At eight-thirty, my phone rings. It’s on the nightstand next to my bed, and it wakes me up. There have been many times where I’ve slept through phone calls, but my hyper vigilance to hear from Chase wakes me from a dead sleep.
Only, it’s not Chase. It’s Mrs. Williams.
“I’m sorry to wake you, dear,” she says when I sleepily answer. “And I’m sorry to ask this of you since it’s your day off.”
“Ask what?”
“If you could open the store today. It might be the last time.”
“The last time?”
“The real estate agent just called. We got an all-cash offer and the buyer is willing to pay more if we can get everything settled today.”
“Oh. Wow.”
“It’s sudden, honey, I know.”
“Yeah.” I close my eyes, feeling guilty that I’m not sharing any excitement. “I’ll be at the store.”
I’m tired, but I know trying to sleep for another half-hour is pointless. I can’t shut off my mind either. What am I going to do when the store closes? The family business has always been a backup plan, just one I never thought I’d have to execute.
The for-sale sign is gone by the time I get to the store. Fat raindrops fall down in a fury, and storm-thick clouds gather overhead. I take my usual spot behind the counter and look around. Being inside a bookstore on a stormy day is heaven. I’m really going to miss this place.
With the rain, business is slower than usual. I’m okay with that because I’m not in the mood to talk to anyone. I’m teetering on the edge of bursting into tears, and I’m starting to get annoyed with myself.
I don’t like being sad.
Around one o’clock, Mrs. Williams and Jackie Lewis, one of the two real estate agents in Summer Hill come in. Mrs. Williams is beaming ear to ear. I guess that buyer paid the extra cash to get this place today.
“Everything is taken care of, I see.” I notice the stack of papers in Jackie’s hand that she’s keeping dry inside her raincoat.
“Almost,” Mrs. Williams tells me. “I sold the building. In two days. For more than my goal. I never thought I’d see the day…” She trails off, laughing.
“That’s great.” I force a smile. “So, what does that mean for the books?”
“That’s up to you dear.”
“What?”
Mrs. Williams looks at Jackie and smiles again. “The buyer has a proposition for you. He’d like to know if you’d be interested in buying the building from him.”
I cock an eyebrow. “But he just bought it.”
“Exactly.”
Jackie steps forward and slides the paper in front of me on the counter. The confusion leaves me when I look down. My hand covers my open mouth.
“My client is very motivated to sell,” Jackie tells me, sounding professional as if this is an everyday occurrence. “As you can see, his asking price is very reasonable. He’s covering closing costs as well.”
Thunder crackles above us and the lights flicker. I blink and look down at the paper again. The building is for sale for a dollar. One. Dollar. My eyes scan the paper, heart skipping a beat when I see the seller’s name.
Chase Henson.
“Is he here?” I ask, voice nothing more than a hollow whisper.
“He might still be at the bank,” Jackie starts. She pulls a pen from her purse and extends it to me. “If you could just—”
I don’t hear the rest of what she says. If there’s a chance Chase is in town, I need to take it. I push open the door and step into the pouring rain. Life doesn’t hand out do-overs. You don’t always get a second chance. Sometimes, it’s now or never.
I close my eyes as thunder claps loudly above me.
Three…two…one.
“Sierra!”
I open my eyes and see Chase standing across the street. Rain pelts down on me, and lightning flashes above us. The whole world stops and everything fades. The wind. The rain. The pain.
I have to get to him. Now. My heart lurches in my chest and I take off, feet splashing in puddles as I leap off the sidewalk. Chase runs for me too, and we collide in the middle of the street. He takes me in his arms, lifting me up off the ground. My arms go around him and he puts his lips to mine.
I melt into him, bringing my hand to his cheek, cupping his face and kissing him with everything I have. He kisses me back even harder, slipping his tongue into my mouth. My heart swells in my chest and tears are falling from my eyes, mixing with the rain. Chase holds me tight, and the feel of his muscles under his wet T-shirt sends me over the edge.
“Chase.” I move my head back just enough to look at him, needing to see into his hazel eyes and make sure this is real.
“Sierra.” My name pours from his lips like velvet, and it’s suddenly my favorite thing for him to say. He looks into my eyes, and so much emotion plays on his handsome face.
Sorrow.
Love.
Regret.
Passion.
Rain comes down in sheets and the wind picks up. Chase pulls me to him and kisses me again, and jolts of electricity shoot through me. Time stops, and we forget that a storm is raging on around us. Lightning strikes the stoplight near us, sending sparks flying down onto the pavement.
“You came back,” I whisper.
“I never left,” he tells me. “Not really.”
“I went to your house and you weren’t there. I found the phone. I thought you were gone forever.”
Chase’s brow furrows and he kisses me again. We’re both soaked from rain but neither of us care. It feels so good to be in Chase’s arms again. He moves his mouth from mine to my neck, kissing and sucking my skin. We’re standing in the middle of the street, surrounded by the wind and the rain, as thunder and lightning loom directly overhead.
None of that matters.
Chase is here. The dark abyss inside me fills with light. He sets me down and runs his hand over my arms, feeling the goose bumps on my skin.
“I’m sorry.”
“It’s okay.”
“No,” he says. “It’s not.”
“You’re right.” I move closer, fingers curling under the hem of his white T-shirt. It’s rain-soaked, and I can see his tattoos through the wet fabric. “I’m mad and I’m hurt, and it feels like you went behind my back listening to those messages. But I don’t want it to tear us apart. We’re going through something hard and painful together, and I need you, and I think you need me too.”
“I do, but it’s more than that. I never believed in fate or things being meant to be before, and I still don’t think I do. No matter what is thrown at us, how many people keep saying we shouldn’t be together, I keep going back to you. And I always will. I choose you, Sierra. I love you.”
“I love you, too.”
He grabs me by the waist and kisses me again. Another clap of thunder booms, this one louder than before. We look up, noticing the broken wire from the traffic signal swaying in the wind.
“We should go in,” he says and takes my hand. “That doesn’t look safe.”
“Right.” My fingers go between his. “We have paperwork to fill out.”
Chase puts his arm around me and we hurry to The Book Bag, stopping under the awning in front of the door.