Lacey and Andrew held hands as they walked along the dirt path that led to the river’s banks. To Corbin’s surprise, he was holding hands, too, with Hope on his left and Faith on his right. The twins had begged to come with them, and Corbin didn’t have the heart to turn them down.
And honestly, he hadn’t wanted to.
Once they reached the water, Lacey and the twins went to look for shells while the guys found what little shade they could and made themselves comfortable on the dock. Corbin had no idea what to say, so he started with the basics.
“So, it’s your first year teaching?”
“Yeah. I have a couple of freshman lit classes and I teach drama,” Andrew replied. “By the way, I know everybody’s probably wondering, but Lacey’s not one of my students. I teach at a high school in Chapel Hill.”
Corbin grinned. “I did wonder, to be honest. How’d you meet?”
“Through my sister. She and Lacey are roommates at UNC.” Andrew smiled and gazed out across the water. “I can see why you guys love the river so much. It really is peaceful out here.”
“It is.”
“Who hears the rippling of rivers will not utterly despair of anything.”
“Pretty words. I might steal them.”
“If you do, be sure to give credit to Thoreau. They belong to him. But don’t worry, Corbin. You’ll find your pretty words again. Lacey tells me you’re a talented songwriter.”
“I’m a songwriter, yeah. Talented is debatable.”
“Not to your sister it isn’t. She believes that’s why you’ve come home after all this time. And that’s why you’ll stay. To help you find your music again. And maybe to find yourself. She seems to think you’ve lost a little of both.”
Lacey wasn’t wrong. He had lost himself, and it was true that the song lyrics weren’t flowing like they used to. But for now, his focus had to be on his sobriety. And finding a job.
“I can’t stay. Not long, anyway,” Corbin said softly. “Besides, there’s really nothing for me here.”
“Your family’s here. Maybe that’s enough for now.”
Corbin stared, transfixed, while his sister and nieces danced in the shallow water.
“Maybe it is,” he whispered.
The rest of the weekend passed in a blinding, family-crazed blur. Determined to embarrass their sister, Corbin and Ben passed around old photo albums while their mom took new pictures to fill the empty pages. Thanks to the twins, Corbin had been subjected to one Disney movie right after another, and once dinner was over, the family gathered on the porch. Since he still needed new strings, Corbin played his dad’s old guitar. Songs he hadn’t played in years flowed freely from his fingertips as everyone sang along.
Monday morning came too soon, but this time, it wasn’t Corbin who was leaving.
“You’re staying,” Lacey said softly when they reached the front steps.
“You keep saying that, but you know there’s nothing here. I have to find a job.”
“You’re a songwriter.”
“A real job. One that pays.”
“You can do both for a while. Don’t give up on your music. Promise me.”
Corbin grinned down at his baby sister. “I promise.”
Andrew walked down the steps and reached for the bag on Lacey’s shoulder before carrying the last of the luggage to their car.
“I love him, Corb.”
“I know.”
“Do you really like him?”
“I really do.”
Lacey’s smile was blinding as she wrapped her arms around her brother’s neck. After one final hug, she headed to the car. The family gathered on the porch and waved goodbye until their taillights were out of sight.
Corbin turned to walk back into the house just as his nieces came running down the steps. He stopped in his tracks and braced himself.
If he’d learned nothing else this weekend, he knew to freeze and wait for the ambush.
With ecstatic giggles, Hope and Faith attached themselves to each of his legs. He looked up to find that the rest of the family had gone inside—all except for Kellie, who looked completely annoyed at the scene on the sidewalk. In Corbin’s experience, annoyed was Kellie’s typical facial expression, especially whenever he was around.
Suddenly, she cleared her throat and plastered on a smile. He was instantly suspicious.
“Something I can do for you, Kel?”
“So . . . I have this problem, and it seems you’re in the perfect position to help me solve it.”
He struggled to make his way up to the steps. Not an easy feat with twins hanging from his legs.
“I have a doctor’s appointment,” she said. “And there’s no school today. Teacher’s meetings.”
“Okay . . .”
“Ben usually goes with me to the OB-GYN.”
Corbin’s face turned ashen. “Are you asking me to go to your doctor’s appointment with you?”
Kellie snorted. “You can’t be serious.”
Thank God.
“I’m asking if you’ll babysit your nieces for a couple hours. I forgot that Ben has training today. Samuel is headed to work and Maggie has a hair appointment. The girls obviously love you, and you’re, like, the only one in the house without a life and nothing to do. So, what do you say?”
Corbin decided to make her sweat. Just a little.
“I don’t know, Kel. I mean, I thought I’d take a nap. Maybe watch a movie that didn’t include talking animals and fairytale princesses.”
Kellie’s eyes narrowed.
Corbin laughed. “Of course I’ll watch them. I’ll even take them out to lunch if you’d like.”
“That . . . would be really helpful, actually. But not that greasy diner. Something healthy.”
“Something healthy. Got it.”
Two booster seats later, Corbin found himself driving toward town with the twins in the back.
“Something healthy . . .” he mumbled under his breath.
“Daddy just takes us to the diner,” Hope said.
“But we don’t tell Mommy,” Faith replied. “Daddy says it’s our secret.”
Corbin laughed. “I’ll bet it is.”
He drove on until he reached the second red light. He glanced around, looking for something that wasn’t fast food, when he caught a glimpse of Jolie Daniels sitting in the window of the Sub Shop.
“What about sandwiches? That’s healthy, right?”
He didn’t wait for a reply before pulling into the restaurant’s parking lot. The girls unsnapped their seatbelts, crawled out of the backseat, and took their uncle’s hand before the three of them headed inside. Corbin was grateful to find the place nearly empty . . . except for the pretty blonde sitting in the corner with a book in her hand.
He forced his eyes toward the menu and ordered two kids meals and a turkey club. Confident that his hormonal sister-in-law would prefer it, he asked for apples instead of chips for the twins.
“Girls, go grab us a table and I’ll get drinks.”
Corbin quickly filled their cups and grabbed lids and straws before turning toward the booths. He counted. There were exactly ten empty tables. But where did the twins choose to sit?
Right behind Jolie.
I love my nieces.
Corbin carried the tray over to the booth and carefully placed it on the table. He passed around the sandwiches and made sure the girls were good to go before finally gathering his nerve and looking her way. He wasn’t the only one. Faith was on her knees and peeking at Jolie from over the top of the seat.
“Hey,” he said. “Still mad at me?”
Jolie looked up from her book.
“Hey, yourself. And yes. But your dates are cute.”
Corbin grinned. “These are my nieces. This is Hope, and your stalker’s name is Faith. Girls, this is Jolie.”
“You’re pretty,” Faith said.
“Thanks. You’re pretty, too. So is your sister.” Jolie smiled at him. “They’re sweet, Corbin.”
“Yeah, they are. What are you reading?”
“It’s Tolstoy.”
“Is he good?”
Jolie nodded before focusing on her book once again.
Taking the hint, Corbin turned his attention back to the girls. Faith finally turned around, and the twins talked nonstop about everything from their Jack Russell puppy to their upcoming birthday party. Corbin tried to hang on to every word, but all he could really concentrate on was the way Jolie’s blonde hair glistened against the sun’s rays as it streamed through the window.
Corbin shook his head. What’s wrong with me?
“I need to go,” Faith suddenly whispered.
“Go?” he asked. “You’ve barely touched your sandwich.”
“No, Uncle Corb. I need to go. G-O.”
He narrowed his eyes in confusion.
“I think she means to the restroom,” Jolie said quietly.
“Oh! Umm . . .” he looked around until he spotted the bathroom sign. “I think it’s down that hallway. Just make sure you wash your hands when you’re done.”
Corbin took another bite of his sandwich. His niece stared at him with her father’s big brown eyes.
“What’s wrong?”
“I don’t think she wants to go alone,” Jolie murmured.
Corbin squirmed in his seat.
“I could take her,” Jolie offered.
“Okay!” Faith happily leapt out of the booth.
Naturally, her sister’s bladder kicked in, too, and both girls took Jolie by the hand and led her toward the red doors at the end of the hall. Relieved to have avoided the women’s restroom, Corbin finished his lunch before glancing at the book on Jolie’s table.
Family Happiness by Leo Tolstoy.
He’d never heard of it.
When the girls returned, the twins climbed back into the booth while Jolie took her tray to the nearest trash can.
“I was thinking,” Jolie said, “if you have some time to kill, maybe you and girls would like to come over to the store? I have some beanbags in the children’s section. They could read, or you could read to them. And you can get those guitar strings.”
“Strings? You mean the strings you refused to sell me?”
“That’d be the ones. Maybe while we’re there, we’ll let the girls listen to samples of their uncle’s album.”
A smartass comment was right on the tip of his tongue, but then Jolie winked at him, rendering him completely speechless.
“Since when do six year olds—”
“Read? Yeah. They read early these days,” Jolie said. “After school and on Saturdays, my children’s section is the busiest place in the store.”
Corbin was amazed that his nieces were lying on the floor and reading every princess book on Jolie’s shelf. He was even more amazed that they were perfectly content to do it without his help. In fact, both he and Jolie had been given instructions to go away, so that’s what they did. After grabbing some guitar strings, Corbin helped Jolie carry a few boxes over to the travel section.
“We can still watch the girls from here,” Jolie said. “Wanna help me shelve? This is supposed to be Rach’s job, but she’s late. Again.”
“Sure.”
While Corbin opened a box of books, Jolie grabbed the hair tie around her wrist and expertly pulled her blonde waves into a ponytail. Corbin couldn’t keep his eyes from ghosting along her skin. It was ridiculous how much he wanted to lift his hand and slide it along the curve of her neck, just to see if it was as soft as he imagined it to be.
They’d just finished sorting the first box of books when they heard the door chime.
“Jo?” a voice called.
“Speak of the devil,” Jolie murmured. “We’re in Travel!”
Moments later, a tiny brunette appeared at their side. She had a pair of heart-shaped sunglasses perched on her forehead.
“I’m so sor—” The girl stopped in her tracks when she saw Corbin. “Wow. Hi.”
“Hello.”
She smiled slyly before blowing a gigantic bubble and letting it pop.
Jolie rolled her eyes. “Rachel, this is Corbin James. And you’re late.”
“I know. I’m sorry! Austin called from Camp Lejeune and I lost track of time. He gets to come home this weekend, so I can’t work Saturday. Is that okay? I’ll work extra shifts this week to make up the time.”
“That’s fine. There’s a cart of books in the biographies section waiting for you.”
“Thanks. I’ll get right on that.”
But she didn’t. Instead, Rachel turned her attention back to Corbin.
“So, do you work here now? Because that’d be awesome.”
Corbin nervously shuffled his feet. She couldn’t be more than eighteen.
“Rach,” her boss said irritably. “If you want the weekend off to see your boyfriend, I suggest you get to work.”
She finally snapped to attention. “The biographies. Right. See ya later, Corbin James.”
Corbin fought back a chuckle as Rachel walked away.
“I would feed that enormous ego of yours and tell you she’s star-struck, but I promise she doesn’t have a clue who you are.”
Corbin grinned and reached for another box. “That reminds me . . . I want to apologize about that star-struck thing. I’m really not that cocky. Not anymore, anyway.”
Jolie nodded. “I’m sorry, too. I shouldn’t have snapped at you like I did. I just get defensive when it comes to my shop. The rumors are rampant and I really don’t need the bad press.”
“What rumors?”
“You haven’t heard?”
“No, but I’ve only been in town a few days.”
“Yeah, but this is a small town and bad news travels like lightning.” She grabbed the empty box and started to break it down. “That’s the last of the new arrivals. Why don’t I get us something to drink and I’ll tell you about the gossip surrounding my store?”
“Okay.” He glanced back at the girls, who were now fast asleep on their bean bags with a book cradled to their chests.
Jolie smiled. “Kids fall asleep back there all the time. We’ll stay close.”
Corbin nodded and followed her to a section of the store he’d failed to notice during his first visit. While it was obviously under construction, there was no doubt what Jolie was hoping to add to her bookstore.
He sat down on a barstool. “A coffee shop?”
Jolie grinned and walked behind the counter. “An Internet café. At least, I hope that’s what it will be. The only decent place in town to get a cup of coffee is the diner, and its counter is always full of old men who like to sit around and gossip about the weather. Our teenagers need a place to hang out.”
“And maybe buy some books?”
“That’d be nice, too.”
Jolie grabbed two bottles of water from the cooler and joined him at the counter. Corbin watched as she took a long drink before turning around on her stool and gazing adoringly at her store.
“I have big dreams,” she said quietly. “Maybe too big.”
“No such thing.”
“Really? You still believe that?”
“Just because I’m giving up on my dreams doesn’t mean everyone should. I made bad decisions, and I didn’t take advantage of the opportunities.”
“Or maybe you were taken advantage of.”
Perceptive. “There was some of that, too. But you have a great place here. Mom says it’s one of the best bookstores around.”
She nodded thoughtfully. “It was a risk . . . opening a small business in this little town. I had no idea if I’d make it a month. But then one month turned into six, and now, Turn the Page has been open for over nearly two years. It’s been hard. Much harder than I expected. But I’m lucky. I have faithful customers, like your mom. Some come in once a week just to check out the new arrivals. They rarely just browse. They always buy something, even if it’s just a newspaper or a bookmark.”
“That’s nice.”
“It is. And people are driving in from Knoxville and Asheville just to check it out. Those cities have gigantic bookstores in their malls, but people visit mine. They say it’s welcoming and personal, which is exactly what I wanted. A cozy bookstore that offers a little bit of everything.”
“Well, you’ve succeeded. It’s a beautiful place.”
“Thanks.”
They sat in a comfortable silence while instrumental folk music streamed through the speakers. Corbin glanced over at his nieces and smiled when he saw that they were still asleep.
“I really hope I don’t get in trouble for letting them take a nap.”
Jolie grinned. “We probably shouldn’t let them sleep too long.”
“Maybe just a few more minutes,” he said. Corbin wasn’t ready to share her. Not just yet. “So, what’s with the gossip?”
Jolie slowly turned her head in his direction. He was startled by the regret shining in her eyes.
“It’s a really long story.”
“I want to hear it.” And he meant it. Corbin would happily sit there all afternoon if it meant he could be close to her.
“Uncle Corb?” One of the twins shouted from her beanbag.
Hope? Faith? He still couldn’t tell them apart.
He waved at the girls. “We’re over here.”
Jolie smiled. “Raincheck? I should probably check on Rach anyway. She doesn’t do well without constant adult supervision.”
“Raincheck it is.”
She headed toward the Biographies while he walked over to the children’s section. He was impressed to find that the girls had put all the books back on the shelf. They didn’t ask, but he couldn’t not buy them something.
“You can each pick one book.”
The twins squealed and grabbed the same books they’d fallen asleep with.
“You are sweet girls,” Corbin said as he led them to the counter. “You’ve got rotten timing, but you’re sweet.”
Rachel met them at the counter. While she rang them up, Corbin looked around for one last glimpse of Jolie. She was in the far corner, standing on a small ladder and straightening books. He tried to ignore the way her body arched as she reached above her head, but it was impossible.
The attraction he felt confused him.
Not that she wasn’t pretty. With her blonde hair and creamy complexion, there was no denying she was a beautiful woman. But Jolie Daniels had a sweetness about her—an innocence that wasn’t really his type at all. As he gazed at the green-eyed beauty on the ladder, he considered the possibility that maybe what he’d always considered his type wasn’t really his type at all.
She deserves better than you. Corbin’s subconscious whispered to him, but it sounded more like a scream, and that unwelcome reminder brought him back to reality.
“Here you go,” Rachel said, handing each girl their book bag.
Corbin thanked her and glanced one last time at the pretty bookstore owner before leading the girls to the car. As soon as they were strapped in, the twins opened their books and lost themselves in their fairytale worlds, leaving Corbin alone to recall the sins of the past.
His mind spiraled from one face to the next. Blondes. Brunettes. Redheads. The women he’d met on the road were trashy, loud, and completely fake in both appearance and emotion. There’d been Amy from Topeka, who shared Corbin’s bed until she decided she liked his bass player just a little bit more. Then came Chelsie, the runway model from California. Everything about her was fake—from the blonde highlights in her hair to the veneers on her teeth. They rented a mansion in Laurel Canyon until her pill addiction sent her to rehab.
Corbin shuddered when his mind conjured the image of Vanessa Gallagher—the record exec who introduced him to life in the fast lane. Sex. Drugs. And more money than he’d ever seen in his life. Those demons took a toll on his career, and the day he lost his record contract was the day Vanessa kicked him to the curb . . . drunk and penniless.
There’d been countless others, of course. One-night stands filled with empty promises made in the dark that were forgotten as soon as dawn arrived. Women who’d used him for money or comfort. Women he’d used to escape his loneliness.
Corbin knew he couldn’t change the past. All he could do was focus on the present and plan for the months to come. And while he couldn’t predict the future, he knew it couldn’t include the pretty bookstore owner . . . for one very simple reason.
If Jolie Daniels is as sweet as she seems, then she’s far too sweet for a loser like me.