Page 9 of Novel Problems

An image of Hannah smiling at me, her eyes crinkling at the edges and white teeth framed by upturned full, pink lips, appeared in my mind. My grin widened. Even the memory of her smile was infectious. I shook myself.

Everything you could want in an EMPLOYEE, George.

The last thing I needed was a crush on Hannah. Ben had mentioned she’d moved here with a husband, so she wasn’t available. And even if she was available, there was no way I’d date an employee. It was an unquestionably terrible idea.

Lost in thought, it was only when we’d almost reached the end of Main Street that I remembered to check the time.

“Crap.” I looked down from my watch to Max. “No more sniffs, Max. We’d better get back, or Blake’ll be waitingfor us.”

I tugged Max away from an apparently exquisite-smelling lamp post, and we set off up Main Street at pace. It was still warm, and the evening sun had surprising strength. As we reached the café, I spotted a familiar figure leaning against the door, two pizza boxes and a brown paper bag by her feet.

I smiled.Blake.

When I’d moved to town a few years ago, I hadn’t known a soul. Initially, I’d been so focused on turning my vision of a cozy café-bookstore into a reality—pouring my heart, soul, and money into creating Novel Gossip—that I’d had no time to make friends outside of the regulars I spoke to every day at work. A few months later, I fell off a ladder while shelving books, and Ben insisted I see the new doctor who’d just opened her practice in Sapphire Springs. Blake and I had had an immediate, but completely platonic, connection. Not only were we the only two openly queer women in Sapphire Springs of our age that we knew of, and on the more gender non-conforming side of the spectrum, but we shared a similar sense of humor and a love of hiking and good coffee. Last year Blake had started dating her childhood crush, Jenny, who had just returned to Sapphire Springs. When Jenny worked late, Blake would often come over for dinner.

“Hi. Sorry. I hope you haven’t been waiting long,” I said to Blake as Max and I reached her.

“Not your fault. I’m early. I grabbed pizza and salad from Michael’s, and they prepared it in record time,” she replied, picking up the brown paper bag before Max got to it. The smell of garlic and cheese sent my stomach rumbling.

I chuckled. Michael’s was notorious for mouth-watering, traditional pizzas made excruciatingly slowly. “Maybethey’ve finally installed another wood-fired oven to meet the demands of pizza-obsessed Sapphire Springs.”

Blake laughed. “We can only hope.”

I opened the door, and we made our way up to the apartment.

“Make yourself at home,” I said as I shut the door behind Blake and headed to the kitchen.

I grabbed plates, cutlery, and two pale ales from the fridge. “Are you okay to eat on the couch?” I asked Blake, walking into the living room to find she was already on it, Max curled up next to her, the pizza boxes and salad on the coffee table in front of her.

“Have I ever not been?” Blake grinned.

“Point taken.” I handed Blake a beer and placed the plates and cutlery on the table. “Help yourself.”

After Blake had loaded her plate, I grabbed a few slices and started making quick work of them. I’d had no time for a proper lunch break today, only devouring half a BLT bagel in the kitchen before the lunch rush began, so I was starving.

“How was your day?” Blake asked, opening the beer and taking a swig.

I filled her in on the unexpected delivery of books, Ben’s illness, Romina’s bad mood, Hannah’s fortuitous appearance and then my call with Mom.

Blake shook her head when I’d finished. “Damn, that sounds hectic. I’m surprised you haven’t already passed out from exhaustion. So, do you think you’ll keep the new woman on?”

“Hannah? Yes, definitely. She’s great. Assuming all her paperwork and references are fine.”They better be, or I’m screwed.And the thought of not seeing her again was not appealing.

Blake furrowed her brow as she swallowed her mouthful of pizza. “I don’t think I’ve come across her before.” Blake, as the only doctor in town, took pride in knowing everyone who lived here.

“She just moved here from…” I frowned, realizing I knew very little about her. Ben hadn’t mentioned where she was from, and I’d been so busy today I hadn’t had a chance to ask. “Somewhere. At least, that’s what Ben said. She moved here recently with her husband.”

Blake’s expression turned thoughtful. “If you wanted, you could invite her to come with us tomorrow night. Since Ben’s sick, we have a spare ticket. If she just moved here, she might appreciate some company.”

I paused. Inviting Hannah to the outdoor movie night would be a friendly gesture. I was pretty lonely when I first moved to Sapphire Springs. But, at the same time, she was an employee. Would inviting her on a social outing put her in a difficult position if she didn’t want to go? I’d asked Ben without a second thought, but we’d worked together for years and I knew him well enough to know he’d say no if he didn’t want to come. On first impression, Hannah struck me as the sort of person who’d agree to something she didn’t want to do just to avoid hurting the other person’s feelings. And I didn’t want to make her feel uncomfortable.

“Yeah, I’m not sure. Let me think about it.”

I groaned softly, remembering that, while my legs still ached, I had to make the cake-of-the-day tonight, or my regulars would be disappointed. If I didn’t get started, I’d have to stay up late to take it out of the oven and leave it to cool.

“If you’ve finished eating, would you mind if I got started on baking tomorrow’s cake? I was thinking of doing a miniature one for us for dessert, if you’re okay staying for awhile. It’ll be a dark chocolate, date, and almond meringue cake with cream and berries.”

Blake jumped up, a grin on her face. “I’m supportive of anything that involves me getting to eat cake. What can I do to help?”

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