Audrey suddenly rounds the corner, beaming. “That was fantastic. Way to stand up to the silly old cow, Bonnie.”
“When did you get here?” We’re not even officially open yet.
“Oh, I nipped in behind Kelley. I wanted to get my hands on the second Loch & Key book. Love me some vampires. The sex is hot, too.”
“It’s a sapphic collection,” Kelley replies with raised eyebrows.
“And it’s hot. Mmm, give me a bit of Amelia Loch, any day of the week.”
“I’m just gonna…” I point my thumb over my shoulder at nothing in particular. I don’t want to listen to whatever Audrey is about to say next. She’s got zero boundaries sometimes.
It’s nice to be back in the shop, surrounded by books. It’s the only time I’ve felt a sense of peace in the past three weeks. My heart thuds particularly hard when I think about the other place that made me feel at peace: in Allegra’s arms.
Silly, really. I’ve been away from her longer than I knew her. Surely, I should be over it; maybe even glad I dodged a bullet—literally. The old me would have been. That version of me would have rejoiced at getting back to her routine and the safety of the known. Somewhere along the way, though, that version of me vanished and now I don’t know what to do with myself.
I still love reading, but I’m not consumed by it. My thoughts wander to Italy more often than not. The microwave meals don’t hit the spot anymore, either. How could they possibly compare after eating the fine Italian cuisine? Everything is a little duller since coming home.
“Look what I found under the till,” Kelley says, breaking my daydreams. She hands me my copy ofMob’s Seduction. “We never did finish it.”
“I did. Allegra read it with me.”
It’s the first time I’ve spoken her name out loud. Kelley nibbles her lip in discomfort. She’s trying to figure out what to say next.
“I’ll pass over the fact you finished a joint read with someone else. Are you ready to talk about her?”
“What’s to talk about?”
“So, not ready, then.”
“No, I’m serious. We could’ve had something if our lives were compatible. But they weren’t—they aren’t—and now I have to move on.”
The door jingles again. Kelley eyes me but doesn’t comment. She simply heads back to the till and to the customer who just walked in.
“Um, Bonnie, can you come here, please?” The quiver in her voice has me on high alert. My first thought is Giani. What if he’s here? “Now, Bonnie,” she calls.
I rush to the front of the shop, ready to fight, when my legs almost give out. Standing by the door, looking as striking as ever, is Allegra. She gives me a shy smile, and it takes everything in me not to run into her arms. Her eyes wander down to the book I’m still gripping; the book that helped us bond.
“The book with the terrible title,” she says with a smile.
“A-Allegra, hi.”
“Hello, Bonnie. How are you?”
“Um, fine thanks. You?”
Jesus, this is painful and unnecessary. The woman’s been inside me, for crying out loud. There’s no reason we should talk like strangers. And yet, I can’t find it in me to say anything else in case it breaks the spell and she leaves.
“Have you got time to talk? I can come back later.”
“She can talk now,” Kelley interrupts. “It’s good to see you, Al.”
Al? Since when did they become bosom buddies?
“Kelley, I’m at work,” I say for an unknown reason, because I do, in fact, want to talk to her. It’s the only thing I want to do. Sadly, it’s my knee-jerk reaction to do the opposite of what someone tells me to do. I’m a work in progress.
“I’ll come back,” Allegra says, and I don’t miss the hint of disappointment.
“No, wait. I can talk. Come with me.” Turning, I head for the office. Butterflies and all manner of other winged creatures take flight in my stomach as I lead her to the cramped, windowless room.
