Small towns ran on gossip like engines ran on fuel. By the time Valentina started her new job at Riverdale’s only bookstore three days later, everyone knew she’d left Duke’s garage. Speculation ran rampant—they’d fought, they’d slept together, he’d fired her, she’d quit in tears.
None came close to the truth: that a single kiss had shattered the walls she’d built around her heart.
“Heard you and Duke Reynolds finally exploded,” Mrs. Winters said as Valentina rang up her romance novels. The elderly woman had no filter and fewer boundaries. “Bound to happen, way you two were circling each other.”
“We weren’t circling anything,” Valentina replied, forcing a smile. “Coffee’s at the counter if you want some while you browse.”
Mrs. Winters waved her off. “Don’t change the subject, dear. That
