’s, uh, the thing was … my tablet. Hi.”

“That’s a good starter. Hi, back.” She brightened to a smile. “I had no idea I would run into you here.” She turned to her right as if still trying to piece it together. It would be cute if she weren’t so fucking hot right now. “I was stopping by for this week’s book, but no one’s at the counter.”

Ella hooked a thumb. “Doug is that way, shelving books. I’m working.” She shrugged. “I like it here and am racking up the hours. He’s going to charge me rent soon.”

Max set her book on the table and came around behind Ella. “Show me what you’re working on.”

“No way. It’s pretty early in the process and?—”

“What’s this?” Max asked, picking up her Apple Pencil.

“That’s my pencil. I use it to illustrate.”

Her mouth fell open. “You do that on your screen? I’m learning so much, and I’m more than a little impressed. I just figured you’d sketch out your illustrations on a piece of paper.”

“Sometimes I do, and scan them in later. Other times they’re just jumping-off points.” Ella gestured to her screen. “But the illustrating apps I use on my tablet offer me a lot of versatility to make my sketches leap to more vibrancy. Does that make sense?”

Max shook her head, biting her lip. Ella wanted to bite it, too. “Not yet. You’ll have to let me watch you work some night.”

“Night?”

“That’s exactly what I said. Where’s Doug?”

“Who’s Doug?”

Max placed a hand on the back of her head and gave her hair an affectionate smooth.

There was a quiet domesticity to the gesture that made Ella curl her toes and imagine bacon and eggs on a Saturday morning, quiet walks around the neighborhood, and mad, passionate sex in multiple portions of the house.

“Did you hear me?” Max asked, folding her arms in amusement. “You’re a million miles away right now.”

“How do you feel about bacon?”

“The smell of it sizzling in the morning ranks really high.”

Ella smiled, satisfied. “Good answer.” She knew she was eons ahead of herself, and the concept of her and Max as endgame was a long shot at best. But it was fun to play make-believe and imagine a world where they stared at each other over long dinners, talking for hours, kissing for days, and losing themselves in the tangled sheets. She was doing it again.

“Oh, and now I’ve lost you a second time,” Max said and dropped her head to the side in a whimsical display.

Her eyes danced, and the sides of her mouth tugged.

Everything between them felt light and promising today, like a cool glass of ice water after a long run. “You’re adorable when you daydream.”

Ella perched her chin on her hand, reveling in the ease of their back-and-forth. “You seem to inspire it.”

“I do?” She watched understanding transform Max’s beautiful face, making her seem both surprised and satisfied. “Even better.”

God, she wanted to kiss her into their next chapter, lose herself in those lips, and taste the sweetness of her lip gloss again. She had no idea what was next in their story, but she knew this wasn’t the end. “You better go find Doug before this gets any worse.”

“But maybe I want it to get worse. Who knows what could happen?”

“Max.”

“Yes?”

“Exactly my sentiment,” she said, dropping her tone. “We’re in a bookstore.”

Max leveled a stare. “In my experience, we do well when books are involved. It’s how I met you.”

“Find Doug.”

“No need,” Doug called out. “I’m just over here working and listening to you two dance around each other.”

Max’s eyes went wide. “Point taken.”

“And don’t come to my office looking like that,” Ella said.

“Like what?”

“A lawyer.”

Max strolled back, hands in her suit pockets, which wasn’t helping. “Do you have a thing for corporate executives, ma’am?”

Ella sucked in air. “You could say it checks a lot of my boxes.”

Max arched a brow. “Good to know,” she said in a breezy voice.

Too much. Max, if Ella wasn’t careful, would be the death of her rational thought and productivity.

Ever since she’d given in to her desire, the world had become a much happier place.

Well, as long as she pushed thoughts of her best friend and her feelings aside.

That part was still a big problem. It was too early, she told herself, to bother Rachel with something that could turn out to be frivolous in the end.

She and Max had a lot of potential, but they didn’t know each other very well at this point.

Maybe their bond was purely physical, likely to fizzle and burn itself out.

Wouldn’t it be wiser to wait and see if there was anything worth making waves about first?

Yep, that’s what she was going to go with.

Tuesday night had seemed so far away. All week, Max had waited, knowing it was the next time she’d get to share space with Ella.

The news about her mother hung over her, heavy and thick, leaving everything coated in regret and sadness, except Ella.

She was the one bright spot in Max’s life.

When things felt alarming or overwhelming, it was thoughts of her that Max turned to for a short respite.

Seeing Ella in person, after several days away, was like taking a deep breath after being underwater for too long, necessary and urgent, the only thing keeping her from sinking.

“You’re a very forgiving person. I’ll say that for you,” Ariana said across the room to Ella, flipping through the book and turning it around with noticeable vehemence.

They were forty-five minutes in, and the polite agreement had moved to the back burner in favor of friendly spars.

It was, honestly, Max’s favorite part of book club.

The Weepers didn’t mess around when it came to expressing their varied viewpoints.

“But Chapter Fourteen was criminal. I wanted to call the author’s mother and personally tattle. ”

“I hear you,” Ella said, the picture of calm.

She was often that, a quality Max admired.

She had her hair in a ponytail tonight with just the right amount of hair escaping and framing her face.

Her lips carried a hint of pink lip gloss, and her lashes a slight touch of mascara.

Unintentionally gorgeous. “I’m thinking this is about the rooftop tour gone wrong.

It crushed me as well, but I love a good crushing.

It makes me long for that romantic little payoff all the more, and who doesn’t love it when their own emotions get entangled in the story? ”