Page 44 of A Cup of Autumn
Call him old-school, but he preferred pen and paper.
The only issue…
Whenever he thought about Halloween, Raine came to mind. The two had become entwined in Keaton’s mind. He kept wanting to text about the ghoulish games he’d discovered. Except she didn’t have time for that.
For him.
Saturday would be there soon enough.
He wanted to make life easier for Raine. Her story replayed in his mind.
What happened to her parents broke his heart. Touching her hand hadn’t been enough but he hadn’t dared more. Anything else would have been…inappropriate. More unlike him than ordering a different coffee.
He couldn’t and didn’t want to imagine what she must have gone through. Sure, his siblings teased each other, but he loved them. No matter how hard Mom and Dad pushed, to suddenly have them gone from his life…
He shuddered.
Raine had superhero powers to survive what happened. His respect for her kept growing. And when her smile lit up her face…
“Working hard, I see.”
Keaton dropped his pen. Margot stood in the living room. She was smiling as usual. “I didn’t realize you were working a half day.”
“I’m not. I forgot my lunch.” She studied the table. “Why aren’t you working at the coffee shop?”
“I’m watching videos and forgot to pack my headphones. I’m not a fan of AirPods. I keep losing them.”
“Have you eaten?”
If Margot didn’t have the quilt shop, she would have made a wonderful café owner or B&B host. She loved to take care of people, but Keaton wouldn’t make more work for her. “I had a late breakfast.”
“I’ll grab my lunch and be off.” She eyed the paperwork on the table. “Is that for the Boo Bash?”
“Doing some research for Raine.”
Margot’s face lit up. “Knew you were the right man for her.”
Wait. What?Every muscle tensed. Keaton’s gaze shot to hers. “Excuse me?”
“To help. With the Boo Bash.”
His stiff neck relaxed. He’d been warned about Margot’s matchmaking. Not that he and Raine were compatible. They were opposites. If he taught a STEM subject, he would come up with a magnet analogy, but alas he didn’t. Though if he saidalasin a conversation his family would rib him, even though it was only four letters and they all used ten-dollar words.
“There’s that smile I love.” Margot winked. “You should use it on the lovely singletons in town.”
“You’re incorrigible.”
“I am.” She wagged her finger. “But wait and see. Big-city men always fall for someone from a small town.”
Must be something in the water.
Or a certain quilt shop owner.
Keaton was smart enough not to say that aloud. “Enjoy your lunch.”
She rolled her eyes and headed into the kitchen. A moment later, the back door slammed shut.
He returned to his list. Some ideas were outrageous, but in the brainstorming phase, he would cross off nothing.
