Sebastian nods, just once.
“Handle this,” I order him. “Find out who flipped on us.”
“I already did.” A dark smile twitches at the corner of Sebastian’s mouth. “Viper is picking them up as we speak.”
4
SYDNEY
In no time at all,Jade has trained our newest part-time employee on how to use her fancy—and shockingly expensive—espresso machine. We take turns taste-testing his creations until we’re both satisfied he can properly recreate our café menu. If I’m being honest, he might even be better at making some of our drinks than I am.
“I worked for a little as a barista during undergrad,” Justin explains when I tell him as much. “It’s not like I’m a coffee prodigy or anything.”
“You worked at a chaincoffee place,” Jade accuses, mouth twisting with distaste. “Hardly up to our standards.”
Still, she gives an appreciative “hm” when she takes a sip from his flat white, before declaring it acceptable. My own flat white, I’m reminded, once earned a half-hearted “well you tried,” and a pat on the head.
When the morning rush starts, I leave him to shadow Jade at the café and get to work replenishing our Book Boutique and Bakery end caps. An unexpected benefit of the spike in new business and online awareness has been a surge in our merchandise sales. Suddenly, Book Boutique and Bakery tote bags and T-shirts are all the rage with local bibliophiles.
Which means I’m constantly restocking our supply. Not that I mind. I settle myself on the floor next to the display, open a new box of shirts, and get to work.
See? I can do this. I can live my life without him. Withoutthem.
I don’t need a tall, dark, and handsome man to whisper filthy words in my ear. I don’t need Alec’s calm, sultry stare, the way he could mentally undress me with a single look. Or his hand around my throat, the flash of something wild in his eyes as he held me down.
I don’t need Ashton, don’t even remember what it was like to have him groan against my skin as his tongue circled my clit. I’ve forgotten it! Forgotten all about the feel of Sebastian’s fingers between my legs. And Viper, holding a knife to my neck, the point sharp, dangerous…
“Uh, Syd?”
Justin’s voice pulls me out of my thoughts, and I realize I’m crouched before the still empty display, a shirt clutched so tight in my hands that I’ve twisted it beyond recognition.
“Hey, brat,” I greet him, voice dripping with feigned positivity, as I hastily shove the shirt into a box, hiding it. I don’t need to unfold it to know it’s likely ruined. “How’s training going?”
He tips his head back and groans. “Horrible. She’s a tyrant. Possibly a sadist. But at least I’ve passed all her tests for now.” Justin motions to the boxes of merchandise around me. “You need any help with this?”
I hand him a stack of T-shirts and watch enviously as he easily reaches to place them on the top shelf. As he stretches, his shirt rises just enough to show off an unexpected set of abs, and I quickly look away.
“Do you mind if I ask you something?” Justin asks after a few minutes of quiet restocking. With him handling theupper shelves, and me stocking the lower, we’re making quick progress. I never realized how much time I wasted having to carry my stepladder around the store, constantly climbing up and down to reach the higher shelves.
“Yeah, sure,” I answer, focused on folding. There’s a trick to getting the shirts to layjust right, so the logo shows best, but they still lay flat. I wrinkle my nose in concentration, trying to get it perfect.
When I glance up at him, Justin is staring down at me, looking concerned. “Are you okay?” I frown, brows drawing together, and he quickly adds, “I just mean you seem pretty down. Different from the last time I saw you.”
That’s the understatement of the year.
“Is it Chase?” he asks. “You don’t have to go into it if you don’t want to, but Jade mentioned to me that the two of you split up during one of our phone calls a couple months back.”
Jesus.Chase. I almost forgot about my ex-boyfriend in all of this. I wonder if he’s still at the hospital after what Ashton did to him. I shift uncomfortably, fidgeting with the shirt I’m folding.
“If it’s any consolation, the guy was a total tool,” Justin tells me.
My lips twitch into a smile. “You didn’t like him either?” I ask, lifting my gaze to him.
“Hated him, more like.” Justin mutters the words, almost too low for me to hear. Then he adds, “I just knew you could do better.”
“Thanks,” I tell him. “And I’m okay. I wasn’t thinking about him anyway. It’s actually… Well, I was dating someone else. After Chase.”
Multiple someones.
