“Good idea.” He flashed her a smile, then disappeared and reappeared thirty seconds later with his notebook and pen.
Emmeline scowled. The front door dinged with another customer, and she turned her attention there, tryingnotto focus on the irritating presence of Luke beside her.
He stayed with her throughout the day, watching and jotting down notes. She tried to find some way to get rid of him, but no matter how she moved around the store, they ended up back in each other’s space.
Even so, her bad mood gave way. It was impossible to stay upset for long when you were surrounded by shelves and shelves of books, three entire stories full. Emmeline watched as some people quietly browsed while others showed book covers to their friends and partners.
A white-scaled baby dragon flapped through the air, landing on top of one of the bookshelves, wings spread as it looked down. Another baby dragon—a red-scaled garneta—held onto a stack of books while its rider browsed, patiently sitting at the end of the bookshelf while it waited. She watched as a basalta baby dragon bounced over to the fireplace, blowing a little flame of fire onto the wood, which crackled.
With a smile, she inhaled the scent of woodsmoke, whichmingled with the smell of ink and paper. She continued taking notes and tracking the customers, getting a good idea of the market.
A little while later, feeling warm, she gathered her hair and twisted it up. As she did, she realized Luke was watching her, his pen stopped mid-motion.
“What?” she snapped, securing her hair with a clip. He closed his notebook, coming over to her in a few long strides.
Her heartbeat quickened at how close he was, the intent expression on his face. She gave him an odd look, unsure what he was doing as he lifted a hand up. Before she could react, he reached up and undid the clip in her hair, letting her long tresses unfurl and fall down.
“I like your hair down,” he said, voice earnest. Her cheeks felt warm. At the same time, indignation flashed through her.
Where did he get the audacity from to say such things to her?
“And I like your mouth shut,” she replied. “But we can’t all get what we want.”
He cocked his head to the side, as if in thought. “I don’t think that’s true,” he said, his gaze flicking down to her lips. “Not if I remember correctly.”
Emmeline blinked, heat pouring through her. He smirked. What was wrong with him? He was utterly ridiculous and absurd.
“Youdon’t,” she snapped, snatching her clip from his hand. Turning on her heel, she stalked away. Unfortunately, she couldn’t do anything about her racing pulse.
She had been minding her own business—why would he say such a thing? Releasing an irritated breath, she rubbedher temples. He was just trying to get under her skin, to distract her, she reminded herself. She wouldn’t let him.
Instead, she re-focused on the customers in the store. She watched as an old man browsed the shelves, taking his time. He pulled out different books, reading the back copy, then opening the pages to the first chapter. After reading a page or two, he either set the book back on the shelf, or dropped it off at one of the tables. As he browsed, his baby dragon bounced by his feet, happily following along.
The blue-scaled dragon flew up to look over his rider’s shoulder, and the old man lifted the book, showing the dragon, as if the baby could read. Emmeline smiled to herself. After about fifteen minutes of browsing, the old man paid for two books, and Emmeline jotted down notes from his visit.
Along with tracking trends, Emmeline tried to find some way to get back at Luke for his little stunt with the file last week, but she couldn’t find any opportunity, which was annoying.
Until she spotted a mischievous baby dragon nibbling on the end of a book. Its owner noticed and released a long-suffering sigh.
“No,” a woman scolded, pointing a finger. The red-scaled baby dragon begrudgingly dropped the book, leaving behind teeth marks; it was clearly hungry.
Just then, Luke went to get a cup of tea from the back. As he did, she saw him drop his notebook off on an empty display table, leaving his hands free.
Emmeline looked at the baby dragon, an idea flickering to life in her mind.
Chapter 14
Emmeline had a bag of fried bitter gourds in her purse. The snack was meant to appease Motu, but today, it would serve another purpose. She pulled a handful out, and the garneta baby dragon perked immediately, sniffing the air.
It turned its head, searching, then spotted Emmeline, who bit back a smile. The dragon’s red eyes widened, and Emmeline casually walked across the bookshop. She heard the sound of the dragon’s wings flapping behind her, and she went over to the empty display table where Luke’s notebook was.
Just then, Luke turned around with his tea. Swaying her hips, she knocked her purse over, and it swiped across the table, pushing the notebook off.
“Oops,” she mouthed, and he cocked his head at her. She bent over to pick up the notebook and, as she did, she slid a few fried gourds under the cover. Then, she set the notebook back on the table and continued walking forward, as if going for some tea herself.
Luke furrowed his brow at her—but then his gaze jumped behind her.
“Hey!” he cried, setting down his tea and rushing past her. Emmeline turned to see the baby dragon had latched onto his notebook with both paws and was chewing on it. “Give that back!”
