Page 21 of Library or Lattes?

“Here.” I reached over to pick up the spare notebook I knew was under the counter. “Write down the orders, then you won’t forget. What do you need?”

James just stared for a second, looking down at me with his skeptical but soft brown eyes. And I swore something passed between us. A spark. Then, just as quickly, it was gone and he barked out a list of coffee orders. I wrote them down and handed him the list. As I did, I let my hand linger for a moment, feeling the heat of his skin, and an image flashed in my head. The two of us, pressed up against the counter. Making out.

I cleared my throat—and my brain. “Let me know if you need any more help.”

“I will. Unless you’re too busy talking to your fan club over there.”

“Who?” I joked. “I’ve never seen them before in my life.”

And it was the first time James had smiled believably since he’d shown up here. A wide, disarming smile, the same one that had made me loosen my grip on that baseball.

By closing time he looked exhausted. He started leaning on counters, but still didn’t sit down, as if taking a break would somehow make him weak.

I flipped the Closed sign on the door and cleared the remaining tables.

“Why don’t you sit down to do that?” I asked.

James had taken out the book of accounts and was wiping dust from the cover. I think I’d seen Geoff look at it maybe once since I’d started working there. The only time I’d seen it, I was horrified that Geoff didn’t just use a computer like everyone else. But he insisted that writing things down was “better.” Only in Oak Falls.

“I don’t need to sit down,” James said. He sighed and turned the pages, his eyes growing larger. “What even is this system? Like where is the payment for this order of four dozen peanut butter snickerdoodles?”

I remembered the snickerdoodles. Evelyn Baxter had been having her famous fall party for all her grandkids, and she just couldn’t find the money. Geoff hated seeing people upset, so he made her a deal.

“Mrs. Baxter watches Puddle during the day, when Geoff is at work and your mom is busy …” I could tell how ridiculous this sounded. “So he gave her the cookies for free.”

“Puddle? Mom and Dad’s dog? The laziest dog in the world. The dog you couldn’t force to walk more than a few yards. What does she do, watch him sleep?” James looked like he might explode with stress. A piece of dark hair fell in his face and he brushed it away with frustration.

“Well, yeah, he likes company. Mrs. Baxter knits him the cutest little booties …”

“I’m going to pretend I didn’t hear that.” James started flicking through the accounts more quickly.

“And the coffee cart?” James looked at me for an answer.

“Oh, that was Alan at the church, just a favor,” I explained, expecting steam to come out of James’s ears any second.

“And the cinnamon swirls, and the muffins?”

“The community center breakfast program …” I trailed off.

“Does anybody pay for anything in this town? With actual money?” James slammed the book shut.

Mrs. Burrows paying Pop in banana cream pie sprang to mind, but I didn’t tell James about that. The thing was, people in Oak Falls helped each other out. Maybe James had been away so long he’d forgotten. I was about to get my coat and go home, but I changed my mind at the last minute. I took a step closer to James, my head only reaching his shoulder. I was so close I could smell him. Something deep and woody clung to his clothes under the sweet scents of cinnamon and nutmeg that always perfumed the coffee shop.

“I don’t think your dad likes asking people for money,” I began.

“You think?” he said. Then he turned to me, as if—for the first time—to apologize for his tone. He sighed, opened the book again, and looked so worried that my heart ached.

“It just … doesn’t look good. My dad relies on this coffee shop.”

I knew this look well. I’d seen it so many times on Pop’s face when he opened another bill and felt like the whole world was on his shoulders.

So I did what I knew how to do.

“Let me help,” I offered. “Whatever you need.”

James blinked in surprise.

“Okay, challenge accepted.”