Page 18 of The Secret Crush Book Club (Peach Blossom #3)

Dani looked at her in surprise. “Yeah, everything is fine. Why do you ask?”

Zoey shrugged. “You seem tired. You’re more than welcome to take a break if you need.”

Dani turned a grin at her. “And miss seeing you? No way. I’ll be fine.” Dani sounded sure that she was okay, and Zoey only smiled and nodded. It wasn’t until book club was wrapping up that she realized Dani had fallen completely asleep. Her head was hanging low as she leaned more heavily into Zoey.

“Poor thing. She must be exhausted,” Sharon said as she collected the empty plates and cups. “Being a single mom is no joke.”

Zoey nodded as she looked down at Dani. “I can only imagine.”

“Maybe if you don’t have to go anywhere, you can let her nap for a bit here. I’m sure she would appreciate it.”

“You are absolutely right,” Zoey agreed. “I’ll see you next week, same time same place, yes?”

“Wouldn’t miss it for the world.”

When everyone else had left, Zoey slowly approached Dani, moving quietly not to wake her up.

She didn’t want to seem creepy, but as she gazed down at her, she couldn’t help but note how relaxed Dani looked in sleep.

She had noticed the slightly glassy gaze when Dani had walked in.

She’d looked exhausted and if not for Zoey selfishly wanting to spend time with her, she would have suggested Dani go home and get some rest.

“I should have just told her to go home,” Zoey said quietly as she reached out.

She grabbed the blanket she kept on the back of the couch and pulled it over Dani’s shoulders.

When her hand brushed over her shoulder, Dani sighed softly and shifted, turning into the touch.

It was such a small move and yet to Zoey, it was everything.

That Dani felt comfortable enough to fall asleep here, with her, meant a lot.

She knew she should be more casual about this.

Falling fast and hard was a thing for her that too often blew up in her face.

They were too entwined for her to go into this without considering everything.

Still, Zoey couldn’t deny that she was enjoying the direction things had been going in.

Even with Holly, they had never really enmeshed themselves in such a way that had her feeling completely comfortable.

Before Zoey could figure out what to do next, her cellphone rang, and she quickly moved to answer so the sound didn’t wake Dani up.

She rolled her eyes when she saw it was Tiffany.

“After worrying me all day, I can’t believe you texted that you weren’t coming and didn’t even give a reason. I thought you wanted to ask all the questions?”

“I did,” Tiffany insisted. “But my car decided tonight was the perfect time for a flat and I was on that back road near the cemetery that has shit cell service, so I was only able to send a couple texts. Thankfully, the one to Aiden went through so I could get him to tow me to the shop. But, a little birdie told me that you and the delightful Dani are now all alone in your cozy little condo.”

Zoey knew that word traveled fast in small towns, but this was ridiculous. “Seriously? Everyone only left like five minutes ago.”

“And that’s five minutes you could be using to put the moves on the sexy single mama.”

“Then why did you call me?” Zoey asked, hissing out her words.

“Because,” Tiffany replied, drawing out her syllables. “I just got word that the state board is considering our request to have a second full-time librarian on a permanent basis and not just on contract.”

Zoey froze. That wasn’t what she was expecting to hear.

She had known that Tiffany was working on securing funding for staff, and she of course knew that Tiffany wanted her to stay in Peach Blossom.

But small-town libraries were often overlooked when it came to budgets.

The only reason Zoey could even afford to just be a contractor instead of a full-time employee was because she had her own benefits, a second larger cash flow and, truthfully, a trust from her late parents.

It had helped that college had been funded by her trust, leaving her with no debt even after getting a master’s degree.

“Are you still there?”

“Yeah,” Zoey said quickly, covering for her silence. “That’s amazing. I know you were worried about that.”

“No, I was worried about losing you. There’s a difference,” Tiffany said. “Now, we still have a few weeks before we find out if it’s approved or if I have to sell my nonexistent firstborn to put it through again next month, but if it is, I want you with us. Permanently.”

It meant a lot for Zoey to hear those words.

There were so many emotions running through her that she didn’t even know what to say.

Peach Blossom had grown on her and even with how small it was compared to places she had previously lived, she never found herself feeling like she was missing out.

She hadn’t once felt the need to get up and leave, to drive down the highway looking for another place to feel like home.

As she looked down at where Dani slept, she was cautiously optimistic about the fact that she felt she could be happy here.

“I know it’s a lot to ask,” Tiffany continued. “Peach Blossom doesn’t have as much going for it like a larger city with a wider net of libraries.”

Tiffany wasn’t wrong and yet she was at the same time.

It had taken years of therapy for Zoey to understand how much she wanted to find a place to belong; where she felt she could be herself and fit in without forcing it.

She enjoyed traveling with her brother, or rather, she liked seeing new things and discovering new places, but they had never had a home base, and she’d hated that.

It always left her feeling like her life was built on sand, able to be blown away with the gentlest of breezes.

“No,” Zoey said finally. She looked down at Dani’s sleeping face. “Peach Blossom has a lot more going for it than you all realize.”

Tiffany was quiet for a moment before she spoke again. “What makes you say that?”

Zoey thought about how to put it into words.

She had moved here on a whim, the need for research and the invitation from a friend.

She wouldn’t have heard of Peach Blossom otherwise.

But as she talked with people in town, some who could trace their roots back generations, she found a sort of stability and steadfastness that spoke to her on a level she was still trying to understand.

“Just, everything,” Zoey said finally. She brushed her fingers across Dani’s cheek. “I can see why you wanted to come back after we graduated. Peach Blossom is really something special.”