Page 64 of The Coffee Bar on Camellia Court

"Move that way a little," Lena directed, stretching her arm as far as it would go. "That's where the Big Dipper goes."

"You're the expert," Alex replied, adjusting his stance to accommodate her reach. He now only wore his walking boot on the job or when he had to be on his feet for long periods of time, but for around the house, he’d switched to a smaller gel brace. It gave him more mobility, but Juno noticed he how much he still favored that ankle.

"You should sit down," she called over to him. "I can take a turn."

Alex shook his head. "We're on a roll here, aren't we, Lena-bug? Besides, I'm the tallest."

"The tallest." Lena patted his head. "This one goes here." She pressed a star to the ceiling with great concentration, then looked down at Juno. "Do you think it'll look like real stars in the dark?"

"Even better," Juno replied, gathering empty takeout containers into a paper bag. "Because you'll know exactly where to find each constellation."

Lena beamed at her, and Juno felt that now-familiar tug of emotion in her chest. It had been just over two weeks since she'd discovered Alex had a daughter, and already she couldn't imagine her life without Lena in it.

Alex carefully lowered Lena to the ground. The girl immediately darted to the light switch. "Can we turn it off and see?"

"Let's give the stars a few more minutes to set," Juno suggested, knowing they needed longer light exposure if they were going to glow, especially since the room wouldn’t be very dark with the sun setting so late. "Why don't we take a break and figure out where your books will go?"

"I have a lot of books now," Lena said with undisguised delight. "Grandma took me to the bookstore, and Claire helped me pick out lots of Nancy Drew books and Hardy Boys books and Cherry Ames books and Trixie Bel… Bel—” She glanced over at the stacks of books on the floor against the wall and pointed at a pile four vintage hardcovers. “Trixie Belden!” she exclaimed. “And Daddy built my shelves all by himself."

“Don’t forget about the Scooby Doo books,” Alex said with an exaggerated frown. “Those are the most important books, which is why we should put them on the top shelf.”

“I think you want them on the top shelf so thatyoucan reach them easier,” Juno teased.

“Haha,” Alex shot back. “I walked right into that one, didn’t I?”

"Well, the shelves are beautiful," Juno said, meaning it. The white floating shelves looked professionally done, arranged in a staggered pattern up one wall.

Alex lowered himself to the ground beside Juno and took her hand. She still marveled at how much his touch thrilled her, and she brought his hand up to rub his knuckles against her cheek. He gave her that crooked smile of his, and Juno couldn't help but lean in a little. Even she could see just how besotted he was becoming with her.

"Daddy, you're supposed to be helping me with my books, not making googly eyes at Juno," Lena called from where she was unpacking a box of hardcovers.

Alex laughed, the sound warming Juno from the inside out. "Busted," he murmured, but didn't move away. Instead, he leaned closer and kissed her tenderly on the lips.

"I saw that, too," Lena added with a snort.

"You see everything, don't you, squirt?" Alex released Juno's hand to crawl over to his daughter. "Let's get these books organized, then. How do you want them? By size? Color? Author?"

As they debated the merits of various organizational systems, Juno checked her phone. Three texts from her father, all sent while she'd been painting.

Running low on TP in the supply closet.

Need me to come in early to help unpack the coffee shipment tomorrow?

Found a leak under the sink in the men's bathroom. Fixed it with supplies from the maintenance closet. Hope that's OK.

Juno texted back a quick thanks, but told him not to come in early. She liked the routine of unpacking her coffee shipments, and she preferred to manage her stock personally. She added that she'd see him in the morning, then said goodnight, hoping he’d get the hint and not respond.

Leonard had been working at the coffee shop for nearly two weeks now, and despite her initial reservations, he'd proven himself surprisingly reliable. He showed up early, stayed late when needed, and had started taking initiative with minor repairs around the place. Customers liked him—especially the female tourists who frequented the shop mid-morning. He had a knack for making them giggle.

It was... unsettling, how easily he'd slipped into her life, but that didn’t mean she was ready to act like the past hadn’t happened. She didn’t want to be his only friend in town, and it niggled at her that he tried to engage with her almost every night after work. It felt almost cloying, making him seem needy, and she didn’t care for this side of him.

"Earth to Juno," Alex called, breaking into her thoughts.

She put her phone away, forcing a smile. "Sorry. Just checking in with the shop."

"Everything okay?" His eyes narrowed slightly, and she knew he was really asking about Leonard.

"Fine," she said, perhaps a touch too quickly. "Dad fixed a leak in the men's room before he went home this evening."

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