Page 30 of Love Under Review

“And?”

“And they’re selling even outside of Sage Creek, which, to me, is saying something.” She clicked a tab on the dashboard and scrolled down, revealing the countries where the books were being bought.

A smile crossed her mother’s face, followed closely by a frown. “I’m so sorry, Dani. I know I haven’t always been the most encouraging when it came to writing. But it seems you’ve proven me wrong once again.”

Danielle moved forward and wrapped her arms around her mother. “It’s fine. I just had to keep going, and I still have to. If I can make it with writing these books, I can stay here for a while longer. Just, please don’t tell anyone yet.”

They pulled apart, and her mother’s eyes studied her face. “Are you sure that’s what you want? I know you wanted to get out of this town as soon as you graduated high school.”

“I can’t say I won’t have times when I get bit by the travel bug, but I’m learning to love some aspects of Sage Creek.”

“I just hope you know I love you, and that I’m here to support you, even though it probably hasn’t felt like it.” She got a bit teary-eyed, and Danielle reached out to hug her.

When her mom pulled away to put the ground beef in the pan, Danielle said, “I’ll take care of dinner, Mom. Just relax.”

Her mother shook her head a bit, looking even more shocked than before. “Did I just hear my daughter say she’d cook? I never thought I’d see the day when that happened.”

Danielle feigned hurt and turned the cooktop on. “Well, I’ve been gone for a while, and I got sick of takeout after a while. Thanks to the internet, I’ve mastered a few recipes.”

Her mother chuckled, settling onto a stool by the bar. “Word has it that you’ve been spending a lot of time with the bookstore owner.”

Spinning to look at her mother, Danielle felt a wave of panic. “Whose word are we talking about?”

“Everyone from the book club. There have been a few others who’ve stopped me to ask what’s going on between you two.” The mischievous grin on her mom’s face caused Danielle’s stomach to sink.

Turning back to break up the hamburger meat, she asked, “What did you say?”

“I just said you had common interests, and since you were working on that article together, you’d been spending time together.” There was a long pause before she said, “Or is there something else?”

Danielle sighed, twisting her neck to look back at her mother. “He asked me to dinner tomorrow.”

“And?”

“We’re friends. We can go to dinner, even though he’d like to think it’s a date.” She studied her mother’s face and saw irritation flash across her eyes.

“Danielle, you need to stop putting up a wall. Liam’s a good man, and the poor guy has been set up on so many dates here in town that I feel sorry for him. The fact that he asked you out is a big thing.” Her mother stood and walked to Danielle, wrapping an arm around her shoulders. “Don’t let what happened to me drive you away from love. If I hadn’t married your father, I wouldn’t have you. From the look on your face, I’d say you have feelings for him.”

A rawness clawed at Danielle’s throat as she mulled over her mother’s words. “I don’t want to get hurt, Mom, nor do I want to be the one to hurt anyone.”

“What makes you think either of those would happen with Liam?” The earnestness in her expression made Danielle really think about it.

“I guess that’s always been my perception of love. That there will always be some form of heartbreak, even if you stay together until you’re old and gray. I just don’t know if I’m strong enough to survive that.” Danielle licked her lips, hoping to distract herself and hold back the tears like a dam.

Her mother pulled her in for a full hug, and they stood there for several seconds, the fear and sadness replaced by hope.

“It’s okay to take things slow, but don’t shut out the chance for a happily ever after too soon. Your father and I had some great times together, and even after the way things turned out, I wouldn’t have changed it.”

Danielle pulled back a few inches, her eyes searching her mother’s. She’d never heard this much about her father, but despite all the heartbreak, Danielle was grateful her mother didn’t regret the relationship.

Maybe love was worth taking the leap. Or maybe just one step at a time.

Chapter 20

Liam closed up the bookstore early the next day, wanting to make sure he’d prepared enough food for the event. As much as Danielle didn’t want to call it a date, he did. There were so many nuances to her personality, and he wondered if he’d ever learn them all. She could be stubborn and sassy, while other times she could be empathetic and easy to talk to. Every time she saw Cari, she connected with the girl like she’d known Cari all six years of her life. Considering her out-of-the-box personality and his sister’s words to find a girl in his head, he’d finally come around to the idea of wanting a future with someone.

With everything going well with Kara at the hospital and her last treatment, he’d arranged for Tasha to hang out at the house with Cari while he took Danielle on their date. Kara hadn’t yet recovered completely from the previous surgery, and the doctors wanted to make sure they didn’t send her home prematurely, even though her tests were starting to look more positive.

After loading a flexible bag with all the picnic items he’d planned to bring, he searched around the kitchen, trying to remember if he needed anything else. A blanket.

---