I was glad it had worked out for them. From what I’d witnessed, Milly and Dexter were an example of a marriage to aspire to. Married thirty years and, yes, they still loved each other, but more impressively they still liked each other. After a moment’s contemplation, I whispered, “I do feel kind of bad for West. He must have loved Milly a lot.”
Roane nodded, his expression thoughtful. “Aye, I wouldn’t wish having to live in the same village with the object of your affection, watching her live her life with some other man, on my enemy. But he made a choice to move on, marry Kathy, have kids. That should have been it. Instead he turned it into a war with everyone taking sides. Some locals patronize here, others The Alnster Inn—some are people who didn’t even live here thirty years ago but have somehow gotten caught up in their story. And worse, they have two boys. Lucas, the youngest, is Viola’s age. The war continued with them. The two of them are forever at each other’s throats when they’re home. Kathy has to see that. Can you imagine marrying a man and standing by his side while his bitterness over losing the love of another woman pervades an entire village and affects your kids?”
Sometimes I loved the way Roane talked. Realizing I was staring at his mouth, I shook my head and returned my attention to our conversation. “Poor Kathy.”
My friend contemplated me a moment, those entrancing lips of his twisting into a smirk. “Aye, poor Kathy. Poor Milly. Poor Dexter. Maybe poor West. You could write a book about this place.”
I chuckled. “One day I might.”
Over a week after our conversation about Milly and West, Roane had commandeered my day off. I hadn’t had time to rent a car just yet. Penny drove me along the coast on one of my days off, and I’d visited a few of the coastal towns. As for food, I’d had groceries delivered to the apartment. When Roane found out, he’d insisted on taking the following Sunday off work to drive me into Alnwick so I could buy some groceries and check out the car rental place. Upon our return Roane would cook dinner for me.
The man was perfect.
I had to find a flaw. It was imperative that I find a flaw.
He picked me up in his old Land Rover Defender, and I bubbled with excitement at the prospect of finally venturing into Alnwick. Roane laughed as I settled into the SUV. “You’re like a five-year-old going to her birthday party.”
“I feel like a five-year-old going to my birthday party.”
“Aye, well, I’m not far off that feeling myself.” He shot me an affectionate look. “It’s my first day off in I don’t know how long.”
This surprised and dismayed me. “Seriously?”
He nodded, pulling the Defender away from the curb. We waved at a few locals as we drove out of the village.
“So, do you not have time for a day off?”
“I’ve got people to cover me . . . I’ve just not seen the need to for a while.”
That was miserable. Roane deserved better than to be working 24/7. “Well, I’m glad to give you an excuse to relax. Roane, you need to take better care of yourself. Everyone needs a day off.”
He grunted as only men can grunt, and I couldn’t decide if that was an agreement grunt or an “it is what it is” grunt.
“Where’s Shadow?” I changed the subject.
“He’s with Caro. I didn’t want to leave him in the car when we go to the supermarket. I’ll pick him up after tea.”
I nodded and we lapsed into comfortable silence as I watched the beautiful countryside pass us by.
“I was thinking I could take you to Barter Books before we go to the supermarket.”
My eyes lit up. “Ooh. A bookstore?”
Smiling, possibly at my utter nerdiness, Roane replied, “Not just any bookstore. It’s a used bookstore inside the old Alnwick railway station. It’s famous round here.”
“You sure know how to show a girl a good time, Roane Robson.”
“See, from any other woman that could be construed as sarcasm, but I think you actually mean it.”
“I do.” I chuckled. “Books are life.”
He took his eyes off the road for a second to flash me that teasing smile of his, and I pretended not to feel the effects of it in places a friend shouldn’t.
* * *
• • •
I was in love.
Inside the old station with its vaulted aluminum roof with shafts of light pouring in through skylights, I stared at the rows upon rows of bookcases. Through the bustle of people, there was something to catch the eye at every turn. Not just books, but interesting chandeliers that looked like something out of a steampunk novel. Reading areas set up in breaks between stacks, tables with chairs so people could lounge, read, drink their coffee as crowds milled around them. The rows of bookcases down the middle of the large room were connected at the top by strips of wood painted white and printed with a verse I recognized from the Song of Solomon. Each strip was a line from The Beloved’s Request: The Shulamite.
My favorite line from the verse they’d used was “For lo, the winter is past, the rain is over and gone.” I took out my phone and snapped a shot of it.
“So pretty,” I murmured, wondering at the choice behind using the verse.
Roane took my hand, drawing my attention to him, and he nodded to our right. There was a café in the bookshop called the Station Buffet.
There was a possibility I would die at the whimsy of it all.
“It’s like something out of Harry Potter.”
Laughing at my overexcitement, Roane squeezed my hand. “You’re very cute.”
Something in his eyes made me feel flushed. I looked away and tugged on his hand. “Let’s explore.”
I expected him to let go of my hand, but he didn’t, and I should have questioned it, but I didn’t.
“You know they filmed scenes from the Harry Potter films right here in Alnwick,” Roane told me as he followed me through the stacks. “At Alnwick Castle and Gardens.”
“Really? Will you take me there sometime?”
I was too busy studying the shelves to see his expression, but I heard the affection in his tone when he replied, “I’ll take you anywhere you want to go, Evie.”
That’s when I discovered there was such a thing as a word-provoked heart flutter.
Commencing “ignore heart flutter.”
To do that, I found a way to release his hold on my hand without it being too obvious, using the crowds as obstacles. However, Roane stayed with me, seeming content to watch me peruse the shelves, moving from bookcase to bookcase. The book titles quickly became a blur as my awareness zeroed in on one thing, one person.