The mate bond is just like Jamie described: being near him empowers me to do things I’ve never done before, want things I’ve never wanted. He’s like a drug, and no temptation on earth could lure me away from him. It’s almost dizzying, the way he affects my senses. Everything looks brighter, tastes sweeter, and—
And now Ethan is staring at me like I snorted a line of sugar.
“Good morning,” he greets me warily.
“Good morning, Ethan! How are you this gorgeous fall morning?”
I’ve always been pleasant first thing in the morning, but I must have turned it up a notch too high based on the way he’s raising his brow at me.
Oh, no. Do I have a post-orgasm glow? Is it that obvious?
“Fine,” Ethan drones. “I take it your cheery attitude means you’re ready to get back to work?” He suggests this with an expectant tone, and with sudden guilt, I realize my week-long absence meant leaving Ethan alone to open and close the store himself. Bound and Buried employs a handful of part-time workers, but typically Ethan and I split the managerial duties. It’s not like me to be so inconsiderate, but this past week truly has thrown me off my game.
“Absolutely,” I tell him. “Where do you want me to start?”
He points absentmindedly to a plastic bin sitting in front of the register labeled FALL DECOR. “Might as well start with the window display.”
My mood skyrockets at the prospect of spending the morning decorating the three pane window looking out onto Main Street. It’s been one of my favorite parts of the job. I would’ve thought the task would be finished by now, most likely handed off to one of the part-time employees, because the rest of town was decorated for fall weeks ago.
I go to the back office and put away my bag and the cozy cardigan I’ve been wearing. When I come back out, I grab the plastic bin and carry it closer to the window. Then a thought occurs to me:Did Ethan purposefully postpone decorating the window until I got back?
Nowthatwould be ridiculous. Ethan knows how much I love being in charge of the window display, but he’s never been that considerate, nor has he ever been kind to me after needing time off. But he was the one who offered it to me.
Shrugging it off, I spend the next few hours filling the space with color like it’s an empty canvas. I string paper sunflowers around the edge of the window sill, plaster cling-on pumpkins to the glass, and line the bottom of the sill with straw. Then I take my time creating pretty stacks of Halloween-themed books that line the bottom of the windows. I tie a few together with twine and stick them in baskets with fake sunflowers. With a few extra pumpkins sprinkled here and there, I’m pretty sure my task is complete, so I go outside to take a look.
The display is perfect. The colors and textures just scream fall, and at night, the added touch of fairy lights will make it even better.
I’m admiring my work when I hear my name being called by a familiar voice. I turn to see Jo walking briskly down the street holding a cup of coffee in each hand, holding one out to me when she approaches.
“I had to come into town for dog food and thought I’d stop by,” she says. “The window looks great!”
“Thanks!” I’m beaming at the combination of admiring my creativity and seeing Joanna again so soon.
Getting to talk with Jo this weekend about my conflicting feelings for Jamie was an outlet I hadn’t known I needed, and seeing her again only reminds me how happy I am that she reached out in the first place.
Jo quirks a brow at me, just like Ethan did before. “What’s got you so happy this morning?”
I shrug my shoulders and feign nonchalance. “I’m having a good day.”
She glances at her watch. “It’s only ten A.M.”
“Okay,” I concede, “it’s been a good two hours.”
Jo’s eyes light up like a Christmas tree, and she clamps her hand dramatically over her mouth, suppressing a squeal.
I know exactly what she thinks she’s figured out, so very calmly, I try to defuse the situation without drawing attention.
What is it about the front of this store that makes people want to cause a spectacle?
“It’s not what you think,” I tell her hastily.
She points directly at my lying face. “You decided to take a test drive, didn’t you?”
I draw up short, because yes, I most definitely did. But I don’t want the rest of Main Street to know that.
“Would you get over here?” I usher her into the store where the remnants of my decorating spree are strewn around the window and on the floor. Ethan is standing at the front counter and staring at me blankly, so I take that as a hint that I need to clean up before more customers arrive.
“Here,” I say, handing Jo a wad of my paper scraps, “help me with this and I’ll tell you everything.”
