I hold my head high and walk out of LilyRose, the store named after my mother, with Kaiser shadowing me.
I wish my mom were here. She would defend me. She’d take my side.
If only my father were more like my mom.
I miss her so bad. The sight of her in her floral robes, the scent of rosewater clinging to her skin. She had glossy black hair that hung down her back in loose curls, and she was warm and soft and always ready with a hug.
I could really, really use a hug. Instead, I have to get back into my fiancé’s car and go through with a bunch of bullshit. Alone.
In the car, I don’t dare look at Kaiser. I’m still raw. My eyes ache from the strain of trying not to cry.
The silence stretches.
“We should go,” I say. “You’re illegally parked.”
He takes my wrist and turns it over, frowning. My left palm hurts from where I’ve been digging my nails into it. He rubs a thumb over the marks, soothing them away.
Despite myself, I sigh. I lean back in my seat, letting the tension seep out of me.
“Thank you for coming to get me.”
He raises my hand, and something brushes against my palm, so light, it might not have happened. A kiss.
My eyes are closed. I didn’t see it. I can pretend it didn’t happen.
After a moment, he sets my hand down on his knee. I can feel his muscles flex as he turns the car on and begins to drive.
I intend to pretend to sleep all the way back to Metropolis, but after a few minutes, Kaiser parks the car.
I open my eyes. We’re downtown, tucked in a forgotten corner of a strip mall. Most of the storefronts are closed or run down, including the one we’re parked in front of. There’s no sign that says it’s open, but someone propped the door ajar with a giant hardback book. The windows are full of stacks of old paperbacks.
“What’s this?”
Kaiser shrugs. “Thought you’d like it.”
I’m speechless. He took me to a used bookstore. This doesn’t seem the sort of place Kaiser would know about.
“This is where I bought Viking Thunder. It was hard to find.”
“It’s a pretty old book. I have my mother’s copy.” What he says dawns on me. “You bought your own copy?” He nods.
“Why?”
He doesn’t answer, just gets out of the car. He opens my door, and I pop out, eager to pepper him with questions. “Did you read it?”
He sets his hand at the small of my back and steers me to the bookstore.
“Did you like it? You did, didn’t you? But you’ll never admit it.” He stops then and turns to me. “I liked it. I read it because you like it.” What? I can’t believe this.
We enter the bookstore. The scent of dusty old books hits me, and I inhale deeply. The smell reminds me of my mother’s library. Even the piles of paperbacks... She kept stacks like that beside her bed.
“Get anything you want,” Kaiser tells me. “My treat.”
“You might regret that.”
He shrugs. “Challenge accepted.”
I smirk to myself. There are two places I should never be turned loose: a plant nursery or a bookstore.
