“Stop that right now,” Joe grumbled to himself.
Maybe a thick historical biography was in order.
Joe swallowed hard again. “And strike the word thick from your vocabulary.”
“What was that?” Uriel asked.
Joe grabbed the closest book and spun around. “I was…um…just looking at….” He glanced down and his eyes widened. “Uh,Groping the Grinch.”
Uriel frowned and pulled the book from his hands. He glared at the title.
Joe laughed nervously. “Well that certainly sounds tantalizing. Add it to my order.”
“I most certainly will not,” Uriel said.
“Uh, yeah you will. The customer is always right, and I’m the customer. So there.”
Uriel glared at the book again. He seemed to be inspecting the cover. Joe leaned over to look at it himself. He’d only caught a glimpse of….
“Oh wow.” Joe plucked the book out of Uriel’s hands. “That’s a very cleverly placed G. I mean, a millimeter to the left and—”
“Kudos to the cover artist,” Uriel deadpanned. “I’m sure they were paid handsomely for their creative use of fonts.”
Joe smirked. “I can’t wait to read it. On the bright side, I’m pretty sure I’ll never say you’re a grinch again after reading it. That should help, right?”
Uriel narrowed his eyes. Joe swore he saw more of those mysterious red sparks.
Of course, since his imagination was already running overtime, his brain immediately pictured Uriel as the grinch of the cover, and well….
“On that note, I’d like to pick up my books, please. I have the rest of the day off.”
Uriel plucked the grinch book out of Joe’s hand. “You haven’t forgotten our plans this evening, have you?”
“Well…I…wasn’t sure.” Joe sucked in a breath. “I honestly didn’t know if you still wanted to have dinner with me or read with me or anything with me after what I did this morning. I’m sorry, Uriel. I never should have kissed you like that. It was inappropriate at the very least, and I hope it didn’t ruin our friendship. You’re the best—”
“Enough,” Uriel said.
He put his hand on Joe’s neck, andwhewdid Joe wish he had a few snowballs to shove down his pants. Where was good ole Jack Frost when you needed him?
He’d never been this way around Uriel before. Well, he’dthoughtof Uriel this way before, but never in his presence. Okay, maybe once or twice in his presence, but their friendship meant the world to him. Nothing was worth risking it.
“I’m closing the store,” Uriel said. “We’re going to my place and having that dinner we discussed. Do we need to go by the carriage house to pick up ingredients for the beverage you’ve created?”
“You’re being very bossy,” Joe said, trying his best not to lean into the hold Uriel had on his neck.
“I believe the word you’re looking for is straightforward.”
Joe shook his head. “Nope, pretty sure I got it right the first time.”
“You’re up tosnowgood, aren’t you?”
Joe ducked his head to hide his smile. “Nicely punned. So, are you closing or not? We’ve got plans.”
“For curiosity's sake, what color is the sky?” Uriel asked.
Joe shrugged. “Kind of a slate gray. Maybe a little smoky. We have some weather headed our way this week. Why?”
“I found myself wondering if you’d argue whether or not the sky is blue. I’m happy to have my answer.”
