I’m not going to tell him about my sex escapades. My cheeks burn, and I shake my head and push my round glasses up my nose.
“It was good. Went out with Raven, and we danced,” I say, keeping my tone light.
“You know, I wish I was young again to be able to hang out with my friends. I have a bad knee and back problems.”
I straighten my spine like a needle. “You’re still young.”
He shakes his head. “Nah. I wish.” He digs into the cabinet. “Here, I have something for you.”
Then he pulls out a brown box from under the counter, and he sits it in front of me.
“What is this?” I ask.
He flashes me his pearly whites. “Open it. You’re going to love it.”
Slowly, I tear the tape from it, and it unravels the box. I pick up three books with the titleTrue Crime, with different serial killers.
My heart warms in my chest. “Thank you so much.” I wrap my arms around his shoulders, and his chest brushes against mine.
He smiles and pats his firm hand on my back. “It’s not the equipment for your podcast, but I figured it’ll give you some research.”
I’m saving up for a recording booth to record my podcast. Right now, I record on my phone, and the quality is not good.
“Really, it’s fine. It means a lot.”
“Do you mind working late and closing? I have to take my wife to the hospital for her chemo.”
“Of course,” I say before he leaves the store.
I work throughout the day, stocking books, ringing up customers, and reading to a group of toddlers, trying to keep my mind off Viper. I try to convince myself that I made the right choice in not taking him up on breakfast. If I had stayed, what would have happened? I don’t know. No need to continue to dwell on the what-ifs.
Afterward, as I’m scrolling through my phone, a guy with blond hair and tan skin strolls through the door.
He eyes me up and down, smirking, then makes his way to the coffee area.
Shaun, who works the register, rings him up, and the guy sits at the table, glancing around. His eyes land on me, and he smiles. Placing my phone in my purse, I walk to his table and say, “Do you have any interest in books?”
Of course he does. Why else would he be sitting in a bookstore? I’m such a horrible salesperson.
“You’re really gorgeous,” he says with delight in his tone.
That’s an odd thing to say to someone. When I look at him, I feel nothing. When I was around Viper, I felt everything. He made things seem easier, and butterflies danced in my belly. I crinkle my nose and ignore his compliment. “What kind of books do you like?”
“Fantasy novels,” he answers, leaning back in his chair, flashing me his straight teeth.
“We have some Sarah Maas books. Have you heard ofA Court of Thorns and Roses?”
He doesn’t look like the type to read her books. He’s built like a runner, and he wears a black shirt and denim jeans if he a bad boy. His arms are crawling with different tattoos of Harry Potter and other fantasy novels. Okay, maybe I judged him a little too soon.
“I already read those, sweetheart.”
“What about Cassandra Clare?”
“Yes, sure.”
I disappear to the young adult section and come back with three books, and I stack them on top of the table in front of him.
“Enjoy.” I leave and stand behind the counter and eat a candy bar.
