“I should’ve told you that I knew Alice. That was my plan when I first walked into the Book Nook. I was going to tell you I knew her and give you my condolences.” He stops, not aware of anyone around us, and he reaches for my hands—a question in his cautious movement that I answer when I touch my palms to his. A small smile pulls at his lips, but I hardly notice it when I see his eyes shimmer with tears, relief so stark across his face that everyone around us lets out a collective sigh. “But then I saw you,” he continues, and now I’m the one who wants to cry. “And I forgot everything other
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