a positive way to look at it.”
“Positivity is my middle name.”
After we got the table cleared and the dishes rinsed and put in the dishwasher, Greer showed me the brownies she’d made.
“I think I should drop to one knee now and ask you to marry me,” I said.
With the sweetest little snicker, she pointed behind me. “Will you grab two plates?”
I did as she asked and watched while she put a brownie on my plate and one on hers. Turning, she reached into her freezer and took out vanilla bean ice cream.
“Did you call my mother and ask her what my favorite ice cream was?” I asked as I took the ice cream scoop from her.
“No,” she answered. “As you can see—” she opened the tub and showed me the half-eaten ice cream—“I’m a fan of it as well. I can’t believe you like vanilla bean. Lots of people love the classic homemade vanilla, but I’ve never found anyone else who likes vanilla bean.”
I scooped some out and placed it on a dish. “Well, you just found your ice cream soulmate.”
After I dropped some onto the second plate, I put the lid back on and handed it to Greer.
“I have a sitting area on the roof if you’d like to go up there,” she said. “It’s a rather warm evening, so it might be nice.”
“That sounds good. I’ll grab the wine; you grab the desserts.”
She picked up both plates. “The wine opener is on that buffet table in the dining room.”
After quickly grabbing the bottle of wine and the opener, I followed Greer up a narrow staircase and out onto the roof of her building.
I did a quick sweep of the three-hundred-and-sixty-degree view and whistled. I could see the entire town of Boggy Creek and well into Boggy Creek Valley. The Pemigewasset River wasn’t far from Main Street, and Greer had a view of it running through the town. If I closed my eyes I was almost positive I would be able to hear it meandering along on its journey. “Oh man, this is amazing, Greer.”
“Isn’t it? I feel like it’s my own little piece of paradise.”
Before we walked out, Greer had flipped a switch that turned on the Edison light bulbs she’d strung across the entire rooftop. There were a few different sitting areas spread over the space. One featured an outdoor sofa and two rocking chairs, a coffee table, a grill, and a round table that seated four. On the other side of the roof was a round fire pit with large cushions placed around it. Throw pillows and blankets were laid out for whoever was sitting there. To the left of that was a bar area with four barstools.
“You could seriously throw an amazing party up on this rooftop.”
Greer looked around and smiled as she took a seat on the sofa. She folded her legs under her and laughed. “You probably could, but I never have.”
“What? With a space like this, you’ve never thrown a party?”
She shook her head and took a bite of her brownie, then followed it with a bite of ice cream. “I work nearly every day, and when I’m off, I usually volunteer around town or catch up on orders for the bookstore, things like that.”
I lifted a brow. “You really are a workaholic, aren’t you?”
With the sweetest laugh, she replied, “I am. It’s just, I’ve worked so hard for this place and I…” Her voice trailed off.
“You what?” I took a bite of the brownie and let out a long moan.
“Is it good?” Greer asked with a giggle. “Or is this your normal reaction to dessert?”
I held up my finger as I took another bite and savored it. “It’s that good,” I finally answered.
“Do you mind opening the wine?” she asked.
I set my plate down. “Not at all.”
As I worked on opening the wine, Greer walked over to the bar, bent, and took two wine glasses out of a cabinet.
She handed them to me and then sat back down and got to work on her brownie.
“Before you became a workaholic, what did you like to do for fun?” I asked, pouring the wine and handing her a glass.
With a sigh, she looked up as if thinking hard about her answer. “Let’s see, what was life like before the bookstore?” She chuckled, then sipped her wine. “I love to hike. Honestly, being outdoors has always been one of my favorite things in the world. My father used to take me and my brother