The Bookstore on the Beach - Brenda Novak Page 0,18
were nice.
The only person she wasn’t sure she liked was Sierra. She was different. But it wasn’t only her piercings, tattoo and cocky attitude that set her apart. It was the way she watched Taylor that put Taylor on edge. Every time she looked up, she found Sierra staring at her with an inscrutable expression. What was she thinking? And why the interest?
When they finally dropped onto the sand where they’d left their towels, sweaty and exhausted from battling out a close three-game set in which her team had finally eked out the win—on her serve—Taylor was slightly relieved when Sierra didn’t join them. She ran down the beach and plunged into the waves by herself, and eventually Penn and Adrienne joined her.
Taylor told herself that this was her chance to relax and get to know the others. But every few seconds she found herself glancing toward the ocean, searching for one person in particular.
* * *
Autumn enjoyed being at the bookstore anytime, but especially when she could be there by herself. On her second day in town, as soon as her mother and Laurie went to the bank, where they were hoping to secure a business loan to put in a coffee shop upstairs, she stood behind the counter and smiled. Being there, gazing out the large front window at the town where she’d been raised, reminded her of when she was in high school. In the afternoons she’d drive her mother’s car over, spread her homework on the counter and complete her studies between serving customers. Sometimes her mother and Laurie would be gone, taking care of various errands, but more often one or the other would be there with her. She didn’t mind either way. She liked the atmosphere and the customers who frequented the store, and she was always excited when she finished her homework, because then she could read for pleasure.
She’d never forget wandering down the aisles, touching the spines of the books she’d already enjoyed. As an only child, the fictional characters they contained were her first friends, and even though she had plenty of real friends as she grew older, she was always eager to retreat into the imaginary world created by a good storyteller. She loved deliberating on which novel to choose next and felt such wonder at the possibilities. Each shipment they received had her rushing to unpack the boxes, especially if one of her favorite authors had a new release.
Maybe she should move back to Sable Beach, she thought. She hadn’t fully realized how suffocating she’d found Tampa lately, but the freedom and happiness she felt here contrasted sharply with the miserable experience she’d been through. She wanted to leave all the upset and negativity behind and start over. It was possible that the only way to let go of Nick would be to leave the home they’d shared and embrace a change of scenery as well as a change of pace. She was certain her mother and Laurie would welcome her help with the store. Since they already had their hands full, she could run the coffee shop, once it became a reality. Then they wouldn’t have to hire someone else.
She’d always planned on coming back, anyway. She’d known Nick wouldn’t be happy to give up the big city. At times, she couldn’t help resenting the fact that he was so resistant to the idea and figured it would only be fair for her to have her way at some point. After all, she’d gone with him to Florida and stayed for the past sixteen years.
She belonged here.
The only thing stopping her from putting her house on the market right away was her children. It wouldn’t be a smart decision to uproot them before they could finish high school. She had a feeling Taylor wouldn’t mind. Since Nick’s disappearance, her daughter seemed listless, as though she’d lost her anchor and was drifting this way and that. Autumn couldn’t help worrying about her. But even if Taylor was willing to move, Caden relied on his friends a great deal, and he was doing well in water polo. She wouldn’t take that away from him.
Two more years, she told herself. She only had to last a little longer. If Nick wasn’t back by then, she’d sell the house and move home as soon as Caden graduated.
She was pulling the stool closer to the counter so she could sit down and dive into a book when the bell sounded over the door.