I guffaw. ‘The Zhous are onto something… I hate to say it because you’re going to latch onto it, but… oh God, I do think Xavier has marriage-material shoulders.’
There’s another audible gasp. ‘How can you know for sure?’
‘I can’t explain it. But when you see it, you know.’
There’s an exhalation of awe. ‘I’ve never believed them, not once. Does that then mean it’s true that you’re holding your tension in your back teeth too?’
‘Yes, and so does Xavier.’
‘Birds of a feather!’
‘Let’s not get carried away; a moment ago it was opposites attract!’
‘Two things can be true at once!’
‘Anyway, it’s over. It can’t happen. We are set to be star-crossed lovers. He’ll always be the one who got away…’ OK, I’m being dramatic, but the damn man set my world aflame and then doused me with a bucket of cold water.
I explain the no-workplace-romance rule and his reasoning behind it.
‘But he’s the boss. He can bend the rules.’
‘Au contraire. He’s a principled kind of person and would never do that. Besides, I’m not in the right headspace for a workplace fling, and really he’s very… bossy.’
‘A bossy boss man, so hot.’
‘Hot. Yeah. He’ll probably fall in love with some island princess who has marriage-material eyeballs or something and that will be that.’
‘Golly, if The Mums are right about knowing the shoulders when you see it, then maybe what they said about me is true too.’
‘What did they say?’
‘They said I need to harness the energy of peach blossom luck. It’s a feng shui thing, and you know what, I just might do it.’
‘OK, what the hell? Since when did you want to attract a husband? Ah, the neighbour Tyler!’ I yell, scattering the birds by the bookshop door. ‘You’ve fallen for a guy? Finally?’
She lets out a groan. ‘It’s the stupid romance novels, addling my brain and making me see love in a whole new light.’
‘They grow up so fast.’
‘This is your fault. I was quite content to keep relationships short and sweet and now I’m mooning over the guy next door like some lovelorn heroine.’
‘Isn’t it great! Have you told your mum you’re a changed woman?’
‘No chance, or the whole family will be on the next train back to London. No, I’m playing it cool with Tyler, and I’ll see if I grow out of this stage. It’s all consuming.’
‘Newsflash, you’re not going to grow out of it. Imagine your wedding?’
‘You sound like one of us, the Zhous!’
‘They taught me so well!’ We chatter for a few more minutes and then say our goodbyes. I’m secretly thrilled that my steadfast anti-romance best friend is finally open to the idea that some love can and should last.
It makes me reminisce about kissing Xavier and all the reasons why I should have kept my lips to myself. This whole job situation feels so tenuous. Saving the bookshop, the renovations of the resort, and the contained man mountain who breezes in and out, like he’s got a million matters on his mind, is plenty to worry about without adding to it with a messy romantic entanglement. So why then does my heart race when I think of him? The heart wants what it wants I suppose…
Brian wanders in, saving me from ruminating too long. ‘Mr Hotel California, how can I help?’
He leans an elbow on the counter. ‘Just made a killing on some crypto. Have you ever thought about investing in it yourself, Harper?’
‘I only invest in romance novels, they’re bit more budget friendly…’
