Susan put on a vinyl record of Elvis’s Jailhouse Rock and danced her way around placing the books ‘just so’ on a vibrant white drop cloth. She was so engrossed in her work that she didn’t notice at first she was no longer alone.
~
Cade grinned at the sight of Susan shimmying to an Elvis song. The past ten years had been good to her. She had the same figure she’d had in high school, although her hips were pleasantly rounder. The light brown hair was longer, the glasses on her nose darker, and her eyes just as blue as the summer sky. Would she listen to his reason for leaving and understand?
She glanced up and glowered. “Go away,” she ordered. “I’m working.”
He stepped forward and picked up one of the books. “I remember these. I read every one.”
She snatched it away. “Don’t’ touch it. They’re fragile.”
“I really wish you’d listen to me.”
“No reason to.” She snapped a photo of the collection. “You’re leaving was all I needed to know about what you thought.”
“I had to leave, Susan. For reasons I can’t tell you. I need you to trust me.”
“I used to trust you.” She brushed past him, leaving a trail of floral-scented perfume in her wake.
“Please talk to me. I’ve thought of you so often over the years.”
She glanced his way. “Really? I hardly thought of you at all.”
That hurt. He winced. “I deserve that, I guess.”
“Let me get this straight.” She poked him in the chest with her finger. “You want me to trust your reason for leaving with no explanation at all. Is that right?”
“Yes.” It sounded ridiculous even to his ears. “Someday I’ll be able to explain.”
“Hmm. Well, I’m a little suspicious of your motives, Cade. Now, if you’ll excuse me, I really need to get to work.” She sat at a computer and started typing.
Heart heavy, he trudged back to the front of the store and outside. Not caring in which direction he went, he walked for several blocks until he found himself at the city’s lake. He sat on one of the concrete benches and stared at the sun’s sparkles on the water’s surface.
Leaving Woodsbrook ten years ago had saved his family’s life. Still, he’d been warned against speaking of it in case the reason they’d left still had friends in the area. He picked up a rock and tossed it into the lake. If he couldn’t speak of it, how would he ever get Susan to forgive him?
He hadn’t known she owned a bookstore when he’d opened his. Idiot. He should have checked to see who the owner was. He’d known her grandfather had owned the building, but ten years ago a drugstore had been there. He’d assumed her family had sold the place. Everyone knew what happened when you assumed.
Maybe things between him and Susan were too far gone to be repaired. Taking off in the middle of the night…no word…had to have left Susan broken and hurting. Especially after they’d spent hours planning their future. Yes, the bookstore had been their dream. His opening Books and More had been meant as a way to bring back something he’d lost. To bring Susan back, in a way. All it had done was push her further away.
His cellphone rang. It was Ann from the store. “What’s up?”
“The coffee maker is on the fritz, the freezer isn’t as cold as it should be, and a shipment of books is wrong. Are you sure we should have opened early?”
He sighed. “I’m on my way.” Maybe they should have waited until next month as originally planned, but he’d been told by their vendors that everything was in working order. Why lose money? It looked as if he were as wrong about opening early as he was about getting Susan to forgive him.
2
Susan turned from stocking the K-cups for the Keurig as two men strolled into her shop. “Welcome to Turn the Page. Coffee?”
They glanced around before one gave her a stilted grin. “Just browsing.”
Her smile faltered at his unfriendliness. “Take all the time you need.”
Men who looked uncomfortable in their pressed slacks and button-down shirts were not her usual customers. She kept an eye on them while pretending to be engrossed with the buttons on her old-fashioned cash register.
Lynette stepped from the back room. “Early shoppers. We’ve been open, what, five minutes?”
“It’s almost as if they were waiting for us to open.” Susan shrugged. “They’re just browsing.”
“To each their own.” She leaned against the counter, crossed her arms, and flashed a grin. “I saw the owner of Books and More. A real hottie.”
“He’s alright.” Susan avoided her gaze. “Good looking or not, though, he’s a risk to my business.”
“Then we need to get creative.” Lynette booted up the computer. “Let’s make a list of wants for improvements here and see what we can afford.”
“You’re so smart. That’s why I hired you.” Susan pushed her glasses further up her nose.
“You hired me because I’m your best friend.” Lynette bumped her with her shoulder.
The two men hovered around the counter as if listening to the women’s conversation. After ten minutes, Susan could take no more. She glanced up. “May I help you?”
The same man who had given the shark-like smile earlier, bared his teeth again. “We couldn’t help but overhear that there is another bookstore in town?”
“Right down the street,” she answered. “You can’t miss it. Big glass windows, double doors.” She almost told him that he wouldn’t get the same personalized service there as he would at her shop, but something about the man’s stare sent insects scurrying across her arms.
The man hesitated, as if he needed to carefully think of the words he wanted to say. “My…partner and I are looking for investment opportunities. What can you tell us about this other store?”
“Not to be rude, but wouldn’t you find out more by asking the owner directly?” Susan frowned, causing her glasses to slide. “Books and More just opened for business. I doubt he’s looking for investors, but it never hurts to ask, I suppose.”
The men stared stonily for a few minutes, then left, the bell over the door jangling angrily with the force of the door being slapped open. What a strange pair.
“Okay, where were we?”
“I found a display case for pastries, but it’s kind of expensive,” Lynette said, turning the computer monitor. “I bet I can find a used one.”
“Let’s try that. We’ll also need two commercial coffee makers, one for decaf and the other for regular. Maybe different flavors of tea?”
“That’s a great idea.” Lynette nodded. “Now, you do have seating arrangements scattered around the shop, but what if we did some rearranging and actually made the front of the store an actual sit down and sip tea sort of place? We might lose some of the back storage room since we could use the space, but—”
“I think that will work.” Susan studied the area in front of the window. It was something that could be accomplished with minimal expense if they shopped thrift stores for the furniture and tea cups. “We could have our Elvis lookalike take the tea orders at our extravaganza.”
“Now, you’re talking.”
The bell over the door jangled. Susan turned as Cade strolled inside, smile in place…well, everything was in place on that man. Every strand of hair mussed just so, a hint of whiskers on his jaw, even down to the twinkle in his eye.
“Good morning, Cade.”
Lynette glanced from her to him. “You know each other?”
“We’ve been friends since high school,” Cade said. “Isn’t that right?”
“Right. Friends. What do you want?” How could he get her hackles up with one sentence?
“To buy you a coffee somewhere. Not here, and not at my place. Somewhere neutral. I’d like to talk to you.”
“I have a shop to run.”
“I can handle things here for a while,” Lynette said, smiling. “Go on.”
“Traitor,” Susan whispered. “Fine. Thirty minutes, Cade. Th
at’s it. Lynette, make sure everything is in place for our big event.” She grabbed her purse from under the counter and marched out the door.
~
Cade couldn’t remember a time he was more nervous than sitting across a small round table from Susan, prepared to let her know a little of why he’d left town so abruptly. He couldn’t bear being in the same town as her and have her look on him with such dislike.
“So, talk.” She blew into her coffee, peering up at him from under lowered lashes.
Did she have any idea what her eyes did to him? Or the slight pout on her full lips? He exhaled long and slow.
“I can’t give you too much information, but I need to tell you a bit about that night my family fled Woodsbrook.” He reached over and put his hand on top of hers.
She pulled away. “I’m listening.”
“Before Woodsbrook, my family lived in a well-to-do suburb in upper state New York. My father…got into a bit of trouble and we had to move. So, Woodsbrook, Arkansas seemed like a good place.” She didn’t need to know they’d changed their names, left behind who they really were. “But, as trouble has a way of doing, Dad’s followed him. We had to leave again. My parents wouldn’t let me have the time to say goodbye, to explain, nothing.”
“What about the ten years since, Cade? Were you so far out in the wilderness you didn’t have a phone? Were there no writing utensils? Computer?” She shook her head. “There are too many holes in your story.”
He started to speak until two men he’d never seen before entered the coffee shop. He snapped his mouth closed. “We should go. I’ve kept you from work long enough.” He stood and helped her from her chair.
Susan’s gaze followed his. “Do you know them? They were in my shop this morning asking about your store.”
His blood ran cold. He gripped her shoulders. “What did they say?”
“They said they were looking to invest in your business.” She stepped back. “Who are they, Cade?”
“I’ve never seen them before.” Which was true, but the way they openly stared in his direction sent up warning signals. Worst of all…they’d seen him with Susan.
He grabbed her hand and practically dragged her to the street.
“Stop.” She slapped his hand away. “You’re acting strange enough to worry me. What is wrong with you?”
“Nothing. I thought you wanted to get back to work.”
She narrowed her eyes. “What are you not telling me? Are you in trouble, Cade? Can I help you?”
He shook his head. “There’s nothing you can help me with.” He turned and headed back to her shop. “I do have something for you, though. At my store. Can you meet me there tonight after I close? Nine-thirty?”
She tilted her head. “What is it?”
“Something I wanted to give you a long time ago.”
She paled. “I don’t want anything.”
“I can’t take it back, and I can’t give it to anyone else.” They stopped in front of her shop. “Say you’ll meet me.”
She sighed. “Fine. I’ll be there at nine-thirty.” She reached for the door handle. “I can’t take any more pain from you, Cade. Please don’t have me come for something that will dredge up more.”
It would, a little. But what he had to give her was something she’d wanted for as long as he’d known her. Not only did he still have a little memento from high school, he’d never had the courage to slip on her finger, and still didn’t, but he’d found a treasure that might help her begin to forgive him.
“See you tonight.” She entered her shop, leaving him standing on the sidewalk.
Shoulders slumped, Cade turned to head back to Books and More. His steps faltered as he spotted the two strangers watching him from the other side of the street. Who were they? Were they a part of his past come back to haunt him? Or were they merely who they said they were…investors?
He found the last hard to believe. Deep inside him, he knew they were here because of his father’s mistakes.
3
What could Cade possibly have for her? The day dragged as Susan’s mind remained fixated on his mysterious gift.
Since Lynette only worked half days, she left before noon, leaving Susan to rattle around the shop by herself. To try and take her mind off the meeting later that night, she played around with rearranging the rolling bookshelves to make space for the tea room she wanted to have.
The more she worked, the more the picture took shape in her mind. Yes, Books and More might have…more, but they wouldn’t have the cozy, comfortable feel of Turn the Page.
By eight o’clock, Susan hadn’t seen a single customer in over an hour. So, she made herself a cup of mint green tea, sat in a padded rocker, and stared at Main Street through her front glass window.
Street lamps fashioned after vintage gas lamps flickered to life. Store lights dimmed. Shop owners locked their front doors. Living over the shop did have its advantage as far as not having to leave after a long day’s work.
By the time she’d finished her tea the clock showed ten minutes past nine. Susan pushed to her feet, rinsed her cup in the small kitchenette sink at the back of the store, and locked up.
The late spring evening smelled of freshly mowed grass and wet asphalt from an overworked sprinkler head. Despite her anxiety at facing Cade again, much less seeing what he had for her, the short walk to Books and More relaxed her.
The front door to the store was locked. Susan cupped her hands around her eyes and peered through the window hoping to see Cade or one of his employees so she could attract their attention. No one wandered the store putting things away.
Where was Cade? If this was one of those practical jokes he used to pull as a teen, she’d kill him.
Marching to the back of the store, she found a side door that was unlocked and slipped inside. “Cade?”
No sound other than the clicking of the dim fluorescent lights overhead and the muffled sound of her gym shoes on the carpet. The large store was eerier after dark than her little place.
“Cade?” She pushed open a door to an office.
Someone had been looking for something and hadn’t used care. File drawers were open and folders and papers strewn across the floor. A vintage globe, off its burnished gold stand, lay in a corner. A bust of Elvis Presley had been tossed into a garbage can.
She lifted it out, rubbing away a smudge from the King’s cheek. So, Cade still loved Elvis. She sighed and set the bust back on its marble pedestal. Another thing they shared.
She glanced at her watch. Where in the world was he? Maybe she should have asked for his cell phone number. It was obvious someone had broken into his store in the half hour it had been closed. Was it possible the burglars were still inside?
Susan’s eyes widened as she froze. What had she been thinking? She should have called the police right away, not spent time reminiscing.
A scraping noise from somewhere in the store sent her flying to turn off the office light. She plastered her back to the wall and strained her ears. There! She heard it again. Someone was definitely in the store.
She bit her tongue to keep from calling out for Cade. If it was him, he’d come to the office, right?
But what if he were wandering the store not knowing he’d been vandalized? Maybe he was in danger. She needed to leave her hiding place and search for him. Warn him.
Keeping her back against the wall, she slid from the office and toward the main part of the store. When a louder thump sounded, she ducked behind a bookcase and grabbed a toy Harry Potter broom. It was the only weapon close at hand.
She stayed in a ducked position and skirted around the bookcase. Still not seeing anyone, she increased her pace toward the area set aside for coffee and sandwiches.
Maybe leaving would be a better idea. She squatted behind the coffee bar and pulled out her cellphone. What if the burglars saw the glare from the screen?
She crawled into a small kitchen. Without windows, the room was as dark as the inside o
f a cave she’d gone into once in Missouri.
Footsteps sounded outside her hiding place. Still holding her phone, she stood and felt her way along the wall. As the unseen person came even closer, she held her breath and froze, wanting more than anything to call out to Cade.
Instead, she closed her eyes and prayed for not only her safety, but his.
Something had to be wrong. This was no immature prank. Cade would not have missed a meeting when he seemed so desperate to have her forgive him for his past transgressions.
A thump on the door startled her. She dropped her phone with a clatter.
Oh, my gosh. She fell to her knees and scrambled to find it. Her fingers brushed against the phone, sending it sliding out of reach. A cabinet? Seriously?
She’d have to make a run for it. The tiny kitchen area would be nothing more than a trap for whoever stalked the store.
She took a deep breath and left the sanctuary of the kitchen. Then, with a burst of speed, she pushed off the wall and sprinted across the store. Her feet slapped against the floor, sounding abnormally loud to her ears.
An arm thrust from behind a bookshelf, catching her in the throat. She flew backward, striking her head on the corner of a shelf.
Her world went dark. Her last thought was of Cade.
~
Cade knew he should have moved into town. Now, he stood on the side of the road staring at a flat tire on the front passenger side of his Mercedes. Since he didn’t have Susan’s cell phone number, he’d tried the number to Turn the Page several times. She had to be waiting for him at Books and More. Waiting and fuming, no doubt.
He pulled the spare tire and jack from his trunk and got to work changing the tire. While he worked, he tried to think of what he could possibly say to Susan when he handed her the gift. Yes, he wanted her forgiveness, but he didn’t want her to think he was buying it.
The crow bar slipped, rapping his knuckles. He hissed against the pain. By the time he had the tire changed in the dark, no easy task, he was over an hour late for his meeting with Susan. She was bound to have gone home. Still, he couldn’t turn around without knowing whether she waited for him.
Love Draws Near Page 25
