Small Town Girls Don't Marry Their Back-Ups - Carol Moncado Page 0,2
actual place to live and go grocery shopping. The diner wasn’t bad, but he didn’t want to eat all of his meals there.
For now, he didn’t have much of a choice for somewhere else to eat. Mrs. Scarlotti at the B&B fed him breakfast, but for his other meals he was on his own.
That’s why he was going into Daisy’s Diner for the second time since he ran into that woman, but first he needed to stop by Beach Reads, the bookstore she’d ducked into. He needed something to read.
The bell chimed as he pushed his way through. A grumpy-looking man in his early fifties grunted a welcome.
Wyatt ignored him and started down the stacks. Though the front window boasted the most recent releases, the place clearly had a used bookstore vibe. Shelving reached the ceiling along the walls and close to it in the center aisles. Aisles that were barely wide enough for his professional-athlete shoulders to fit through.
“Hello there, young man.”
He looked over from where he stared at the large collection of Jeremiah Jacobs space political thrillers and saw an elderly woman smiling at him. She had to be at least seventy, probably closer to eighty, but she looked at him the way the fans did. A lifetime ago.
A lifetime that had lasted two weeks - when the Crimson Knights won the American League pennant.
So much had changed.
Then he realized she was waiting for an answer. “Hi.”
“Is there something I can help you find?” She moved to stand next to him, staring at the books he’d been studying. “Jeremiah is a wonderful young man. He and his wife live on the other side of the lake. They both come to book club often.”
“They do?” Wyatt had no idea.
“Oh, yes. They’re lovely people. Our book club loves them. They both write and publish quickly. Most of us read everything they write, but we can’t only read books published by them for our discussion groups, or we’d never read anything by anyone else. This week we have another local author, though. She’ll be joining us.”
“I’ve never been a part of a book club,” he mused as he pulled the books in Jeremiah Jacobs’s most recent series off the shelf. “Sounds like fun if you get to have authors join you.”
The woman laughed. “We happen to be pretty lucky with some fantastic local authors. This month’s book is about to be an HEA TV movie. That’s why we picked it. It was filmed right here in town. In fact, a couple of scenes were filmed right in this aisle.” He could practically see her peacock feathers fanning out behind her. She was rightfully proud of her hometown.
“That sounds fascinating.” And probably not a book he’d ever read.
She gasped and clapped her hands together. “You should join us!”
“What?” Wyatt blinked. “I should what?”
A giddy laugh escaped from her lips as she tucked her hand into his elbow. “Oh, please say you will. I’m Violet Braverman, by the way. You must come this Saturday.” She led him toward the back of the store, but he went willingly so she didn’t have to drag him.
He had no doubt who would win that battle, and it wasn’t him.
In an area slightly more open than most of the rest of the store, a display boasted a number of books by the same author. Mrs. Braverman snatched up one, stuffed a flyer inside, and handed it to him.
“My email address is on there. I’ll reply with my address so you can join us.” She gave him a grandma look, the one everyone everywhere knew not to mess with. “You will join us, won’t you?”
He gave her his big fake smile, the big one that didn’t reach his eyes. “Of course, Mrs. Braverman. I’d be happy to.” One book club. He could do that. Maybe his agent would find him a secluded place to live before the next one. Then he wouldn’t run into nosy old women in bookstores anymore.
After buying several books, he headed down the street and into Daisy’s Diner.
“Have a seat.” The line cook looked more like a linebacker and continued to give Wyatt that purposely neutral look.
Wyatt started toward the booth he’d sat in for lunch, but found it was already occupied. He’d liked the ability to sit with his back to the restaurant so no one could see his face. Only one spot gave him that option.
The occupant chose that moment to look up. Her bright blue eyes widened when she saw him.