Free Where My Heart Breaks by Ivy Sinclair Page B

that I could use as conversation starters if the discussion started to lag. It never hurt to be prepared, especially when you anticipated making an ass of yourself at some point during the evening.
    “I live a few blocks over on Post Road,” Reed replied.  
    I had no idea where Post Road was, but I murmured something innocuous in response. I wondered if he lived alone or had roommates. I did a mental shake. None of that should matter since I’d probably never see his place anyway. After this evening, I was firmly convinced that Reed would decide that he had a temporary bout of insanity in wanting to have anything to do with me.
    We arrived at the front gate, and Reed held it open for me to pass through in another unexpected gentlemanly gesture. I heard conversations at the tables quiet as we passed. It felt odd knowing that we were the focus of everyone’s attention. I didn’t enjoy being in the spotlight, and I sensed by the way that Reed’s body tensed next to me that he liked it even less.
    “Do you want to sit inside or outside?” Reed asked.
    It was such a beautiful evening that I hated the idea of sitting inside. I spied a small table on the front porch to the side of the coffee shop’s entrance. It was tucked back under the eaves and it looked to me as if it offered more privacy than the tables on the lawn. “How about there?” I gestured toward the table.
    “Perfect,” Reed said.
    His agreement made me feel good. It was silly, but it felt good to have someone agree with me for once. I made my way up the steps to the table and set my purse down on one of the chairs. Reed dumped his bag into the other chair. “I know you offered to buy my coffee, but I’ve got two free ones coming anyway. What can I get you?”
    I started to protest, but Reed shook his head. “Seriously, I come here all the time. Being a regular has its benefits.”
    Sensing this was an argument I was going to lose, I gave in. “A non-fat cappuccino then.”
    “Coming right up,” Reed winked. He gestured at the table. “Make yourself comfortable. There’s some great people watching here.”
    Somehow I had a feeling that Lula’s would have that dubious honor, but I just smiled and pulled my chair out. While I waited, I fished my notebook and an area map that I swiped from the Willoughby’s brochure rack out of my purse. I added Lula’s copy of Where My Heart Breaks to the pile and then flipped the notebook open to my notes.
    Between talking to Millie and getting ready for my non-date, I had managed to flip through the beginning of the book again and write down several of the locations mentioned in the story so far. I was amazed to find that I was looking forward to visiting the different places and comparing it to what Walter Moolen wrote in the book. I had never considered doing something like this before. It was cool in an academic kind of way.
    I used to be an A+ student. I was valedictorian of my high school class, and scored several large scholarships that helped fund my college tuition. There was no other way I could have afforded it on my own. My parents believed in earning your own way, and that included paying for college. My perfectionist tendencies didn’t translate well under the pressure of performing to that same level in college while holding down multiple part-time jobs to fill the tuition gap left over after my scholarships were applied. Then I met Trevor and effectively blew that plan entirely to hell. If my parents didn’t pony up for my senior year, I wouldn’t be able to go back to school even if the school would take me.
    “You look deep in thought,” Reed said, placing a coffee cup down in front of me.  
    Before I could answer, I had to pick up and carefully admire the cracked mug that exclaimed “Caffeine Addict” in huge red letters on the side. “This is eclectic,” I said.
    “Did you expect any less from a place called Java Joe’s?” Reed replied as he settled into his chair. “I went to