“You’ll see.” She unhooks her belt, then leans over to the console between us and cups my jaw before kissing me softly. “Thank you for being here with me, for getting me here, and just for being you.”
“I wouldn’t want to be anywhere else, sunshine,” I tell her truthfully, and her face softens.
“Hey, are you two coming?” Jade knocks on the window, and Cybil sighs while letting her hand fall away.
“My best friend is nuts.”
“I’m getting the feeling you both are.”
“No, she’s just a bad influence,” she says before looking over my shoulder when Jade knocks again. “We’re coming! Sheesh. Calm down.” She opens her door as I open mine, and I get out, meeting her at the hood to take her hand. As we reach the entrance to the bookstore, Jade holds open the door for us to enter before her, and once we’re inside, I look around, not seeing anything out of the ordinary. Books fill most of the space, with a couch and coffee table under the window in the front and shelves with odds and ends near the register.
“I’ll let you take him to the back room,” Jade says, heading for the counter, and Cybil leads me to a door with a DO NOT ENTER sign painted on it. She opens it, waiting for me to go in ahead of her.
As I step into the room, it takes a second for it to register that the small room, no bigger than my closet back at home, is filled with sex toys and other X-rated paraphernalia.
“Jade loves books as much as I do,” Cybil says, and I turn to face her. “Ever since we were little, she wanted to open a bookstore, but by the time she saved enough money to do it, she realized she wouldn’t be able to earn a living from selling paperbacks, so she came up with an idea in order to have her dream.”
“It’s smart. Does everyone know about this place, or is it a secret all the women in town keep to themselves?”
“Most people know about it,” Jade says, leaning against the doorjamb. “Even the mayor, who’s about seventy, has come in and bought a few things.”
“Don’t tell me that!” Cybil cries, shaking her head and following Jade out of the room.
“Hey, everyone needs to have a good time. You should have seen the—”
Jade doesn’t have a chance to finish, because Cybil attacks and tries to cover her mouth, causing the two of them to fall to the floor in a pile of laughter. Crossing my arms over my chest, I watch them, shaking my head.
“I missed you.” Cybil falls to her back next to Jade while reaching out to grab her hand.
“I missed you, too, but I’m glad you’re home.” Jade’s eyes meet mine and fill with sadness before she sits up and pulls Cybil up with her. “You should take Tanner down the block to Brew’s.”
“Should I take Tanner to Brew’s, or should we go to Brew’s and get you a chocolate chip iced latte?”
“I wouldn’t be opposed to a chocolate chip latte.” She moves behind the counter. “And I would come with you, but I need to call Erin and Jeff and work out a schedule for the rest of the week, since I want to be able to spend as much time as I can with Mom while she’s in the hospital.”
“All right, do you want anything else from Brew’s while we’re there?”
“A sandwich, whatever is on special today. Unless it’s tuna; then just choose something.”
“Got it.” Cybil looks at me. “Ready?”
“Yep, lead the way.” I place my hand against her lower back, then open the door for her. Once we’re outside, she leads me down the block to a small café that’s part coffee shop, part deli, and the moment we enter, the entire place grows quiet as everyone turns our way.
“How’s Maisie?” the older gentleman behind the register asks, and Cybil’s fingers tighten around mine as we step up to the counter.
“She’s going to be okay.”
“Good.” His eyes come to me, then drop to our hands. “Who’s your friend?”
“This is Tanner. Tanner, I’d like you to meet Mr. Brew. He owns this place now but used to teach tenth-grade English when I was in school.”
“Nice to meet you.” I lift my chin.
“You too.” His attention goes back to Cybil. “Galvin is in town.”
“I know.”
“He got married.”
“I know that too.” Her fingers tighten around mine as he looks between us once more, probably realizing that now is not the time to gossip or dig for information.