been playing around with one for the past couple of years. I’ve been too busy to spend as much time on it as I’d like, and it’s sometimes hard to get motivation.”
“Why is it hard to get motivation?”
“Because it’s a ton of work. And when it’s done, it probably won’t go anywhere.”
“Why not? Wouldn’t you try to get it published?”
“Of course I would. But I’m probably not that good.”
“Sure you are.” He was frowning up at her now. “Any book you wrote would be great. Why wouldn’t it be?”
“I don’t know.” Her cheeks were warming, and she was wishing she’d never started this conversation.
“You write all those poems for the flower shop. They’re hugely popular. You’re a fantastic writer. You know you are.”
“I’m good at the poems, but those are different than a book. They’re... they’re fun. They’re not... serious.”
“Writing fun can’t be easy, and you’re good at that. You’ll be good at anything you want to do. If you want to write a book, you should do it.” He stroked her hair back since it was falling forward over her shoulder. “I’d read it.”
She gave him a wobbly smile. She didn’t know why she was suddenly emotional. “Thank you. You might be the only one, but thank you.”
“You’ve got a bunch of friends who would read it too. And I bet there are a ton of other people who would love it. I know it’s a lot of work, but if it’s something you want, you shouldn’t be afraid to do it.”
She nodded and rested her head on his chest again, mostly because his earnest expression was making her nervous. “Thanks, Ken. I’ve been working on it on and off. I’ll keep going.”
“Good. You should.”
Madeline didn’t say it, but she couldn’t help but compare Ken’s encouragement with Josh’s response to her work on the book. He always complained since it took her away from doing things for him.
That was one of the differences in a casual relationship.
She didn’t have to worry about things like that.
THE FOLLOWING DAY, Ken strolled into Anna’s in the morning for breakfast, just like he did every day. There were about six people already eating today, and most of them waved at or greeted him as he entered.
He’d lived in Azalea all his life. He knew about half the people in town well, and the other half he at least recognized to say hi to. It was one of the perks of living in a small town. That and very little traffic.
One of the downsides was that everyone knew your business. It was a miracle that he and Madeline had been able to keep their relationship secret for so long.
“Hey, Sheriff Harley,” the waitress called out to him from across the room. “Your usual?”
“Yeah. Thanks.” He glanced around, trying to decide where to sit. He normally sat at the counter so as not to take up one of the booths. But Jacob Worth was sitting near the window with Matthew Jenkins.
Ken like Jacob a lot. Considered him a friend now. And Matthew was Madeline’s brother. He lived in Richmond and worked as an architect, so Ken wasn’t sure what he was doing in town this morning. Madeline certainly hadn’t mentioned it. But it would be rude not to go over and say hello.
He headed over, and Jacob grinned and moved over to make room for him at their table.
After normal greetings, Ken asked Matthew, “What brought you to town?”
Matthew was older than Madeline by a couple of years, so he was probably twenty-eight or twenty-nine. He had the same coloring as his sister, paired with a square-jawed face and an athlete’s body.
“He’s helping me with plans for the downtown buildings,” Jacob said. “I want to get a start at fixing more of them up.”
For a long time, Azalea’s downtown area had gone the way of a lot of other small towns. A lot of empty storefronts and run-down buildings. But Jacob had recently inherited all the buildings on one of the central blocks in town from his grandfather, and he’d been slowly working on renovations and bringing in more businesses.
“Ah. That’s great news.” Ken eyed Matthew discreetly, trying to match him up with Madeline. He had the same serious demeanor as Madeline—a pose that hid sharp intelligence and a lively wit. Madeline was close to her brother. Ken knew they talked and texted regularly. But he doubted she’d told him about her relationship with Ken.
Matthew’s gaze was polite. Friendly enough. But it didn’t appear to