Page 8 of Windward Hearts

“Ah, I’m not complaining,” he said with a laugh. “The hours I work here are actually a great deal more reasonable than the ones I used to work in city kitchens.”

“That… is a very distressing thought, Jared!” Eleanor told him chidingly. The chef was perhaps only a decade younger than her, but she spoke with a maternal sort of tone.

He shrugged again, looking unbothered.

“At least here, I’m part of a community,” he said. “And that’s something that is completely worth building, in my opinion.”

“Well, I’m not going to argue with you about that,” Eleanor agreed. “But just consider taking that break, will you?”

“I’ll take it under advisement,” he promised.

Jared waved as he continued walking toward Riverstone Kitchen, and Eleanor returned to her car and the demands of her own small business.

When she got back to the bookstore, she found her brother, Shane Ridley, and his girlfriend, Winnie Burnett, browsing the shelves. Shane was holding a stack of books in his arms.

“Hey, you two,” Eleanor greeted. “Shane, that’s an awful lot of reading for you.”

Although her brother was plenty clever, particularly when it came to anything having to do with computers and tech, Shane had never been much of a reader, especially not when compared to his book-loving older sister. He’d gotten sucked into a few series when he had come to visit Eleanor after dealing with some burnout thanks to his fast-paced career in San Francisco’s tech hub, but Eleanor hadn’t managed to convert him to being a full book person yet.

She had, however, managed to convince him to stay in Magnolia Shore full time.

“Oh, that’s actually all for me,” Winnie said, laughing. Shane cast his girlfriend an adoring look.

Eleanor had to admit that it was probably falling for Winnie that had really convinced Shane to move to this part of the country, and the change had done wonders for both of them. Winnie, who had once covered up her shyness with a frigid exterior, had opened up and made herself vulnerable, something that had led to friendships blossoming with the other women in the book club.

Shane, meanwhile, had found the joy in his work again, as well as in his life. In California, he could practically never be found leaving his work before the sun went down. Now, in Magnolia Shore, he worked freelance, helping different people around town with their computer systems, something that let him do things like visit his sister’s bookstore in the middle of the day.

And serve as pack mule for his girlfriend’s purchases, Eleanor realized with a smile as she looked over at the titles in Shane’s arms. They were all either history books or historical fiction. This made sense for Winnie, who worked at the local historical society.

“Don’t make fun of me, Ellie,” he said, pulling a mock pout. “I’m just your little brother. Too little to tease.”

Eleanor looked up at Shane, who was, although younger, a good four or five inches taller than her.

“Uh huh,” she said dryly, which made him laugh.

“One of these books is his!” Winnie said encouragingly, pointing to a thriller midway through the pile. That did seem to be more to Shane’s taste than Winnie’s, come to think of it.

“Look there,” Eleanor praised. “Winnie is clearly having a good effect on you!”

“Well, you won’t catch me denying that,” Shane said, giving his girlfriend another happy look, which Winnie returned, “but I am still more of a movie guy than a book guy.”

Both women groaned as if this was a personal betrayal.

“Oh, don’t give me that,” Shane said, shifting the books to one arm so he could point an accusing finger at the two of them. “Movies are great! Everybody loves movies.”

Winnie gave Eleanor a long-suffering look. “It’s like he doesn’t even know that the book is always better,” she complained.

“I have heard this argument before,” he retorted, “but that fails to account for the fact that not all movies are based on books.”

There was another shared look between the two women.

“All the good ones are,” Eleanor countered.

“What she said,” Winnie agreed.

“That is—” Shane sputtered in indignation. “That is nuts. The two of you are some of my favorite people, but what you’re saying right now? It is nuts.”

“Honey.” Winnie laid a hand on his shoulder, giving him a look full of mock pity. “No. It’s true. I’m sorry. Books win over movies. Every time.”