Wide eyes reflect genuine shock at my response. “Oh please. Seriously?”
“Yeah.” I glance around the store, hoping someone will walk in so they can distract Pen from this never-ending game of “have you read.” But, alas, I’m not that lucky. The store has been beyond slow this month, to the point where I tried to argue that Aunt Gloria didn’t need me here at all. Not that she listened.
“So which one are you?”
“Excuse me?”
Pen sighs dramatically and leans over the counter. It takes all of my willpower to not look at the generous cleavage she’s propping up beneath her v-neck sweater. It’s only been a week and the number of times I’ve thought of those curves outside of work?—
“Everyone who reads this series is loyal to one of the guys,” she says as if it’s the most obvious thing in the world.
“Okay. Let me guess, you like that French guy?”
Pen blushes at my accurate assessment. “So you have read the books! Spot on,” she says, nodding. “To be fair, it’s mostly because of the audiobook. The narrators were?—”
Twinkling bells alert us to incoming customers. A group of teenage girls enter, each holding some sort of iced coffee drink. Seriously, in the winter? I’m endlessly chilled to my bones and they’re willingly consuming a freezing beverage. Their giggling and whispering instantly annoys me.
“Go ask them if they’ve read it,” I mumble to Pen. Truth be told, I need her out of my space. The longer she trains her attention on me, the closer she physically gets, and I only have so much power over the growing attraction I have to her. I don’t want or need that distraction, so I’m relieved when she grabs the raven book from the counter and goes over to talk to the girls.
In a matter of minutes, Penelope has the group laughing and following her around the store as she excitedly points out her favorites. Favorite book boyfriend, favorite “why choose,” favorite whatever… I can't help but watch her, completely in her element with that stunning smile on her face. She stirs up emotions in me that I'd rather not feel, especially since I just ended a long-term relationship. I guess Penelope has always stuck in my mind, albeit, it’s been a long time since we’ve interacted, and now we work together. These kinds of feelings just don't belong here.
She glances my way, catching me staring. My heart leaps into my throat and I immediately look down, pretending to busy myself with paperwork at the register. I feed some receipt paper through the register and tear off a few inches. Pen in hand, I glance back up at Penelope, watching her excitement infect the group around her. She’s so beautiful, but I know she doesn’t seewhat I see. Putting the pen to the paper, I scribble some words to distract.
By the time the group brings their books to the register a short time later, it looks like Penelope has outdone herself. Each of the girls purchases at least three books and all of them— all four of them— giggle and blush and stammer their way through their transactions. Sometimes I lament working in a romance-specific bookshop.
When it’s back to just Pen and me, she leans against the counter, thankfully not across so I don’t have to pretend not to stare at her chest again.
“Those girls were obsessed with you,” Pen remarks. She’s smiling, but it doesn’t reach her eyes and I want to know why, but it’s not my place to ask. That’s too personal.
“They were teenagers.” I shrug, shoving my hands in my pockets. “Do you think their parents know they’re reading smut?”
“Not my place.” Penelope laughs, holding up her hands in mock defense. “They were really pretty though, weren’t they?”
Annoyance flares through me. “Didn’t I just say they were teenagers?”
“They’re all in college.” Pen shrugs, as if that makes it any better. “You really didn’t notice?”
Growling, I bite my lip to keep my anger in check.No, Pen, I didn’t notice if they were attractive or not. I never notice any other woman in this store except for you.But of course, I can’t say that.
“I really don’t care.”
Pen tilts her head at me. “How long are you helping Gloria out?”
“Why do you need to know?”
She huffs, crossing her arms over her chest. “It’s just a question. Didn’t realize I was annoying you today. Oh wait, everyone annoys you every single day.”
“Yeah, that’s right.” My hands form fists in my pockets and I sigh. “Only for a few months.” In all honesty, I have no idea how long I’m staying here in Prairie Ridge. It’s not like I have a place to stay or even a job to go back to in Kentucky. But why does it matter?
“Great. At least you won’t have to suffer in my presence for too long.” Penelope sniffs and I catch a glimpse of her glassy eyes before she spins around, walking toward the back. “I’ll be in the storage room, running inventory. Let Gloria know when she relieves you from your shift.”
Well, I fucked that up. I may not be the most likeable guy and my attitude has gotten me into problems in the past, but I don’t want to be that guy around Penelope. It’s just that every time she looks at me, I feel like she can see right through my defensive facade. And I'm terrified of what she might find there.
Besides, I’m working on getting my shit together. When I’m not working at the bookstore, I’m tinkering with some cocktail recipes at Aunt Gloria’s. She’s constantly having friends over and they’re the perfect audience for me to test out some new ideas. I haven’t had the motivation to create since my breakup, but after a few days in Prairie Ridge, I was setting up a bar area in her living room and ordering all the necessary tools.
I can't help but wonder how long I'll stay in Prairie Ridge, but maybe it's for the best that Penelope thinks I'm an asshole. I think keeping our interactions strictly professional is the safest option for both of us. But as I slam my fist on the counter in frustration, I realize that, deep down, that's not what I want either. Everything feels so uncertain and confusing, and I have no idea what I want or where I'm headed anymore.
At the end of my shift, I sneak into the break room to slip the note I wrote on the receipt paper into Pen’s locker. I’m sure she’ll know it’s from me, but I don’t really care. I need her to know.
