Jolie couldn’t keep the smile off her face as she finished working on a display at the counter. All she could think about was Corbin and their amazing afternoon at the river. It was just yesterday—and last night—but she’d relived it over and over in her head all night long.
Corbin had no way of knowing it, but Jolie loved kissing. Especially first kisses. There was just something so innocent and sweet about first kisses.
And important. So important.
She was a firm believer that if the kisses suck, the relationship would, too. She’d had a lot of first kisses, but she knew deep in her heart that none of them could compare to kissing Corbin. Honestly, she had a feeling that, no matter what happened, nothing would ever compare to that first kiss with that man, for the rest of her life.
Suddenly, Jolie felt someone watching her. She looked up from her display to find Corbin gazing at her through the glass. The look in his eyes caused her stomach to tighten with anticipation, but it was the expression on his face that confused her.
Sadness. Happiness. Passion. Confusion.
She saw them all, and she didn’t understand why. Did he regret their afternoon at the river? Had she come on too strong?
Despite those fears, Jolie felt an inexplicable desire to go to him. Corbin must’ve felt the same way, because before she could walk around the counter, he was there. He took her by the hand and led her straight to the stockroom.
“Corbin, what’s—”
His mouth was on hers in an instant—craving, frantic, and hungry as he lifted her into the air. Jolie’s arms encircled his neck and her legs wrapped around his waist as he carried her to the nearest flat service. Without breaking the kiss, Corbin lowered her down onto the old wooden desk. When they finally came up for air, he still didn’t stop kissing her. Jolie gripped his shoulders as he peppered kisses along her neck before finding her lips once again.
It was just like her dreams—only a thousand times better.
“We have to stop,” he whispered breathlessly against her ear.
Jolie shook her head and buried her face against his neck.
How dare he exhibit such self-restraint when she was living out her fantasy?
Determined to make the moment last just a little longer, she placed soft, open-mouthed kisses along his throat, causing him to shudder in her arms.
“I’ve dreamed about this,” he said, making her gasp.
Jolie felt his teeth gently scrape against her earlobe, and her gasp turned into a loud moan. He brushed her hair aside, exposing her shoulder. Corbin trailed soft kisses across her heated skin, causing her entire body to tremble.
“You dream about me?”
“I dream about you all the time, Jolie. Usually, the dreams are sweet and innocent. But sometimes, they’re far from it. That’s why we have to stop.”
Suddenly, the chime of the door alerted them to the fact that they were no longer alone, and Jolie halfheartedly unwrapped herself from his body.
“Fine, we’ll stop. But only because there’s a customer.”
Corbin smirked and kissed her softly before helping her down. After he grabbed a box of maps, they walked out of the stockroom. Corbin headed to the travel section while Jolie made her way to the counter. She tried not to groan when she saw Aaron Hayes standing there.
“Good morning, Jolie.”
Aaron leaned his elbows on the counter and gave her what she assumed was supposed to be a sexy grin. Aaron Hayes liked to flirt, and Jolie had been brushing off his advances for a few months. To his credit, he wasn’t rude about it. Just persistent. It was a quality she would have admired if she found him interesting at all.
But she didn’t.
Aaron was, however, a loyal customer. As long as he kept his hands to himself, she could handle the uncomfortable conversations that always included him asking her out and she politely turning him down.
“Good morning, Aaron. How’s the diner?”
“Keeps me busy, that’s for sure.” He nodded toward the window. “Looks like a storm’s headed our way.”
Jolie glanced outside. Sure enough, dark clouds were starting to gather in the distance.
“We could use the rain. How’s your mom? Did she like the book?”
“That’s why I’m here. She wants the rest of the series. I should have just bought them all when you recommended them, but I didn’t know she’d read the first book in a day. I mean, who does that?”
Jolie laughed. “People who love to read. I’ll get them for you.”
“Thanks.”
She headed over to the romance section and grabbed the paperback books. Just then, a woman walked into the store, wearing a stylish white suit and high heels. Jolie didn’t recognize her, but Corbin must have, because he walked straight to her with a furious expression on his face.
Confused and more than a little curious, Jolie tried to ignore them as she headed back to the counter. One thing was certain—whoever this woman was, Corbin didn’t seem happy to see her. He kept glancing in Jolie’s direction and running his hand through his hair—his habit whenever he was agitated or frustrated.
“That seems intense,” Aaron whispered, nodding toward them.
Jolie rang him up. “Is this all you need?”
He grinned and handed her his credit card. “For now. This should keep her busy for a while. I guess I’ll have to come up with new excuses to come see you.”
Jolie ignored him and watched as the woman walked over to the display of leather-bound journals. She picked one, and Corbin led her to the counter.
“Here you go, Aaron,” she said, handing him the bag. “Thank you. Tell your mom I said hi.”
With a resigned sigh, he took the bag of books and headed for the door. Jolie then turned her attention to the beautiful woman at her register. Corbin walked around and joined her behind the counter, standing next to her and placing a protective arm around her waist.
“Did you find everything you needed?” she asked.
The woman smiled and handed her a credit card.
“I did. This is a lovely bookstore.”
“Thanks . . .” Jolie glanced down at the card before swiping it. “Ms. Rhodes.”
“Ashton, please.”
“Thank you, Ashton. Are you new in town?”
“Just passing through. I had breakfast with a friend who absolutely loves this place. So, I decided to drop by to see what made it so wonderful.” She glanced at Corbin before smiling at Jolie once again. “And now I know.”
Jolie didn’t know what she meant, but she thanked her anyway. Ashton signed the receipt as Jolie placed the journal in a bag.
“It was nice to meet you, Jolie.”
“Nice to meet you, too. Enjoy the journal.”
Corbin remained stoically by her side and completely silent as Ashton flashed them both a wide grin before walking out.
“Okay, what was that about?” she asked.
Before Corbin could reply, a woman with two toddlers walked into the shop and headed straight for the children’s section.
“Later,” Corbin promised.
Jolie squeezed his hand before walking over to her customers.
The rest of the day was busy. Around lunch, a group of tourists came in from the rain, taking their time and browsing every inch of the shop while they waited out the storm. Later in the afternoon, two teenagers came into the store, and Corbin helped the boys find new strings for their guitars. He even showed them a few chords, and by the time he was done, they were begging Corbin for guitar lessons.
“That’s not a bad idea,” Jolie said after they locked up for the day. “Would you want to give lessons here at the shop?”
“I think I’d enjoy that, yeah.”
“Good. We’ll start advertising it.”
Corbin followed her back to her office. “I was thinking . . . we were so busy today that we both skipped lunch. Want to grab some dinner?”
Jolie placed the day’s receipts on her desk before turning around. With a soft smile, she walked over to him and wrapped her arms around his waist.
“Why don’t we go back to my house and I’ll make something?”
Corbin grinned and slid his arms around her. “You want to cook for me?”
“Don’t get excited. I’m not the greatest cook.”
“I don’t care.”
“Seriously, we’re talking spaghetti and salad. Nothing fancy.”
“Sounds great. Honestly, just being with you sounds perfect.”
“I think so, too. It was a crazy day.”
“That’s an understatement.”
Jolie placed her hand against his cheek. “That woman, Ashton? She really stressed you out, didn’t she?”
“She did. I’ll tell you all about it over dinner.”
“Corbin, you don’t have to—”
“I want to.”
Jolie smiled and kissed him tenderly.
When they reached her little brick house, Jolie started dinner before giving him a quick tour of the place. It was small and cozy, with two small bedrooms and a big backyard.
“I’m surprised you don’t live with your dad,” Corbin said as they made their way to the kitchen.
“I did for a while when we first moved to town, but after a couple months, we started to get on each other’s nerves. He’s into real estate, so he bought this place as an investment. It’s mine for as long as I want it.”
“That’s nice of him.”
“Yeah, he’s a good guy,” she said as she opened the fridge. “What would you like to drink?”
“Anything’s fine.”
Jolie nodded and searched in the fridge, skipping the unopened bottle of wine she’d normally drink with dinner and grabbing the pitcher of sweet tea instead. Corbin hadn’t talked much about rehab, but it was common knowledge he’d been there . . . twice. She didn’t know a lot about Corbin’s time on the road, but she hoped he’d someday trust her enough to tell her about it.
Even the horror stories. She was sure there were many of them.
And they probably involved women.
Lots of women.
“Can I help?” Corbin’s voice cut through her mental panic attack.
“Sure, you can grab plates out of the pantry. Everything else is ready.”
Over dinner, they talked about their families and the bookstore, and Corbin’s eyes lit up when Jolie once again suggested he offer guitar lessons at the shop on his days off.
“You miss it,” she said.
“Miss what?”
“Your music.”
The thought made her sad. She loved having him at the bookstore, of course, but was he truly happy there?
“I do miss it,” he said softly. “Not the road, but I do miss making music. But it’s okay. For now, I’m just going to keep working on my songwriting. Maybe someday I can sell some songs to a publishing house. Ashton gave me her card. I can call her whenever I’m ready.”
“Ashton? The woman who bought the journal?”
Corbin nodded. “Yeah. Her name’s Ashton Rhodes. She’s with Callum Records. Called me completely out of the blue this morning and asked me to meet her for breakfast. She offered me a recording contract.”
Jolie’s eyes widened with surprise. “Corbin, that’s incredible!”
He shrugged.
“What did you tell her?”
“I told her no.”
“No? Why?”
“Because I’m not ready.”
“You told her that over breakfast?”
“Yep.”
“Then why did she come to the bookstore?”
“She wanted to make one last pitch before driving back to Nashville. I told her I wasn’t ready to leave Riverview. I’m with my family and . . . well, I’m getting to know you. I’m happy. I’m sober. I’m not ready to jeopardize any of those things, not for all the money in the world.”
“How much money?”
Corbin shrugged.
“That much, huh?”
“It’s a ridiculous amount, but it doesn’t matter. The contract requires me to go on tour for three months. I know myself well enough to know that I’m just not ready. So, I told her no.”
Jolie’s dinner churned in her stomach. Selfishly, she was thrilled, but it only fueled her fear that he couldn’t truly be happy in Riverview. Not forever. And he shouldn’t be. He should be living his dream and doing what he loved. Maybe he was right. Maybe he wasn’t ready now. But someday, he might be. Chances are he would be.
What then?
He’ll leave.
Corbin squeezed her hand. “What are you thinking?”
“Thinking you’re wasting your talent by stocking shelves in my bookstore.”
“But I’m happy there.”
“Are you really?”
Corbin leaned close. “I really am. If I’m being honest, though, the fact that I can kiss you anytime I want probably has something to do with that.”
To prove his point, he kissed her then, softly and sweetly, and when she opened her eyes, she found him gazing at her with a look so tender it melted her heart.
“Corbin, will you promise me something?”
He nodded.
“Don’t lose Ashton’s number. Just in case you’re ready someday. Making music is your dream.”
“Some dreams change, Jolie.”
“Some don’t.”
Corbin smiled and pressed his forehead to hers.
“I promise not to lose her number.”
The next morning, Jolie was surprised to find her brother and her dad waiting outside the bookstore.
“What’s going on?” she asked, immediately panicked.
“Morning, sis,” Keith said.
“Jolie.” Her dad nodded.
“What’s up?”
“A lot, apparently,” her dad said. “Let’s talk inside.”
“What’s—”
“Inside.”
Jolie raised her eyebrows but did as she was told. After unlocking the door, the two men followed her inside the store. Sensing the conversation was going to require privacy, Jolie locked the door behind them before leading them to her office.
“Would you like some coffee?”
“No,” her father said. “Why didn’t you tell me, Jolie?”
“Tell you what?”
Thomas Daniels glanced at his son.
Keith sighed heavily before placing an envelope on her desk. Eyeing it suspiciously, she recognized the bank’s logo on the front.
“What is that?”
“It’s a notice from the bank,” Keith said. “You’ve defaulted on your loan.”
She felt the breath leave her body.
“Defaulted?”
“That’s what it says.”
“I haven’t defaulted. I may be a couple months behind—”
“You’re four months behind.”
With trembling hands, she ripped open the envelope and tried to focus on the bold text at the top of the document.
Notice of Default
“What does that mean?” she asked, her voice shaking.
“It means you have thirty days to respond or the bank will foreclose,” Thomas replied softly.
“Respond?”
“To pay in full.”
I have thirty days to come up with four months of payments?
“What happens if I can’t?”
“Then the bank forecloses, and Turn the Page will be sold at auction.”
Jolie’s legs buckled beneath her. Her dad was by her side in an instant, taking her by the arm and helping her into her chair. He kneeled at her feet and took her hand in his.
“Why didn’t you tell us, Jolie?”
She wiped her tears. “I just kept hoping . . . thinking this month would be the one when we made a profit. Then one month turned into two . . . then three.”
“And then four.” Thomas shook his head. “You should’ve come to me.”
“It’s not your problem to fix, Dad. It’s mine, and I’ve failed.” Jolie stared at the papers in her hand, trying to make sense of all the legal jargon. “How did you even get this?”
“My deputies usually deliver foreclosure notices, but one of the guys saw your name on it, so they brought it to my office,” Keith said quietly. “They thought it might be less embarrassing coming from me.”
Her tears became uncontrollable then, and her dad wrapped his arms around her.
“Try to stay calm, Jo. We do have some options.”
She sniffled quietly. “We do?”
“Yes. You can let me pay it off.”
“Absolutely not.”
“Jolie—”
“No, Dad.”
“You know I have some land. I could sell it. Plus, I have a little savings.”
“No. I appreciate it, but if I can’t do this on my own, then I’m not doing it.”
Thomas sighed heavily. “Lord, you’re stubborn.”
“Wonder where I get that?”
He shook his head.
“Any other options?” she asked.
“I’m guessing you can’t come up with four months of payments?”
“Business has been pretty good lately. I could probably come up with two.”
“They want it all.”
She closed her eyes in defeat.
“Which means they’ll foreclose,” Keith said sadly. “The good news is that the auction won’t be for ninety days.”
“Okay . . . but if I can’t come up with it now, how could I possibly come up with it in ninety days?”
“I don’t know, but it buys us a little time. We can try to figure something out.”
Jolie buried her face in her hands, and her father held her while she cried. Turn the Page was her life. Her dream. She’d been determined to handle everything on her own. Her bookstore. Her loan. Her business. Jolie hadn’t told her dad about falling behind on the payments because she knew he’d insist on helping, and she didn’t want his help.
And now, her stupid pride was going to cost her the bookstore.