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She sighed, giving me a knowing look. “Nothing. I gotta say, those Ramsey boys are built different. The whole lot of them are more handsome than they have business being.”
“I guess.” I chuckled. “I’m really only focused on the right now.”
“Right.” She shook her head, dropping my hands to fluff her poofy white hair. “And why don’t you know how to feel about kissing that hunk—I mean, Reid?”
My shoulders lifted in a shrug. “It just seemed…so sudden. I’ve known him for so long and I’ve never wanted to kiss him before.”
“Well, you’re all grown up now, and so is he. There’s nothing wrong with the two of you having feelings for each other.”
She was right, but I was still hesitant. I wrapped my arms around my chest, a sudden chill hitting me. “I never planned to stay here long,” I said softly. “I was only supposed to stay long enough to help Mom and then return to my place in the city. I have a home there. I have a job.”
Jojo’s penciled-in brows drew together. “You have a home here too, you know.”
That simple sentence hit me hard. I hadn’t been back in Ember Hollow long, and though some weren’t supportive, so many more people were. They welcomed me back with open arms.
As the days went by, I became more comfortable working with customers and consignors. I actually enjoyed working here.
I’d even thought about how much some marketing could make the place thrive. A good website with an online shop would work wonders to build the business.
But that was all something that I never planned on. I never thought I’d find any fulfillment back in Ember Hollow. I never believed I’d ever find any semblance of hope here again.
When I didn’t respond, Jojo pulled me into a quick hug.
I almost burst into tears.
“I know it’s all scary, hon. But most good things are, at least in the beginning. I can’t tell you what to do or how to feel, but I’ve lived a long time and one thing I’ve learned is that the best things in life are worth taking a chance.”
I wasn’t sure I was ready to risk what small semblance of a life I’d managed to hang on to all these years, but I took Jojo’s wise words and tucked them close to my heart.
“Thanks.” I pulled back from her.
She patted my shoulder.
The bell above the front door chimed as a customer walked inside.
Our heads turned toward the front, but it wasn’t exactly a customer. Her shock of dark red hair was slightly disheveled by the wind, and her eyes were wide behind her glasses as they sought out mine.
Emersyn Hawthorn approached the counter, a little bit out of breath. “We need to talk.”
25
Lark
Latte Pages Bookstore and Cafe was dead as Emersyn and I walked in.
I hadn’t been to the cafe much at all since that horrifying first trip, when I’d literally dropped my whole coffee over Reid’s head.
It seemed like so much had changed since then, even though it wasn’t that long at all.
As Emersyn and I approached the coffee counter, my stomach dropped. Ruby Rivera glared at me from behind the register.
“You’re back,” she said, sounding less than enthused.
I resisted the urge to shrink back from her. There were people in this town who would probably never like me. There were people in this town who would forever believe that I was involved in the murder of my best friend. But I couldn’t let other people’s wrong opinions dictate where I went and what I did. I couldn’t let them dictate who I was.
Forcing my lips up into a smile, I gave her a friendly wave. “Hi, Ruby.”
Her eyes narrowed. “I was hoping you had left town.”
