Page 83 of Autumn at the Cat Cafe

That’s it? What was supposed to make up for the lie? An understandable lie, considering how much of a pest Sir had been. And she was glad he relented about the flyer. Second Chapter was the only business in Pecan Corner that didn’t have one in its window, and it had bothered her.

“There’s some tape under the counter to the left,” she said to Leo. “I’ll put this up now.”

He searched around, found the tape, and handed it to her. Squeaks and Sir both closed their eyes. They were turning into a cute and, fortunately nonreproductive, couple. A platonic couple. Like her and Leo.

Other than uncrossing her arms, he hadn’t touched her or tried to. There was no desire in his eyes, only earnestness as he apologized for lying to her. Everything was back to the way it was before the corn maze. Which was what she wanted, right? No risking her heart, no possibility of taking another fall. She taped the flyer on the window and went back to the counter.

“Oh,” he said, dropping a bright blue key into a very small pile of other blue keys. “There’s something else.” He met her gaze. “I’m going to open Second Chapter for the festival.”

She froze, unsure she’d heard him clearly. “You’re...”

“Going to open the bookstore for the weekend.”

“But why? When? How?”

“I’ve been thinking about it off and on since Owen’s visit. You were right, Via. Second Chapter is important to Pecan Corner.”

Her hopes started to soar. “So you’re not going to sell it?”

He paused. “That’s still the plan. But what better way to honor Earl’s legacy than with a temporary reopening?”

Temporary. Disappointment shot through her. And then what he said fully sank in. Leo had never veered from his intentions to sell the shop, and he was within his rights to do so. But what had changed was him wanting to honor his uncle. He was also giving everyone another chance to visit and pay their respects. It was the next best thing to keeping Second Chapter permanently open.

She went to him and took both his hands in hers. She was long past not risking her heart with this man. “Yes,” she said, her voice becoming thick. “It’s a beautiful way to honor him.”

Leo pulled her toward him, wrapping her arms around his waist. He tenderly brushed back a lock of her hair, tucking it behind her ear. “Thank you,” he murmured, his gaze caressing her.

“For what?”

He brushed his lips against hers. “Being you.”

She leaned against him, melting into his embrace.

Monday was wreath making at The Red Carnation, and since they had so much to do in the shop before opening it for Harvest Fest, Via was shocked when Leo insisted they fulfill that bucket list item. He’d scoffed at it so hard in the beginning that she thought he’d be glad to skip it. They had made another schedule for the week, and she reassured him that Dora and Birdie would pick up the slack at the café so she could work more hours in Second Chapter. Of course they were eager to help out once she told them this morning about Leo’s plan.

Like the trouper he was, he made his own autumn wreath, and true to form, Anna Abernathy regaled them with tales of Pecan Corner, along with answering Leo’s numerous questions. Almost an hour in, Via was feeling like a third wheel.

She jammed a small scarecrow flower pick into her wreath, then pushed a large sunflower down next to it.

“Now, Via,” Anna said, moving to stand by her. “You seem to be in a hurry. Remember, it’s a process—one to savor and enjoy. Just look at Leo’s wreath. It’s coming along nicely.”

Via glanced at his wreath, which was rather nice. He might not like decorating, but he wasn’t a complete butterfingers. She looked down at her own. Oops, not so nice. She definitely wasn’t savoring the process either. Not this year, and not when she had a million things to do. Starting bright and early this morning, the decorating crew had started transforming the square into a harvest spectacular. She’d even cut Sir Meow’s walk short again.

One of Anna’s employees appeared and whispered something to her. The older woman frowned, something she rarely did. “I have to take care of a customer out front,” she said, then gestured to the floral supplies and their wreaths spread out on the worktable. “Carry on.”

Via was ready to carry on right out of the florist shop and back to work. Instead she took a deep breath.

“You okay?” Leo asked.

She turned to him. He was mulling over a sunflower and an orange carnation, switching the artificial flowers back and forth in one place to see which worked better. He landed on the carnation and pushed it into the foam, then turned to her. “I didn’t mean to throw you for such a loop.”

“A loop?”

“Opening Second Chapter.”

“That’s a good loop.” She smiled, feeling a little calmer. “I just need to remind myself to slow down.” Doing these activities wasn’t just for fun. They were a reminder to stay in the moment, something she needed to do now more than ever.

Leo nodded. “That’s something I’m learning too.” He looked at her, more relaxed than she’d ever seen him. He was... happy.