Page 220 of Safe With You

I had to fight a smile.

Interesting.

The next half hour passed quickly as more people filtered in and we finished getting everyone settled. By the time the first person was ready to step up to the microphone, almost every chair was filled.

A few people stood along the back wall, and two more had pulled chairs over from the reading area. The low conversation that filled the bookstore a few minutes ago settled as Naomi dimmed the lights closest to the shelves.

I took my place near the front, scanning the room one last time before my eyes landed on a familiar face a few rows back.

Rachel.

She had a notebook resting in her lap again, one hand curled around the edge of it. When she caught me looking, she gave me a small smile.

I smiled back.

She came.

The last time she sat in one of these chairs, she looked like she might change her mind right up until the second I called her name. I remembered standing beside her afterward and asking if she’d do it again.

Apparently, I had my answer.

I made my way to the microphone.

“Welcome back to Chapter & Charm.”

Applause rose around the room.

“For those of you who were here for our first Open Mic Night, thank you for coming back. And if this is your first one, thank you for trusting us with your Tuesday night.”

Someone near the back called, “We love it here!”

I laughed. “And we love that you love it here.”

More laughter moved through the room.

“Same rules as last time. Be respectful. Be kind. And remember that it takes a lot to stand in front of a room full of people and share something that matters to you.”

My eyes drifted toward Rachel again.

She gave me the smallest nod.

“And sometimes,” I added, “the hardest part is just doing it the first time.”

Her smile grew.

I stepped away from the microphone as the room applauded and our first reader took my place.

For the next several minutes, I managed to focus.

Mostly.

Then I heard the quiet click of a camera.

My eyes found Ellis before I meant for them to.

He was near the opposite wall now, camera lifted to his face as he photographed the woman at the microphone.

This part hadn’t changed.