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***
The rest of the day passed without another embarrassing tumble from a ladder, so Tessa counted that as a win. Daniel continued to treat her with relative disdain, the weird moment that had passed between them seemingly forgotten.
When closing time came, the sky outside the windows darkening with the promise of night, Tessa helped count the till for the night. Daniel hardly spoke a word, apparently lost in his own thoughts. That was alright with Tessa, as exhaustion had begun to creep in, and she longed for a bit of silence.
They bid a quick farewell to each other, Daniel heading upstairs to his apartment and Tessa walking out into the chilly autumn air. She wrapped her cardigan tighter around herself and rubbed her arms, bracing against the brisk temperature. Stifling a yawn, she was about to head home for the evening when she saw the neon sign of Lily’s diner beckoning her.
Tessa’s stomach grumbled loudly, and she realized she really hadn’t much to eat, save from an egg salad sandwich she had picked up at the corner gas station on her lunch break. The sandwich had tasted a little funny, so she had thrown half of it away and prayed that there would be no consequences. Now her hunger was demanding her attention, and the thought of greasy diner food sounded absolutely heavenly.
Her mind was made up as she dashed across the street, leaves crunching underfoot. The diner had a few cars outside, but it didn’t look nearly as busy as Tessa would have expected for a dinner rush.
Stepping through the doors of the diner was like stepping back in time. The red vinyl booths and black tabletops gave Tessa flashbacks to her many viewings ofGrease,and there were albums hanging on the wall—everything from Gary Puckett and the Union Gap to Gordon Lightfoot. She smiled to herself as she chose a stool at the counter. Her dad would love this place.
“What can I get for you, sugar?” A tall, middle-aged woman with a jagged black pixie cut stopped in front of Tessa, already poised to take her order with a pen and notepad in her hands. She popped her gum loudly and raised an eyebrow.
Tessa glanced down at the menu. There weren’t all that many options, but they all looked good (a heart attack waiting to happen, but good). “Hmm, what would you suggest?”
The woman squinted at Tessa then, still popping her gum, “Oh, you’re the new gal. Rolled into town the other day. I’m Lily, and I would suggest the whole menu. But let’s just stick with coffee and a slice of the pie of the day. Lemon meringue. Tastes absolutely sinful,” she winked at Tessa as she jotted down the order.
“I could use a little indulgence right about now,” Tessa responded with a sigh.
Lily seemed to recognize that weary look in her eyes as she dropped the order pad onto the counter and propped her elbows there, leaning in conspiratorially, “What’s got you down, sweetheart?”
Normally, Tessa wasn’t one for terms of endearment from strangers, but Lily seemed genuine. “I just started work over at Turn the Page Booksellers, and the manager—”
“Daniel?” Lily’s eyes brightened with recognition. “Such a sweet man.”
Tessa snorted with little dignity and rolled her eyes, “To you, maybe. But he is just so combative with me. It’s frustrating. I want to throat punch him whenever he gives me that condescending look of his.” As soon as she realized what she’d said, Tessa felt a stab of panic and met Lily’s gaze. “I mean—”
Lily chuckled and waved away Tessa’s defensiveness, “No, I know what you mean. Daniel can be… prickly at first. But underneath that tough exterior, he’s really just a big softie.”
Somehow, Tessa doubted that, but she didn’t argue. “Maybe you’re right.”
Lily pulled a mug from under the counter and grabbed a pot of coffee from the machine behind her before replying. “Daniel had sort of a rough upbringing. His mom died when he was young, and his dad… well, calling him a dad is being too generous. Daniel had to grow up fast, and it’s made him a little severe. But there isn’t a single person in this town who’d have a negative thing to say about him. You’ll see,” she poured the coffee into the mug and pushed it across the counter to Tessa. “Now, drink up. I’ll check in on that pie for you.”
Tessa took a tentative sip of the coffee, and her eyes nearly rolled back in pleasure. It was the finest cup of coffee she’d had in ages. She relaxed on the stool, her hands cupped around the steaming mug.
Lily came back a few moments later with a large slice of lemon meringue pie. It did, in fact, look sinfully good. The first bite was an explosion of zesty flavor, and Tessa thought she could get used to this diner.
“It’s on the house, sweetheart. Welcome to Lucas,” Lily gave her another wink before heading off to wait on another customer.
Now that she thought about it, Tessa realized she could get used to thistown, too.
Chapter four
Danielrosewiththedawn as he usually did, the early morning sunlight spilling in through a crack in his curtains. He rolled over with a sigh and threw off the gray duvet, placing his feet firmly on the ground. He took a few deep breaths, letting each one out slowly through his mouth.
Daniel was a firm believer that waking up on the wrong side of the bed was a myth. You controlled how your morning attitude would be by taking the proper steps to ensure it; for Daniel, that included his ritual of deep, calming breaths, followed by a strong cup of coffee while he did an online crossword puzzle. Some people had meditation; Daniel had his puzzles. There was something so comforting about making the words fit together just right.
Once he was done with his breathing exercise, he stood up, padding to his small kitchenette. The apartment above the bookshop was a small one-bedroom with barely enough room for his grandfather’s old chair in the corner and a small television in the “living room”—if it could be called that. The kitchenette was outdated and, frankly, falling apart—the vinyl sidings on the cabinets were starting to peel away with age. But he loved this place.
He’d moved in shortly after high school, desperate to find a place for himself away from his deadbeat of a father. The apartment had been a wreck at the time, but when Martha had offered it, he had jumped at the chance, putting in some extra effort to make it livable. Sometimes, freedom looked like a tiny apartment with grimy walls you had to scrub yourself.
Turning on the ancient coffee maker he’d gotten at a yard sale five years ago, Daniel pulled down a mug from a cabinet. It was chipped, and the logo was fading, but it was a mug Martha had gotten made for him. The Turn the Page Booksellers logo was emblazoned on it with the words “Store Manager” printed beneath. It had always been a precious item to him.
When the coffee was ready, he poured himself a cup and walked back to his bedroom, where he sat at his writing desk. He flipped open his laptop and went to the crossword puzzle site, confident in the knowledge that his day was starting out just like every other morning—structured and calm.
But as he tried to puzzle out the crossword before him, his mind kept straying to Tessa. The way she smelled, her snarky comebacks, the way her brow wrinkled when she was frustrated. He cursed softly, closing the laptop. He couldn’t understand how she had managed to bewitch him.
