AllFreeNovel
Share Us
“It’s picking up. The new Stephen King book just released, so there’s always a nice little boom.” He raps his knuckles on his desk. “And Mary convinced me to order some new seasonal flavors for the store’s coffee, which have actually been a big hit.”
“I didn’t ask how the store has been,” I point out, realizing I’m still standing and finally sitting down in the chair across from him. “I asked howyouhave been. You do know you’re two separate things, don’t you? There is a place where you end and the store begins.”
He chuckles. “I’ve been told.” With a sudden grimace, he eyes my cup. “Did you actually come in here with coffee when you know we have the best. What is wrong with you?”
“Ah, ah, ah. You won’t be able to say you have the best for long.” I slide the cup across to him. “Try this.”
He studies the cup but doesn’t move to take it. “Why?”
“It’s not poisoned,” I say with a laugh. “Don’t worry, my latest Agatha Christie didn’t put too much of a black smudge on my heart just yet.”
“Too soon,” he says, shaking his head at the dark joke. “Way, way too soon.” Lifting the cup to his lips, he takes a hesitant sip of the coffee. He pulls his head back, eyeing the cup. “This is good. This is actually really, really good. Where’d you get it?”
“The new little bookstore that’s getting ready to open up like six blocks down. Cup and Page. Have you heard of it?”
He scowls. “Oh. Yeah, I have.”
I shrug one shoulder. “Well, what do you say? Are you up for a little friendly competition?”
It takes him a second to process what I’ve said. “Wait… No. You didn’t.”
“I did.” I grin with my tongue pressed to my top teeth.
“You own the bookstore? Seriously? You bought a building and became my rival? Why didn’t you tell me?”
“Leased, technically,” I correct, a finger in the air. Then, I slap his desk and grab the cup, taking a drink myself. “The world needs more bookstores, my friend.”
His eyes darken with meaning at the wordfriend. We both know we’ve been teetering on the edge of something more, but with the chaos of last year, it hasn’t felt right.
“Why didn’t you tell me you were doing this?”
“Well,technically, Ididtell you I was thinking about opening a bookstore since I’m wildly attracted to the owner of this one and can’t work here.”
He blanches. “I thought you were joking.”
“About which part?”
His lips pinch together. “Lena.”
“Well, I wanted to be certain everything was going to work out, and then it just became a fun surprise. Besides, we’re not really rivals. We’re all working together, aren’t we? Building an army of readers with black hearts.” I pat my chest. “And I didn’t know if you had any rules about competing with people you were insanely attracted to.” I wrinkle my nose.
“Hmm. Can’t say that I do,” he teases, folding his arms across his chest. “In fact, healthy competition—I guess it could be sort of fun.”
“Well, good, because I’m also helping Bertie keep her bookstore open, and I didn’t want the attraction between the two of you to get too awkward.”
He shakes his head, swiping the cup of coffee back from me and taking another drink.
I giggle. “Seriously, though, I think if we can make a few changes and restructure a bit, it will help keep her afloat.”
He runs a hand across his face. “Well, I’m glad you’re helping her. That place can’t afford to lose its only bookstore.”
“No. There’s still work to be done, but with Nathaniel dead and Vanessa in prison, the area—hell, the world—is better off.The causeis gone. We did it, my friend. Saved the world.”
He eyes me, leaning back in his seat. “For now, maybe. But we both know there will always be a newcause. Austin and Mara are in therapy, but what happens if they decide to pick up where their bosses left off? Or any of the other people out there who Nathaniel warned us about? There have been over three thousand books banned this year so far. He said it was just the beginning, and I don’t think he was lying. Someone else will always be out there trying to stop people from reading. They aren’t giving up.”
“Fine, sure.” I nod. “Butwe’re not giving up, either. We’ll be here to stop them. Onecupand onepageat a time.”
Chuckling, he lifts the cup and takes a sip thoughtfully, then reaches across the desk and laces his fingers with mine. “That we will. After all, spoiler alert: in the end, good wins.”
I squeeze his hand, knowing how true his words are, how true they’ll always be. “In the end, good wins.”
