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Lucy was still smiling the next day when she opened the bookstore. On Sunday, they opened at eleven and closed at four so it would be a short day. Jane had offered to handle the entire shift on her own, but Lucy didn’t want to ask that of her. Their usual part-time help wasn’t available.
It hadn’t been easy to lever herself out of a warm bed with Zack in it, but she’d managed. He’d promised that they’d spend the evening together, and then bid her goodbye with a sweet kiss that was still lingering on her lips.
Jane had shown up at the store a few minutes later, carrying two steaming hot coffees.
“We could have used the coffeemaker in the back,” Lucy said, gratefully accepting the paper cup. “But I do thank you. I need this.”
The coffee shop section of the store was closed on Sundays, and Lucy had always thought it would be rude to have the smell of freshly brewed coffee in the store when no one could buy it. They usually used the small coffee pot in the storage room instead of the fancy one in the cafe area.
“I wanted a latte,” Jane explained. “I needed something more than a regular old coffee.”
“Did you stay up too late reading again?”
“I did. And I’m not sorry either. The book was excellent. I highly recommend it. How was the wedding? Any Winslow drama? Did you dance with Zack?”
Lucy could never be a poker player. Her emotions were far too transparent for that. She simply wasn’t someone who could “be undercover” or “play it close to the vest”.
“No drama. None. And Zack and I did dance together.”
It was all the truth.
Jane’s eyes narrowed, her suspicious gaze pinned on Lucy.
“Must have been one hell of a dance.”
“Why do you say that?”
Although Lucy wasn’t sure she wanted to know the reason.
“Because of the look on your face when I mentioned Zack’s name.” Jane’s eyes widened and she wagged her finger at Lucy. “See? You did it again. You went all dreamy for a second. I’ve never seen you look like that before. Ever. I think I need all the deets, girl. Spill it. Clearly, you’re smitten.”
“You’ve been reading too many romance novels.”
“Probably, but that doesn’t change what I’m seeing here. Are you denying that you and Zack don’t have some sort of relationship? Because I’d call you a liar.”
“We had a good time at the wedding,” Lucy admitted. “We danced and talked. It was nice.”
“Nice? What a namby-pamby word. Just how nice was it?”
“Very nice,” Lucy replied with a sigh. “Really nice.”
“Ohhh, I think I need to sit for this. You really like him?”
Jane sank down into a chair and Lucy followed suit. She did need to talk to someone about all of this. She’d been sure of what she was doing last night - and she had no regrets this morning - but she wasn’t as casual about this as she’d hoped she’d be.
“I do like him. Zack’s a great guy. Funny, handsome, intelligent. He doesn’t play a lot of head games, and he’s honest and straightforward. I feel like he’s a good person.”
“But? There’s a but at the end of that sentence. I can hear it even if you didn’t say it out loud.”
“But…I know he’s not going to stick around town. He’ll probably be gone in a few days. I told myself I was okay with it, but I’m beginning to think that I’m not as okay with it as I thought I was. Do you know what I mean? Shit, I don’t know if I’m even making any sense.”
“It’s a tale as old as time,” Jane said with a wise nod. “You meet a terrific man, you have sex with him, and suddenly your emotions are involved when you thought it was just going to be a fun night between the sheets.”
“What makes you think I slept with him?”
Although Jane had pretty much nailed it.
“Because of the way you look whenever the name ‘Zack’ is uttered. Whether I say it or you do. You get a sort of romantic, longing expression. You like him. You slept with him. And there’s nothing wrong with that, by the way. We’re women. We have needs. And I’m guessing the sex was pretty great if you’re wishing he was hanging around. Am I right?”
