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The night sky was littered with stars with the moon being absent. This part of town was usually really quiet once it hit nine o’clock. It was ten now, and Daniel didn’t expect to see any evidence of life in the bookstore across the street.
Except there was.
The front lights were off, but a soft glow came from somewhere deep inside the building. Megan’s car was still parked out front. She must have had a longer day as well. He locked the door to his shop then stared across the street, contemplating going over to tell her he was grateful for her help.
Her shop was likely all locked up and based on how dim the light was, he probably wouldn’t be able to get inside. Knocking on the door wasn’t an option. He wasn’t about to call her away from whatever work she was doing.
Even while he thought about how ridiculous it would be, his feet seemed to propel himself forward.
The rough pavement scuffed the bottom of his shoes as he made the short trip to the other side of the road—into enemy territory. She would have liked to hear him say that. Heck, she probably would have laughed if he mentioned something like that.
Daniel chuckled, taking hold of the door without really thinking about it, then he nearly stumbled as he pushed it open and crossed the threshold.
She hadn’t locked it! Surprise and frustration were his first reactions as he hurried to shut the door and lock it behind him. Then he headed toward the light in the back of the store. He was all prepared to give her a piece of his mind when he came to a sudden halt.
Megan sat at a counter beneath a pendant light, surrounded by a binder and a few piles of paper. Stray hairs framed her face, falling from the messy bun she wore. She pushed her glasses up the bridge of her nose with a single finger and her brows creased as she went over the document in front of her.
Bathed in the glow from the small light overhead, she looked more like an angel than the enemy he’d made her out to be. Hunched over her work, she wasn’t nearly as intimidating. Granted, when she was dressed for running, she wasn’t quite as intimidating either, but he wasn’t about to relive those moments with her.
He would have marched right up to her to let her know that she wasn’t being smart about staying here late at night with an unlocked door, no less. But he was transfixed. Little by little she had shown that there was more to her than he had originally thought.
Daniel cleared his throat and her head snapped up so suddenly it couldn’t have felt very good. She scrambled from the stool and peered into the darkness where he stood.
“I don’t know how you got in here, but we’re closed.” Her voice was firm, confident. But he knew better. There was the slightest tremor to it. She was nervous.
Stepping forward into the light, he gave a little wave. “It’s just me.”
Her shoulders slumped with relief. “Daniel! What are you doing here? Did you break in?”
He snorted. “No, you forgot to lock the door when you closed up—do you even know how dangerous that is? Even in a small town like this, you never know what kind of people could be driving through town.”
Megan blinked a few times, her chin lifting. “Iknowthat,” she said indignantly. “I just forgot.”
“Well don’t do it again.”
Her brow lifted and she folded her arms. “Why, Mr. Reese, do I detect a small degree of concern on your part?”
He wasn’t any more concerned about her safety than he would have been over his sister’s. He didn’t want to see anyone get hurt—not even Megan. Daniel shoved his hands into his pockets and glanced away. There was a small voice that seemed to tell him he should stop lying to himself.
Something had shifted between them, he just wasn’t sure what it was.
Clearing his throat again, he brought his focus back to her. “I just don’t want to see anything happen to your place. You put a lot of work into it.” That was a lame excuse and one she probably could see right through. He needed to deflect—find something else to talk about. He gestured toward the paperwork at the counter and moved closer. “That looks like quite a bit more paperwork than just to close up for the night.”
She glanced to her side then picked up a sheet of paper. “That’s because it’s not closing paperwork. It’s stuff for the donations I’ve made to a few libraries and schools.”
“You make donations?”
Megan laughed, climbing back onto her stool. “Of course I do. I’m not just out here to make money.” She gave him a side-eyed look. “I want to make a difference.”
Without realizing just why he did it, Daniel took a seat beside her. Most of what was on the paperwork was gibberish to him. Statements, rules, how to file her taxes, a lot of stuff about donating to non-profits were a few of the things he’d noted. She wasn’t lying. But then why would she?
He felt her gaze on him before he actually met her eyes. The curious look on her face was enough to make him flush briefly. She was probably wondering what he was doing here—especially now that he was seated beside her.
Daniel chuckled to ease the tension in his chest, but it didn’t help at all. “Look, I wanted to come over and thank you personally for cleaning the front of my shop. It’s a lot better than anything I could have done. I don’t know how you did it… but… it’s great.”
She pointed to her elbow and laughed. “Just some grease, you know?”
“It was more than that. You cleaned the windows, too.”
