Sofia clocked in for her shift then slipped her apron around her neck. She’d been receiving notifications and fulfillment requests for the first few designs on her WanderLost Collection all morning. Her brain was full of potential new designs—earrings, necklaces, rings—as she poured the first cup of early-afternoon coffee for a customer.
The first few hours of her shift went by quickly, and by the time her “lunch” break rolled around at four, she’d forgotten all about her offer to take Isaiah to the library again.
She jumped when she saw him sliding into a seat at the counter, tugging off a pair of leather work gloves. She narrowed her eyes.Now what is he up to?
“Hey, Wrecker,” he said when he spotted her.
She blew a curl out of her face and glowered.
His grin broadened.
“What are those?” She inclined her head toward the gloves.
“I’m doing some work in the forest for Ash. Earning my keep.”
“I see.” She swished by him and filled the water glasses of a couple sitting at the counter near Isaiah.
“Ash told me your lunch break was now. I don’t know if the offer still stands but…” He shrugged nonchalantly, even though the library visits were possibly his only means of getting home.
“I’m not rescinding my offer, if that’s what you’re asking.”
Isaiah raised an eyebrow at her, that smile still pulling at the side of his mouth.
She turned away, slipping the apron over her head. “Jenn, I’m heading out for lunch,” she called through the kitchen doors.
Sofia grabbed her coat and bag off the hook, feeling Isaiah’s eyes on her back. “Well, are we going or not?”
She didn’t look back as she walked out to her car.
The lunch hourpassed way too quickly for Sofia’s liking. She had been working on updating her online store on her laptop, and she was just getting into the flow of things when it was time to close her computer and head back to the restaurant.
She glanced over at Isaiah—they were both working in the sitting room—and saw that he was logging off the computer. The modern devices were in stark contrast to the cozy vintage design of the room, where a bright-green pothos plant trailed up the wall and around the bright window.
“Any luck?” she asked.
He shook his head. “I guess we’ll be back tomorrow.”
They stood and walked toward the door, Sofia waving goodbye to the librarian shelving books in the hallway.
“You know, now that I’m visiting the library during normal visitor hours, I could just walk here from the Emerald House. You don’t have to supervise.” His tone was playful, but Sofia thought she sensed something else underneath it.What is he asking?
She was surprised that his words summoned a little twist in her stomach. Coming to the library at lunch was a great use of her time. Normally, she just sat around in the café or outside in the gazebo, scrolling on her phone until she was back on shift. While the lunch break had felt too short, she had to admit she’d been productive.
“What? And let you loose on Emerald Hollow all by yourself? I don’t think so.” She pushed the door open with her hip, and the cool air assaulted her face. “When is this cold spell going to end?” she mumbled.
“Not a fan of the cold?”
Sofia sighed. “It’s complicated. I love the snow at Christmas and all the coziness. But now, after new year, I’m just biding my time until spring.”
“Is spring your favorite season?”
Sofia was surprised by the question, but she didn’t have to think about it. “By far. The flowers here are incredible. Everything just feels so full of…” Sofia paused, searching for the right word. “Optimism.”
“So are you an optimist, then?”
Sofia glanced at him. The rapid-fire questions were throwing her off. She whipped the car onto the road that led back to the Emerald House. “Not really. I would say Ash and Holly both are. I’m more of a realist. But in spring, things are more magical…” She caught herself, wondering why she was being so open.
“And what’s your favorite flower here?” Isaiah asked, and she wondered if he sensed she felt like she was saying too much.
