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Megan snorted. “I asked youonequestion. And no. I already know that you’re compatible with me.”
He stopped and stared at her, surprise flitting across his features. “You do?”
She tilted her head and her eyes dipped to something at his shoulder as her hand went there to pluck it away. “Yeah. I do,” she whispered. Her eyes lifted to meet his once more. “You’re not like anyone I’ve dated before. You understand me better than sometimes I understand myself. That isn’t to say that it couldn’t change… but…” she shrugged. “Yeah, you’re the kind of guy I could see myself with.”
It was too dark to be certain, but he could have sworn she blushed a little with that statement. His grin widened and he pulled her in for another lingering kiss.
When she pulled away from him, she laughed. “You haven’t answered my question.”
“What, about reading? Sure, I read.”
Her expression was such he couldn’t contain his laugh.
“I read instruction manuals, news reports, and sometimes I even read the nutrition information on the back of the cereal box in the morning.”
Megan’s disgruntled gasp and the way she flicked him with the back of her fingers made his statement all the more worth it. “You know what I meant when I asked. Do you readfiction?”
“I dabble. Why? Is there an author you want me to try out?”
She shook her head, but the lights in her eyes seemed to intensify. “I have to tell you something amazing.”
“What?” He’d never heard her squeal with excitement before this moment. She bounced on the balls of her feet and squeezed both of his hands. “There’s this new author who is actually local to Billings. She just hit the New York Times Bestsellers list for the fourth week in a row for her debut mystery book.”
“That’s… neat…”
She rolled her eyes. “That’s not the exciting part. Her agent is trying to get her scheduled to do readings and she’s insisting on doing several near her hometown. There’s a form to fill out and if she picks us… it would behuge.”
Us.
He couldn’t deny just how much he enjoyed hearing her refer to them that way.
“I take it you’re going to fill out that form.”
“You bet I will. And there’s no way she’s going to turn it down. Because my bookstore is the perfect combination of reading and coffee.”
His brows furrowed.
“What?” she questioned.
“It’s just what you said about being a good combination. What does coffee have to do with this author?”
“Oh, her novel is about a murderer who uses poisoned coffee beans to kill his victim. She’s been doing readings in coffee shops lately.”
Daniel offered her a smile. “Well then, I hope you get it. You’re right. Your bookstore would be perfect.”
CHAPTERSIXTEEN
Steam billowedfrom the machine Megan was trying to use to make coffee. Or was that smoke? Her hands shook as she frantically pushed buttons to shut off the equipment before the smoke alarm went off.
Spinning around, she gave an apologetic smile to the waiting customers. “It’s just going to be another moment.”
One of the people waiting in line turned to another and murmured something. And that was the thing that tipped the scales—it triggered every insecurity that Megan had when it came to running her business. She couldn’t let this bookshop fail. It was more than just her livelihood—this bookstore was her dream and with the bookstore, the café.
She turned toward the coffee maker and shut her eyes tight. With how good everything was going, it made sense that the universe had plans to calibrate her life. She couldn’t continue to have everything working out for her. That was the point of adversity, right?
But knowing that didn’t change the fact that these customers had paid her to make them a fresh, hot cup of coffee and she had not a single clue on how to fix the machine in front of her. There was only one person she knew she could probably count on when she needed help of this nature.
Daniel.
