time.”
Though her lips never curved into a warm smile, her eyes reflected a certain sentiment that Wolfe recognized as somewhat friendly. He grinned at her as best he could and said, “Have a good day.”
“Oh. Thanks,” she said, as if suddenly aware that she was just standing there. “You, too.” And then she left.
Wolfe leaned against the bookshelf behind him and sighed in relief. He looked down at the book in his hand. “Thank you, Charles Dickens.” Then he made his way to the front of the store where Dude had his nose in a book.
CHAPTER 5
“H ERE ’ S A T-B OONE steak for you,” Ainsley said, setting the platter down carefully in front of the young man. “And the Turkey Sand-Witch for you.” She smiled at the young woman, whose eyes seemed bright with life.
“Thank you,” the girl said.
“Anything else?” Ainsley asked.
The young man spoke up. “We’re on our honeymoon,” he said. “I’m looking for some fun places to take us. Any suggestions?”
“Congratulations!” Ainsley gushed. “You two look so in love.” The couple glanced at each other and grinned. “Well, let me tell you, you’re going to have to get out of this town to find somewhere romantic. I’d suggest going about ten miles—”
The man interrupted. “We purposely came here, to Skary, for our honeymoon.”
“You did?”
“Yes,” the girl answered. “We thought we’d have a lot of fun! We’re staying in that little bed-and-breakfast down the road. What’s it called?”
Ainsley sighed. “Arsenic and Old Lace.”
The girl squealed. “Yes! That’s it! It’s just the cutest little place!”
“Yeah. Just try not to get murdered,” Ainsley replied.
The couple laughed heartily, but Ainsley could only manage to smile mildly. The man said, “We loved all the axes hanging from the ceiling.”
“You can’t get much more romantic than axes, can you? Can I get you anything else?”
The girl leaned forward on the table. “Do you know him?”
“Who?”
“Wolfe Boone, of course.”
“Oh. No. I mean, yes. I mean, not really. Sort of.” She closed her mouth to stop rambling, took a deep breath, and finally answered, “I’ve met him.”
“Is he creepy? He looks like he would be.”
As much as Ainsley wanted to answer that question with yes, she had to be truthful. “No. Not really. He could use a haircut, but that’s about it.” She tapped her pencil on her pad and said, “I’ll be back to check on you in a bit.”
Ainsley found Marlee reading a magazine behind the counter. “Don’t you have customers?”
Marlee smacked her gum and didn’t look up. “They’re fine. They’ll yell if they need anything.”
Ainsley shook her head and leaned against the counter to take the pressure off her already aching feet. “The point of being a good waitress is that your customers don’t have to yell for you, you know.”
Marlee smiled and nodded but continued reading about the latest fall lipstick colors.
“I ran into him today.”
Marlee looked up. “Who? Garth?”
Ainsley rolled her eyes. “Running into Garth isn’t worth reporting.”
Her eyebrows raised. “Well, then who
is
worthy of reporting?”
Ainsley swallowed. She didn’t mean it
that way
. Did she? “Wolfe Boone.”
“Boo?”
“Yeah. At the bookstore.”
“The bookstore? He’s not known for venturing out much, is he?” She stood upright and closed her magazine. “What happened? Did he seem, you know, converted?”
Ainsley popped her knuckles and frowned. “Look, it’s more than what you look like on the outside. Who can say if his heart has changed?”
“What was he doing there?”
“Reading Charles Dickens, apparently.” Ainsley glanced over to herlatest customers and noticed they both needed a refill on their drinks. She grabbed the tea pitcher, but before she could step out from behind the counter, Bob came through the doors of the kitchen.
“Ainsley, phone call.” Bob held the phone up in the air.
Though her lips never curved into a warm smile, her eyes reflected a certain sentiment that Wolfe recognized as somewhat friendly. He grinned at her as best he could and said, “Have a good day.”
“Oh. Thanks,” she said, as if suddenly aware that she was just standing there. “You, too.” And then she left.
Wolfe leaned against the bookshelf behind him and sighed in relief. He looked down at the book in his hand. “Thank you, Charles Dickens.” Then he made his way to the front of the store where Dude had his nose in a book.
CHAPTER 5
“H ERE ’ S A T-B OONE steak for you,” Ainsley said, setting the platter down carefully in front of the young man. “And the Turkey Sand-Witch for you.” She smiled at the young woman, whose eyes seemed bright with life.
“Thank you,” the girl said.
“Anything else?” Ainsley asked.
The young man spoke up. “We’re on our honeymoon,” he said. “I’m looking for some fun places to take us. Any suggestions?”
“Congratulations!” Ainsley gushed. “You two look so in love.” The couple glanced at each other and grinned. “Well, let me tell you, you’re going to have to get out of this town to find somewhere romantic. I’d suggest going about ten miles—”
The man interrupted. “We purposely came here, to Skary, for our honeymoon.”
“You did?”
“Yes,” the girl answered. “We thought we’d have a lot of fun! We’re staying in that little bed-and-breakfast down the road. What’s it called?”
Ainsley sighed. “Arsenic and Old Lace.”
The girl squealed. “Yes! That’s it! It’s just the cutest little place!”
“Yeah. Just try not to get murdered,” Ainsley replied.
The couple laughed heartily, but Ainsley could only manage to smile mildly. The man said, “We loved all the axes hanging from the ceiling.”
“You can’t get much more romantic than axes, can you? Can I get you anything else?”
The girl leaned forward on the table. “Do you know him?”
“Who?”
“Wolfe Boone, of course.”
“Oh. No. I mean, yes. I mean, not really. Sort of.” She closed her mouth to stop rambling, took a deep breath, and finally answered, “I’ve met him.”
“Is he creepy? He looks like he would be.”
As much as Ainsley wanted to answer that question with yes, she had to be truthful. “No. Not really. He could use a haircut, but that’s about it.” She tapped her pencil on her pad and said, “I’ll be back to check on you in a bit.”
Ainsley found Marlee reading a magazine behind the counter. “Don’t you have customers?”
Marlee smacked her gum and didn’t look up. “They’re fine. They’ll yell if they need anything.”
Ainsley shook her head and leaned against the counter to take the pressure off her already aching feet. “The point of being a good waitress is that your customers don’t have to yell for you, you know.”
Marlee smiled and nodded but continued reading about the latest fall lipstick colors.
“I ran into him today.”
Marlee looked up. “Who? Garth?”
Ainsley rolled her eyes. “Running into Garth isn’t worth reporting.”
Her eyebrows raised. “Well, then who
is
worthy of reporting?”
Ainsley swallowed. She didn’t mean it
that way
. Did she? “Wolfe Boone.”
“Boo?”
“Yeah. At the bookstore.”
“The bookstore? He’s not known for venturing out much, is he?” She stood upright and closed her magazine. “What happened? Did he seem, you know, converted?”
Ainsley popped her knuckles and frowned. “Look, it’s more than what you look like on the outside. Who can say if his heart has changed?”
“What was he doing there?”
“Reading Charles Dickens, apparently.” Ainsley glanced over to herlatest customers and noticed they both needed a refill on their drinks. She grabbed the tea pitcher, but before she could step out from behind the counter, Bob came through the doors of the kitchen.
“Ainsley, phone call.” Bob held the phone up in the air.
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