Chapter Nine

F or two days, Keaton dove deep into researching Halloween. Not from an academic perspective but from a kid's point of view. He read articles and watched cartoons. Whatever he could find. An interesting pursuit, which he wanted to analyze and compare to his usual endeavors. But not until he finished the Boo Bash proposals. A good thing he had enough info for the second one.

He'd asked Callie, Taryn, and Margot about how much shops did for each of the events. He wanted to be mindful of the work they asked for and to not overwhelm anyone. What he discovered shouldn't have surprised him. Only three events required individual businesses to go all out: the Christmas window decorating contest, the spring shindig, and the summer fair. Which meant, if they—okay, he—wanted the Boo Bash to be more than handing out candy, everything would need to be put together and given to the businesses in an easy-to-understand package.

More work.

As Raine had mentioned.

But the idea of work wouldn't scare him off.

On Friday morning at Margot's dining room table, he scribbled in his notebook.

Call him old-school, but he preferred pen and paper.

The only issue…

Whenever he thought about Halloween, Raine came to mind. The two had become entwined in Keaton's mind. He kept wanting to text about the ghoulish games he'd discovered. Except she didn't have time for that.

For him.

Saturday would be there soon enough.

He wanted to make life easier for Raine. Her story replayed in his mind.

What happened to her parents broke his heart. Touching her hand hadn't been enough but he hadn't dared more. Anything else would have been…inappropriate. More unlike him than ordering a different coffee.

He couldn't and didn't want to imagine what she must have gone through. Sure, his siblings teased each other, but he loved them. No matter how hard Mom and Dad pushed, to suddenly have them gone from his life…

He shuddered.

Raine had superhero powers to survive what happened. His respect for her kept growing. And when her smile lit up her face…

"Working hard, I see."

Keaton dropped his pen. Margot stood in the living room. She was smiling as usual. "I didn't realize you were working a half day."

"I'm not. I forgot my lunch." She studied the table. "Why aren't you working at the coffee shop?"

"I'm watching videos and forgot to pack my headphones. I'm not a fan of AirPods. I keep losing them."

"Have you eaten?"

If Margot didn't have the quilt shop, she would have made a wonderful café owner or B&B host. She loved to take care of people, but Keaton wouldn't make more work for her. "I had a late breakfast."

"I'll grab my lunch and be off." She eyed the paperwork on the table. "Is that for the Boo Bash?"

"Doing some research for Raine."

Margot's face lit up. "Knew you were the right man for her."

Wait. What? Every muscle tensed. Keaton's gaze shot to hers. "Excuse me?"

"To help. With the Boo Bash."

His stiff neck relaxed. He'd been warned about Margot's matchmaking. Not that he and Raine were compatible. They were opposites. If he taught a STEM subject, he would come up with a magnet analogy, but alas he didn't. Though if he said alas in a conversation his family would rib him, even though it was only four letters and they all used ten-dollar words.

"There's that smile I love." Margot winked. "You should use it on the lovely singletons in town."

"You're incorrigible."

"I am." She wagged her finger. "But wait and see. Big-city men always fall for someone from a small town."

Must be something in the water.

Or a certain quilt shop owner.

Keaton was smart enough not to say that aloud. "Enjoy your lunch."

She rolled her eyes and headed into the kitchen. A moment later, the back door slammed shut.

He returned to his list. Some ideas were outrageous, but in the brainstorming phase, he would cross off nothing.

His cell phone buzzed with three text notifications.

He glanced at the screen. It was a message from Lilia, Dean Fredricks's assistant.

Lilia: Hope you're doing well. I miss seeing photos of Rex. I don't know if you were notified but a visiting professor position opened in Cambridge.

Keaton's pulse skyrocketed. Was this real or had he daydreamed the perfect position? He reread the message. "Cambridge."

He pumped his fist and kept reading.

Lilia: Boston would be a good fit. You'd be perfect for the position with your qualifications. I sent an email with more information. Texting to make sure you open that.

Applying for jobs meant staying on top of his email. No one from the university had been in touch with him. Thank goodness for Lilia.

Keaton opened the email and clicked the link. He read the job listing. Each word made his heart swell.

"I'm more than qualified."

But he'd been qualified at his old university too.

"Can't take things for granted."

He kept reading. The position started in January. That meant he could spend the holidays in Silver Falls before moving east. He pushed aside the Boo Bash stuff. He filled out the application. He'd become an expert at applications. Something two weeks ago, he wouldn't have claimed. As soon as he finished, he reread the application. Satisfied, he uploaded his CV and hit submit.

Done.

He picked up his phone and typed a reply to Lilia.

Me: Thank you. I hadn't heard about the position. I've applied. Here are the newest pics of Rex. Thanks again. And I hope the first day of the quarter goes well.

Keaton still couldn't believe someone else was teaching his class. Nothing he could do about that except look for a new job like this one.

He hit send .

Relief washed over him. All he had to do was wait to hear if his application made the first cut. He hoped it did because this was exactly the kind of position he wanted to find. Temporary, yes, but he was confident this would lead to something better…bigger.

That buoyed his spirits.

Time to take a break. A walk to stretch his muscles would be good and a celebratory drink at the coffee shop. What more could he ask for?

*

Thirty minutes later, Keaton stood in line at the coffee shop. As Robin took orders, Raine prepared the drinks. Two people stood in line ahead of him. He didn't mind the wait, especially when training a new employee would help Raine in the future.

When it was his turn, he stepped to the corner.

Robin beamed. "Welcome to Tea Leaves and Coffee Beans. What can I get for you today?"

"Your boss is introducing me to the joy of pumpkin spice."

Raine glanced over at him. "Keaton's coffees are on the house. His reward for helping me with the Boo Bash. I'll take care of him."

"Sure thing." Robin's smile widened. "Is this to go?"

He hadn't planned on staying, but why not? "For here."

"Someone will bring over your beverage shortly."

"Thanks." Raine was busy making drinks, so he didn't say anything to her. No way would he be a burden or a distraction to her when she had so much work.

He sat at his usual corner table with a nearby plug in case his computer's battery ran out of juice. Not that he'd brought the laptop today. He'd left it and the Boo Bash stuff on Margot's dining room table to return to later.

Someone set a cup on his table. "It's a Pumpkin Spice Double Shot on Ice."

He recognized Raine's voice. She stood next to him.

Keaton picked up the cup. "Pulling out all the stops today to make sure I don't fall asleep tonight."

Her closed-mouth smile was too mischievous to be compared to Mona Lisa's. "Customer service at its finest."

"Such modesty."

"You're one to talk." She sounded amused.

He deserved that. "You've got me. Callie's the only one who got that gene in our family, but I'm not as bad as my brothers or parents."

Keaton's joke fell flat, but he didn't think Raine noticed. He'd been the same or worse than Mom, Dad, Flynn, and Garrett. Losing his job made Keaton see himself differently. His world, too.

He'd grown up with wealthy, successful parents, who paid for his education without blinking an eye. He'd had zero student loans and as much financial help as he wanted. Success was assumed and expected from a young age. But there'd been parental support for as long as he'd known it existed. Add in growing up in Beverly Hills…

The definition of privilege.

The university had been one more bubble world where he'd been a guppy but had zero doubt he'd grow into a koi.

But he no longer felt invincible. His certainty in his plans and himself had been shaken to the core. He'd believed everything he wanted would happen. Now, not so much.

"You've only been in town for five days. I'll need a few more data points," Raine teased. "Robin has to leave, so I need to get back."

"Are you working alone for the rest of the day?"

"Timmy will be here in an hour." The lines on Raine's forehead returned, and Keaton wanted them to disappear somehow. "Do you need me for something?"

"Yes." The word slipped out. Keaton fought the urge to grimace. "I mean, no. It can wait. Until you have more time."

"Okay." She returned to the counter.

What was wrong with him?

He removed his glasses and rubbed his eyes. At least he'd have time to think of what to ask Raine other than his original question—if she wanted to get together before this weekend.

That hadn't been in reference to the Boo Bash. Keaton wasn't ready to present his proposals. He had wanted to make her feel better. A night out where she could forget about the coffee shop and the Boo Bash would do the trick.

But Keaton couldn't.

Untrue.

He could, but he shouldn't.

Raine was his opposite in many ways. He was supposed to be helping her with the event, not trying to get her to relax and have fun and spend more time with him.

Yet, a part of him still wanted that. He just had no idea why.

*

Raine made Keaton a different pumpkin spice drink. One without two espresso shots that would keep him awake all night. She swirled whipped cream on top and stuck in a straw. This drink was more of a dessert, but a few calories shouldn't matter. "I'm going to deliver this."

"Take a break while you're there." Timmy worked on an iced latte. "There's no line, and you might not get another chance until later."

"Sometimes I wonder who's the boss around here."

He pointed to himself before going back to work.

Raine made her way to Keaton, who stared at his phone. As she approached, he didn't look up. She set his cup close to him and took out her phone from her pocket. "Must be something interesting."

Keaton glanced up, smiled, and placed his phone face down on the table. "Catching up with our family chat."

"Callie mentioned your video calls."

He laughed. "They used to be our way to keep in touch with Callie. Now three of us are in Silver Falls."

"Mind company?"

"Sit."

Raine did.

He took a sip of his new drink. "Pumpkin spice milkshake?"

"We also call them frappes. Can't use the ‘uccino' ending because it's trademarked." She had to give kudos to the marketing department at the biggest coffee shop franchise in the world. "But customers do."

He brought the straw to his mouth.

Hers went dry.

Anticipation. That was what it was.

Keaton's face brightened. "I liked the others, but this is my favorite so far."

Yes! She straightened. "There are more for you to try."

"Can't wait."

Neither could she. He hadn't brought his laptop bag with him. "Not working on your book today?"

"No. I'm celebrating."

"What's the occasion?"

"I submitted a job application for a position. I hope I get it."

"You're leaving the university where you teach?"

His posture went ramrod stiff. His face flushed.

"I, um…" Keaton took a sip of his drink and grimaced as if he'd gotten a brain freeze. "I lost my job a couple of weeks ago. Budget cuts wiped out my department."

No wonder he'd shown up unexpectedly in Silver Falls. "That sucks."

He laughed. "It does. I came to Silver Falls to regroup and figure out what to do next. My apartment was owned by the university, so it was either come here or move into my childhood bedroom at my parents'."

"Well, I'm happy you're here, and that the Boo Bash figured into your plans."

"Me, too." Keaton hoped she heard how much he meant it.

"Margot must've thought you needed something else to do like the Boo Bash—like applying for jobs and working on your book aren't full-time jobs on their own.

"I can only spend so much time on each. She wanted to help you, too."

"As long as it's with the Boo Bash and not…"

"Matchmaking," they said in unison.

Both laughed.

Then, her expression grew more serious. She leaned forward. "I'm glad you came to Silver Falls. I hope that job works out for you, but my mom always told me when one door closes, another opens. Only she believed in slamming the door fast, so the bugs didn't fly inside."

The deep, rich sound of Keaton's laughter wrapped around Raine like one of Margot's quilts.

She glanced at the counter. A line was forming. "I should get back."

He picked up his cup. "I'm taking this with me for the walk home. It'll put me in the right mood to work."

"On your book?"

"Maybe later. I have two proposals to finish up so I can present them to you tomorrow."

"Thanks for taking the Boo Bash so seriously."

"It's important." He sounded so earnest, as if the community event had an impact beyond one small town.

But earnest wasn't the same as excited, the way he got when he talked about writing. "Your book is important too so don't push it aside."

He blinked. "You are the only one besides my mom who thinks so."

"You light up whenever you mention it. That tells me your book is important to you." She winked. "You're not the only one who reads body language."

"Well-done." His gaze locked on hers.

Her breath stilled. The noises in the shop faded.

"See you tomorrow," he said, breaking whatever spell was between them.

"Looking forward to it." As in seeing him, not hearing about the Boo Bash.

She swallowed. What in the world was happening?