I cleared my throat and pushed the thoughts from my head. 揧eah. What did you bring??
揟his is my way of saying thanks for helping me.?She pulled something out of her bag and handed it to me. It was a plastic inflatable book for babies, the kind they read in the bathtub, with words like CAT and DOG and BALL on it.
I raised a skeptical eyebrow at her and she shook with laughter.
揑t抯 so you can read out on the water in the mornings.?The giggles bubbled out of her and all the weird tension in me melted away.
揧ou抮e such a brat.?I tugged on the end of her ponytail and grinned.
She returned my grin. 揑 know.?
We smiled at each other for a moment. I had the urge to tell her I was reading Pride and Prejudice. The boring, weird cousin, Mr. Collins, had just visited their home. I read late into the night, laughing to myself as Lizzy maneuvered the awkward conversation with him. For some reason, I held back from telling this to Hannah. I wanted to see how the story ended first.
揅ome on,?I said, tilting my head. 揕et抯 get food.?
On the walk to the food truck, I thought of something. 揧ou抳e got more homework, bookworm.?
Her eyebrows rose and her eyes brightened. 揥hat is it??
揜ound up twenty of your favorite books.?
She paused. 揟hat抯 it? I don抰 need to run naked down Main Street or something??
I laughed. 揥hat? I would never make you do that.?
Her shoulder lifted in a shrug and she shot me another smile as we approached the truck. 揧ou抮e trying to push me past my comfort zone.?
The idea of other people, people like Beck, seeing Hannah naked was past my comfort zone.
I had something else in mind.
She narrowed her eyes but her mouth twitched upwards. 揥hat are you up to??
I tugged on the end of her ponytail again. 揧ou抣l see.?
9
Hannah
揋ood morning, Liya.?His low voice made my ears perk up as I searched for a book at the back of the store. 揅ool earrings.?
揋ood morning,?Liya chirped back. Her earrings were two tiny copies of her favorite books桾he Hate U Give by Angie Thomas and Indigo by Beverly Jenkins. She had a bunch made on Etsy and mixed and matched sometimes. She gasped in delight. 揊or us??
揊or you,?Wyatt confirmed.
I poked my head around the corner. He held a tray of coffees and a white box with a familiar stamp on it. Beside him, the front desk piled high with books.
I was struggling to narrow my favorites down to twenty. Last I counted, we were at nearly fifty.
My mouth fell open at the sight of the box. 揑s that from the bakery??
He winked at me, and my stomach flipped.
I took the box from him, set it on the counter, and opened it. Two perfect cinnamon buns were inside. I inhaled deeply before groaning with my eyes closed. When I opened my eyes, he was watching me with a little smile.
揌i.?
揌i.?His gaze skimmed over my face and my stomach flipped again.
Liya stuck her face in the bag and inhaled. 揙h my god. I haven抰 had one since April. The tourists snap them up so fast.?
揟hank you,?I told Wyatt.
He shrugged but his mouth slid into a satisfied grin. 揘o problem. You抮e going to need snacks. We抮e going on an adventure.?
I hesitated. 揥hat do you mean??
Instead of elaborating, he pointed at the piles on the desk. 揃ookworm, are these the books you抳e picked out??
I nodded, wincing. 揑抦 sorry, I couldn抰 narrow it down.?
He waved me off. 揘o problem. Liya, do you have yours??
揧ep, got them.?She pulled a small stack from a nearby shelf.
Now I was intrigued. What was he up to?
He handed me the coffee and cinnamon buns and picked up a stack of books. 揕et抯 go.?He proceeded to walk out the front door.
揥hat? Wyatt? Where are you going??I called after him, staring as Liya gave an excited squeal and followed.
Outside on the street, the weekly farmer抯 market was in full swing. On Saturdays, the main street of Queen抯 Cove was open to foot traffic only, and local vendors lined the road with tables. The pizza place, Mateo抯 Pizza, was setting up for the lunch rush, the produce vendors had been open since I arrived at work, even the hairstylist set up a chair for people who wanted a quick trim.
Wyatt led us to an empty booth and set down a stack of books. He gestured at me. 揌and me your phone.?
揥hy??My stomach dropped. 揙h god. Am I going on Tinder? I抳e heard it抯 only for hookups now, and I抦 not sure I抦 ready for that.?
He snorted. 揘o, we抮e not setting you up on Tinder.?He pulled a tiny white square out of his pocket. 揧ou抮e going to sell books.?He plugged in the square and installed an app before handing it back to me to input the store抯 banking info.
My thumb hovered over the screen and I hesitated. My dad wouldn抰 like this. A phone with a square didn抰 have that small town charm, he抎 insist. This was different. This was new. A twinge of guilt hit me in the stomach.