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“You’ve said he’s juggling a lot right now, but I’m sure he appreciates your kind words and support.” Aunt Faye gathered her things and slid on her coat. “I don’t wish to add to his already full plate, but we still haven’t received his books for the signing. You may want to check with him on that. I’d hate for them not to arrive in time.”
“No kidding. Shoot, I thought his agent said they’d be here by Monday or Tuesday.”
She grabbed her phone to call him but hesitated. With all that he had going on, did she really want to bother him with this right now? But after hugging her aunt good-bye and finding herself in the quiet, empty bookstore, she knew she had to ask for Alex’s help. This event wasn’t just to support him—it was to help continue their support of the kids down at Riley Children’s Hospital. They were already making a gamble, shifting from their previously successful ornament-decorating event. She hated to add more risk to their future.
Rather than call, though, she decided to send a short text instead. He responded a few minutes later, saying he would send her the email from his agent that had the shipment’s tracking number on it.
“Perfect,” she said to Felix, the fat orange tabby her aunt had taken in a number of years back to be the store’s mouser. He hid during the day, coming out only when the crowds had gone and family remained. He’d hopped up on the checkout counter, tail swatting with annoyance that no one was petting him. “See? A quick text and then I’ll go back to giving him space.”
Space she knew Alex needed. Unfortunately, after having him living under the same roof as her the last two weekends, this space was also making her feel a bit lonely. Which was silly, of course. She’d been on her own with Brooklyn for more than three years now. Surely, she wasn’t getting hung up on a man already.
Forwarded you the email, Alex texted.Let me know if there are any problems.
See? Easy peasy.Will do! Hope you have a great evening.
You, too, beautiful.
Grinning like a schoolgirl, she got on the store’s computer and logged into her personal email. Sure enough, the message Alex had forwarded her was there. She clicked on the listed tracking number and was rerouted to UPS, who indicated they’d delivered the package yesterday.
Okay, that was weird. Wouldn’t her aunt have seen the books if they’d arrived?
Mia rose from the stool behind the checkout counter and rummaged around all the boxes she could find of books that had yet to be shelved. None contained Alex’s books. Frowning, she returned to the computer and clicked to expand the UPS tracking details. The box had left New York on Friday, made stops at two facilities on Monday, and then was delivered Monday at two thirty in the afternoon to 1234 N Eddy Street, Suite 4D, South Bend, Indiana.
Books-A-Plenty’s address.
She looked to Felix on a grimace. “Houston, we have a problem.”
*
Alex went hometo sleep in his own bed Wednesday night, needing some time alone to process all that was going on. Right now, he felt like a kid trying to drink from a fire hose. His mother’s fall. Her early-onset Alzheimer’s diagnosis. His father’s insistence on retiring in an incredibly short amount of time. Alex’s changing role at work. Texts from Tom that sounded less upbeat than usual. Missing books. The edits he had turned in tonight just under the wire. His upcoming book signing. Mia, who he wanted to focus more of his time and energy on but was falling short this week.
He’d waited years, nearly half a lifetime, for a second chance with her. No one had ever filled his emotional cup the way she did or lifted his spirits with a simple smile like she could. These past two weekends were some of the best he’d had in years, and the last thing he wanted to do was set aside all he’d worked to get back while he dealt with the storm life had sent his way.
He tried going to bed early to put the day behind him but found he couldn’t sleep. Once again, his mind was going a million miles an hour. So, he started on the household chores he’d skipped while snowed in up north, hoping the monotony of it all would relieve some stress and free his mind to tackle the challenge ahead, which so far, he’d only been able to summarize into one word:balance. If he was going to be what everyone needed him to be, he would have to find a way to strike a balance between Mia, his family, and work. Oh, and his home—someone had to take care of that, too.
Though, if things continued to progress well with Mia, maybe they could consolidate homes eventually. Why keep two places when all they needed was one? He’d never become attached to his villa—it was a fresh start after a failed marriage and a soft place to land after a long week on the road. Not as soft as Mia’s amazing bed, though. Man, he wished he was in it now, with her curled up beside him. Her touch always seemed to ease his worries.
He heard his cell phone ring in the other room. Afraid something else had happened to his mother, he tossed the sponge in his hands aside and hurried to answer it. At seeing the caller ID on its screen, though, Alex’s worries fell away.
“Hey, there, beautiful.”
“You really should stop answering like that, you know,” Mia said. “I’m going to get spoiled hearing it.”
He smiled at the blush he could hear in her voice. “Then I’m definitely saying it more, because you deserve to be spoiled and often.”
She laughed. “If you say so. Um, how are things down there?”
“Well, I decided to come home tonight, if that gives you any indication.”
“That bad, huh?”
He started to answer, then caught himself. So far, all he’d admitted to Mia was that his mother had a broken arm and his dad was needing time off work to care for her. After reading through a bunch of pamphlets this morning the doctor had given his father, Alex was even more hesitant to tell Mia about his mother’s diagnosis. Depending on the type of dementia his mother had, the chances of it being passed down to him were nearly fifty percent—yet another thing he had to worry about. Hopefully, they would have that answer by the end of the week. If he was lucky, hers wouldn’t be that type.
Either way, he knew he couldn’t hold off telling Mia all this for long. He needed her wisdom and strength. But he really wanted to have that conversation in person, with her holding his hand.
“Eh, just a little more hectic than normal. We’ll get through it, though. How are things up there?”
“That’s actually why I’m calling. I clicked on the link you sent me earlier, to track the book package. And it does appear that they were delivered yesterday.”
