Page 101 of Words of Love

Chapter 28

Sam hit the speed ball faster than he ever had before. His arm muscles ached. Sweat ran down his temples. He wanted to get into the ring and spar, but his trainer had taken one look at him and told him to work it off alone first.

He hit the ball again and stepped back. His chest heaved. Three days after Brooke had come into Title Wave,feelingswere still roiling through him, hot and chafing.

He was angry he’d fucked up. He hated that he’d lost the best thing that had ever happened to him. And he knew to his bones he’d never be the man Brooke needed or wanted.

He stalked to the heavy bag and threw cross punches, jabs, and hooks. He ran a couple of miles, shadow boxed, lifted weights, and jump-roped. By the time he hit the shower, he was physically exhausted, but his brain wouldn’t stop working.

He pulled on jeans and a T-shirt and drove back to town. His rental house was the last place he wanted to be. Without Brooke’s warm, cheerful presence, it was like a tomb.

He stopped at Title Wave, where Jake Ryan was working. The other man had opened the store for a morning shift, and he was busy stocking books and sorting inventory.

After a curt greeting, Sam went to the office to slog through paperwork. He opened a box of Barnum’s animal crackers and finished them off in a couple of handfuls.

Maybe it was time to leave town. He’d never given his stay in Bliss Cove a deadline, but then he never planned to stay anywhere. He stopped where he wanted to and moved on whenever he was ready.

Taking over Title Wave had given him more reason to stay than anywhere else he’d lived, but someone else could run it. He’d turn the house back over to the rental company. Head down to Mexico and start figuring out the next John Kane book.

Without Brooke.

Shoving away from his desk, he stalked out to the front.

“Hey, a couple of the guys and I are shooting darts tonight, if you want to join us,” Jake said.

“No, thanks.” Sam eyed the carts. “What needs to be done?”

Jake lifted an eyebrow at his snappish tone and pointed at a cart. “I just loaded those up. You can shelve them.”

Romance novels.

Great.

He rolled the cart to the Romance section and began putting the books into place. He suppressed the urge to set aside a few for Brooke, even though there were two new releases featuring pirate heroes. She had a weakness for pirates.

He pushed the empty cart back to the front as Jake disappeared in the storeroom. Sam picked up his crossword puzzle from beside the register. It was a mess of unfinished squares and scribbled-out words.

He never should have let himself step outside of his safety zone. There was a reason he’d chosen to keep his distance from people. His misery now was his own damned fault. He’d broken his own rule.

But for Brooke, he’d break it again, a thousand times over. He brushed his fingers over theCouragebracelet in his pocket. He’d told himself not to be a sentimental ass about a piece of jewelry, but he couldn’t bring himself to throw it in a drawer and forget about it.

The bell over the door jingled. Charlie Castle entered, his gait steady but stilted due to his prosthetic leg.

Sam straightened. Unease tightened his chest. Charlie had come into the bookstore before, but usually went directly to the New Releases or the History section.

Now he was heading right for Sam.

“Afternoon, Charlie.” Sam nodded in greeting.

The older man squinted. “My granddaughter tells me you’re being a stubborn ass about the fair.”

Sam sighed. “Considering this town has an average of six fairs and festivals a month, which one are we talking about?”

“The Book Fair.” Charlie thumped his hand on the counter. “What kind of bookstore owner doesn’t participate in the Book Fair?”

“This one.”

Charlie frowned. “You disappointed my granddaughter.”