Page 12 of Falling Too Soon (Seasons of Love #1)

NATHAN

W alking into The Cozy Quill— cute name, by the way —my focus was on Daphne as she took in our surroundings.

The bookshop was exactly as one might expect to find in a quaint small town.

It was clean and tidy, but looked as if it hadn’t been updated in a long time.

The book stacks were in tight, neatly organized rows.

There was mismatched furniture items set up near the front where one could sit and read.

The shop smelled of books and something earthy with a hint of citrus.

It was amazing. I loved old bookshops and, by the look on Daphne’s face, so did she.

Behind the counter was a small woman with graying hair, wearing what looked to be a homemade cardigan. She looked up through her wire-rimmed glasses and smiled as we entered. “Can I help you find anything, dears?”

“Thanks, but I think we’re just browsing,” I said in reply .

“No worries. I’m Myrtle. Just holler if you need anything,” she offered casually and then returned her attention to the book on the counter in front of her.

Daphne turned to me with a smile on her face that made me feel things I had no business feeling.

She was sunshine. She was breathtaking. She was so much more than I had expected.

“This place is amazing,” she whispered as we made our way through the stacks.

I watched her run her fingers over the shelves, taking everything in.

“Do you think they stock your books here? We should see if you can sign some and surprise your readers!” That wasn’t something I had done before, and it wasn’t something I’d ordinarily do, but she seemed so excited at the prospect, how could I refuse?

We made our way to the romance section and saw that there were a few of my books on the shelf.

After checking to make sure it was okay with Myrtle, I rejoined Daphne in the romance section.

I found her sitting on the floor with her legs crisscrossed and my latest novel open in her lap.

She was bent over toward the book, but I could see her blushing cheeks.

I cleared my throat as I approached, and she quickly shut the book. Adorable.

I spent the next few minutes signing books and handing them back to Daphne to re-shelf for me.

We were so close, almost touching, and when our hands grazed one another, a chill ran through my body.

I was immediately brought back to last night and how good it felt when she fell apart in my arms. “This is so cool,” Daphne said excitedly as we worked to straighten out the shelves we had disturbed.

“I can’t believe you’re a famous author. ”

I chuckled. I guess I was, but only in certain circles.

For example, Daphne had heard of me but didn’t recognize me.

That was usually the case unless I was at some sort of signing event.

The only other time I had been recognized in public was when I was at a bookstore, so I usually avoided the romance sections to be safe.

It’s not that I didn’t love my fans, because I did, but the attention made me uncomfortable for some reason.

I’d always been a pretty private person, and I was still getting used to being in the spotlight.

I reached my hand out for Daphne to help her up from the floor, and she accepted it. We browsed around for a few more minutes before I noticed she was still carrying my most recent novel. “What are you doing with that?” I raised an eyebrow and gestured to the book.

“Buying it.” She beamed. “I’m excited to read something you’ve written.

And besides, I could use a new book, anyway.

” We headed to the front to pay for the book, where we were greeted by Myrtle and her fluffy cat, who stood at attention on the counter, demanding to be pet.

Daphne was fussing over the fluffy beast while I coaxed the book from her hand and paid for it.

“What are you doing?” she asked as she pulled herself away from her new feline friend.

“My treat,” I said and handed my credit card over to Myrtle.

“You didn’t have to do that, but thank you.” Daphne squeezed my forearm and then stepped back to snuggle the cat some more.

Myrtle rang me up and thanked us for coming in and signing the books. “The local ladies will be thrilled. Wait until I tell the book club!” She beamed, “You’re welcome back any time, and if you happen back into town, please let me know. I’d love to set something up for you here in the shop.”

“You’re too kind, and I’d love to. If I end up back here again, I’ll be sure to stop in.” We waved our goodbyes and headed out of the shop. “Thanks for letting me tag along with you today. I know you didn’t plan for the company. I hope it wasn’t too much of an inconvenience.”

“You know, today was a lot of fun. I’m glad that I had you for company.

” She leaned into me for a side hug, and I took that opportunity to put my lips to the top of her head and breathe her in.

Was that vanilla? She smelled so good, and I again found myself daydreaming about last night.

There was no way I was going to be able to keep this girl in the friend zone.

“Do we need anything from the store before we head back to the cabin?” She looked up at me through her lashes, still tucked into my side.

“Yeah, let’s go get some supplies.” I smiled down at her as she stepped away from me, and I immediately felt the loss of her body next to mine. We walked a few more doors down and into a small grocery store to grab some essentials and replace Daphne’s broken wine bottle with several others.

“Let’s try not to break these when we get home, okay?” I joked as we walked back to the car.

“Listen, you keep your clothes on and maybe we won’t have a problem. Your naked chest was very shocking,” she laughed as she bumped into my side .

“Hey, you barged in on my solo getaway, remember? If I had known I was having company, maybe I would have put on a shirt,” I chuckled as we loaded up the car.

I opened her door and helped her in because my momma raised me to be a gentleman.

When I did things like that, though, she looked at me strangely.

It was as if she didn’t know what it felt like to be treated with respect and kindness.

What a shame. She deserved that and so much more.

We started off to the cabin and fell back into effortless conversation. When we were halfway back to the house, she pulled out her phone to look at an incoming text. Her brows furrowed, and her jaw clenched. “What’s the matter?” I asked.

“Nothing,” she said as she shoved her phone back in her bag, her mouth pressed into a thin line.

“Are you sure? It looks like something’s the matter.” I raised an eyebrow at her. She was clearly upset, and I had an overwhelming urge to find out why, so I could fix it.

She huffed and rolled her eyes. “It’s just my ex. He’s been relentless since I left. I’m fine, really. I don’t want to talk about him.”