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“That’s ridiculous,” she admonishes with a playful shake of her head.
“Not as ridiculous as sitting around talking about Jon Benet Ramsey for an hour.”
“Oh man, that sounds like heaven to me.” She closes her eyes and moans.
“You should go.”
She glances at me; her face transformed by the beaming smile on it.
“You think? I mean, I would love to. It could be research. Get some ideas for displays, you know?” She claps her hands together excitedly and then gives me a shy smile that makes me want to coax more just like that out of her. “I love bookstores. I know it’s weird.”
“I remember that about you from the night we met. That you loved books and thought you were weird.” I take a tentative step toward her. Her dark eyes widen, her lips part a little and she takes a step toward me, too.
The air around us changes, grows heavy with impatience and I wish I had super long arms so I could reach out and pull her to me.
“I’ve never stopped thinking about you,” I say.
Her gasp is audible and visible in the sharp rise of her shoulders. She pulls her sandy-pink bare lip between her bottom teeth and nibbles it. I’m jealous of her teeth.
She peeks up at me through her lashes. “I’ve thought about you, too,” she confesses quietly.
“Did you write your happy ending?” I ask as she gets closer.
“I did… wrote you one, too.” She smiles shyly.
An unexpected rush of warmth comes over me and I reach for her. “I want to read it—”
I’ve just touched her shoulder when the bell over the door jingles. A woman with dark hair caught up in a tight ponytail, dressed in bright blue hospital scrubs walks in with a handful of bags. I recognize her right away as the woman from the library.
Kal’s mom. Like Kal, she looks like a totally different person now, but like Kal—she’s so distinctively beautiful, I’d know her anywhere.
“Who are you?” she asks and her tone leaves no doubt that she isn’t happy to find me here. I turn to face her and smile.
She frowns.
“I’m Remi. I’m making a delivery. From Eat!” I point at my truck.
“You are?” Kal asks in complete surprise and I look back at her.
“Yeah, I guess we got to talking and—”
Her mother snaps her fingers to get my attention. “I know your family owns this town, but you’re blocking the entrance to the bookstore. I have a photographer coming to take pictures of the place today, so I need you to make your delivery and get that truck out of here.” She points angrily to my white delivery van on the curb.
“Shit, sorry,” I say and start outside.
“And next time, use the entrance in the back,” she yells after me.
“Yes, ma’am,” I call back as I rush out.
When I come back in with an armload of pastry boxes, Kal walks past me on her way to the back of the store and says, “Thank you for being nice.” Her fingers skim my arm and I look at her in surprise.
Her eyes hold mine. “I’ll see you tomorrow,” she whispers and then disappears around the corner.
4
THE LEGEND
REMI
