silence for a minute. Finally, Hudson said, “You mentioned you’re buying the building from the previous owner?”
I nodded. “I’m leasing it from him, but he knows I’m interested in buying it. So for every year I’m there, he’s agreed to reduce the sale price. A lease to own, if you will. I figure I have another year before I can get a loan to formally purchase it from him.”
Hudson nodded.
“Why do you ask?”
He sheepishly looked away before he focused back on me. “This is going to sound strange, but today when I picked you up, those men in suits were all staring at Turning Pages, and I had a weird feeling come over me, that’s all.”
I tilted my head and regarded him for a moment. “Really? I wonder who they were.”
Hudson took a bite of his egg salad sandwich. “I don’t know, but I think it wouldn’t hurt for you to ask some questions, Greer.”
With a chuckle, I asked, “Ask who what?”
Hudson’s serious expression made me sit up some.
“The mayor, for one. She clearly didn’t want to speak to you today. It might all be a simple coincidence, but I think it wouldn’t hurt to dig around and find out who those suits are.”
I nodded and replied, “Okay, first thing Monday I’ll call up Mr. Brooks who owns the building I’m leasing and see if he knows anything.”
“Good. I think it’s best to try and find out now, so you’re not surprised by anything.”
With a frown, I asked, “Hudson, why do you think I would be surprised by something?”
He sighed and then placed his sandwich down. “One of my close friends in New York is a developer. I’ve seen him sweep into small towns just like Boggy Creek and buy up all the historical buildings, and then either tear them down if they’re not registered as historical—and sometimes if they are—or turn them into apartments, boutiques, or shopping centers.”
I let out a laugh, not wanting to believe that something like that could happen here—but knowing deep down inside that it very well could. “Let’s hope that never happens here in Boggy Creek!”
He gave a half shrug and changed the subject. “Is there a historical center in Boggy Creek? I would love to go and look at old photos of what the town used to look like.”
Now this is a much more pleasant conversation, I thought, slightly unnerved by the last one.
“Yes. It’s on Main and Low, right next door to Millie’s Candies.”
He let out a moan. “Oh man, I remember going into Millie’s when I was little. Her chocolate-covered apples are so freaking good.”
“They are. But have you ever had her chocolate honeycomb toffee? It’s to die for.”
Hudson raised a brow. “Are you tempting me into another date?”
My heart seemed to pound against my ribs as I desperately tried to figure out what to say. Had he meant to say this was a date? Wasn’t it a date, though? He’d asked me to spend the day with him and asked me to go to dinner later.
Oh God, why am I overthinking this right now? It’s clearly a date, and I’m going to enjoy every single second of it.
“Is it working?” I asked in a teasing voice.
He laughed. “Well, when you talk about chocolate honeycomb toffee, hell yes, that’s going to work.”
It was time to change the direction of this conversation.
“Do you snack on things when you write? We’ve had a few authors come into the bookstore, and when we do Q&As, some say they have weird little habits when they write. Most eat things like Swedish Fish or licorice. Have to have a Diet Coke by their side, things like that.”
“No,” he replied with a shake of his head. “I don’t normally eat while I’m writing. I feel like once I get into the flow of it, I tend to write nonstop unless I need to get up and walk around or I need to use the bathroom.”
I chewed on a carrot and looked out over the falls. The way the sunbeams caught the water looked like thousands of diamonds floating along the surface. A hidden paradise just waiting for someone to come along and fall captive to its beauty. How I loved this place. I felt sad that I hadn’t taken the time to enjoy it enough in the last few years.
My mind wandered a bit more, and I suddenly blurted out, “I’ve always wanted to publish a book.”
The words were out before I could even register that I’d