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She called out my order over the half door into the kitchen, turning to add, “I’m starting dog biscuits for you.”
“Me?”
Janet nodded. “Yes. Dog-appropriate snacks. I can’t believe I haven’t done it before.” She gestured to the display case. Tucked into the corner were dog-shaped biscuits.
I burst out laughing. “Well, I’ll take two of those. Did you make them yourself?”
She nodded, looking satisfied with herself. “You told me what was safe. Every time you come in, you get a biscuit or something for her, but you always get the plain ones, so…” Janet shrugged as her words trailed off.
“I love it. I bet they’ll be popular.”
She fetched two of the biscuits for me, putting them in a paper bag and handing it over. While I was paying, she commented, “So you and Jonah?”
I felt the heat rise in my cheeks and tried to play it cool. “I’m sorry, what?”
Janet grinned, her eyes twinkling as she handed over my change and my coffee. “Bea thinks you two have a thing. She’s sure of it. She said she caught you kissing.”
Ah, the downsides to that sense of belonging and being back home—gossip, rumors, and speculation. The fact was Beahadseen us kissing. Even though we hadn’t fessed up to doing the dirty when she had asked, I knew she wasn’t stupid.
I sighed. “Maybe we were kissing. But it’s no big thing.”
“Why not? Jonah is a really great guy. And he’s a hotshot firefighter now. He’s totally sexy,” Janet said, waggling her eyebrows.
I sputtered on the swallow of coffee I had just taken. Without missing a beat, Janet handed over a napkin.
I dabbed at the corners of my mouth and slid the napkin around the lid of my coffee to wipe off the mess. “It’s really nice being back in town,” I offered, choosing to ignore her last comment.
“Mm-hmm,” Janet teased.
I glanced behind me, noticing no one else had arrived in line. I decided to take advantage of this little moment. “Did you know he was in a school shooting?” I asked, keeping my voice low.
She nodded, her gaze sobering immediately. “I did. He was on track to start teaching in college after finishing his PhD, but he decided not to.”
My heart ached for a moment, remembering the careful look in his eyes when he’d explained the scars on his side.
“Bea says he doesn’t talk about it,” Janet added. “His parents are coming up, you know to be close to Bea while she’s still here. They worry about him.”
“What happened is awful,” I said, thinking the word “awful” was inadequate.
“Of course, it is,” Janet agreed. “And it happens all the time. Whatever happens with you two, you be good to him. He needs someone to love him, and I know you would never hurt him.”
My eyes widened. “How did we go from kissing to love?”
Janet shrugged. “I’m just sayin’. I think you’d be good for each other.”
The bell chimed on the door to the café, and I glanced back to see Jonah walking in. My body reacted instantly. My heart beat faster as if clapping in joy at his mere presence. My belly felt all fluttery, and heat danced through my system, with little sparks scattering everywhere.
When I glanced back at Janet, her eyes held a knowing glint. I bit my lip, willing the heat rising in my cheeks to cool.
ChapterTwenty-Three
Jonah
Two weekends later
I hesitated. “Uh, well, I guess so,” I finally said.
“We didn’t really think this through,” my mother said.
