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“Well, I can’t help right now. I have to go pay a visit to Daniel. I worry if I let this go on too long that it’s going to be harder for him to forgive me.” She rolled off the bed and caught a glimpse of herself in the mirror. Megan grimaced. “Okay, maybe I should take a shower first. He doesn’t have to know I’ve been crying. I don’t need to look desperate.”
Her cousin shrugged. “Then again, it couldn’t hurt.”
Megan gasped, shooting a look at her. “I already made a fool of myself. Let’s not add fuel to the fire.”
* * *
Megan parkedher car a little way down the street. She could see the coffee shop entrance from where she was parked. There weren’t many people out and about today which was strange, but then when she’d announced on social media that her bookstore would be closed perhaps she’d cut down on traffic.
She wrung her hands together, hating just how clammy they’d gotten from the drive into town. Apologizing had never come easy to her. She simply didn’t like having to explain herself when it came to stuff like this. Her heart was in the right place. Daniel should appreciate that she was trying to look out for him—or rather both of them.
A couple passed in front of the car and Megan hunched down in her seat. She probably looked like a stalker with the way she kept watching the shop for movement. It was time to just get this whole thing over with.
Hands shaking as she pushed open the door, she forced herself to take a deep breath then release it. She could do this. She could tell him that she loved him, and it didn’t matter what he wanted to do with the book reading or the coffee shop, she just wanted to be by his side through it all.
Her heels clipped along the sidewalk and each step stretched ahead of her making it feel like she was walking twice as long. Finally, she reached for the door handle and a sign caught her eye.
Permanently Closingat the End of the Month
Megan hadto read the words at least three times before they resonated with her. Her eyes darted up, but due to the reflection of the glass, she couldn’t see inside the shop. Fury boiled over inside her. What did this mean? Was he giving up? He’d be losing all his investments. None of this made any sense.
Yanking firmly, she pulled the door open then stepped inside. Daniel and Corbin were behind the counter and both glanced in her direction, but only Daniel seemed to be affected by her arrival.
His hands stopped drying the pitcher, the rag swaying from the previous momentum. His blank stare only added to her frustration.
“You. In your office. Now.” Megan stormed past him and headed straight for the back room. Well, if she didn’t want to make a fool of herself before she’d arrived, she’d failed miserably. There was nothing like walking into an establishment acting like she owned the place when she had zero right to be there.
No going back now.
CHAPTERTWENTY-ONE
Daniel shot Corbin a confused look.His friend shrugged then let out a laugh. “She’s not my girlfriend.”
“She isn’t mine, either.” Not anymore.
At least he was pretty sure she wasn’t with him. Then again, he’d been confused by her actions before.
Corbin took the pitcher from his hands and laughed again. “Dude, just go back there and see what you did wrong. I thought you two were on good terms.”
“Yeah, not after the book reading got scheduled here.”
His friend grimaced. “Ooh. I forgot about that. Is she here to give you a piece of her mind then?”
“She already did that,” Daniel mumbled.
“Sounds like you’re in trouble then.” Corbin nodded to the office. “I wouldn’t keep her waiting if I were you.”
Daniel stared down the short hallway with a sense of trepidation he wasn’t expecting. What more could Megan do to him that she hadn’t already done? She’d practically stomped on his heart when she’d made it clear that he would always come second to her bookstore. But Corbin made a good point. He needed to go back there before she lost her temper and his customers overheard the impending argument.
He let out a sigh and slipped into the room. Megan’s back was to him as she examined a large picture of the countryside where it hung on the wall. He let the door close with a soft click and she glanced toward him.
Even from this distance, he could tell her jaw was rigid. She was definitely angrier than she’d been when she’d found out about him taking the reading when it had been offered to him. Daniel straightened his spine and clasped his hands together behind his back. “What can I do for you, Megan?”
She pursed her lips together, taking a deep breath and releasing it loudly. “You’re closing the shop?” The accusation in her voice was the last thing he expected. “How could you!”
He shoved his hands into the pockets of his apron and stared at her with confusion. “I’m sorry, now you don’t want me to quit? Remind me, how many times did you tell me that I should just walk away from this place?” Already he could feel his defenses rising. He’d finally figured out what he wanted to do with his life and here she was telling him he was wrong.
Again.
