“And why is that?”
“Well, when I teach it, I tell my students that it’s about the journey from a poor childhood into a privileged adulthood, and about how money and social status have the power to change you.” I offered the book to him. “A lot of talent is found in people who don’t have a lot, and when you don’t have a lot and get thrust into that life, it can be overwhelming. So seeing it from an outside point of view could help them process it in a different way.”
A small smile played on his lips. “You were thinking about my program?”
“Well, yeah.” I lifted my shoulders, shrugging the question off. “You said you wanted to get together and talk about it today, so it crossed my mind.”
He flipped the book over in his hand. “Okay, I’ll get it.” He paused for a moment. “Will you read something that I pick out for you?”
I eyed him suspiciously before I smiled. “Yeah. But if it’s terrible, I won’t take a book rec from you ever again.”
He chuckled. “Oh shit, the pressure is on.”
“And to be clear,Great Expectationspopped in my head as a teaching tool for your business. My reading recommendation for you would be completely different.”
We walked through the small store, discussing books, movies, and entertainment in general. Once we’d examined every inch of the place, we found ourselves back where we’d begun.
“Oh, hold on.” He hooked his arm around me, his hand on my side when he squeezed behind me. His fingers skated over the extra fat on my side as he passed. “Wait right here. I’m going to get you a book.”
Heat flushed my face, and I wrapped my arm around myself reflexively. I wasn’t self-conscious about it; it was a mixture of surprise, curiosity, and attraction that jolted through me. He was on the other side of the store, and I could still feel his touch on that intimate spot.
My body stirred.
Pushing that thought out of my mind, I wandered back over to the journals and notebooks. I had a couple of blank journals at home, so it wasn’t a necessity. But my eyes and hands locked with the brown leather-bound beauty that had caught my eye the moment I’d walked in. There was no way I could justify spending a hundred dollars on a notebook. But I imagined writing my first novel in that thing.
“Based on what I’ve learned about you today, I think I got a winner,” he said as he appeared next to me.
I put the journal down and grinned. “What is it?”
He looked so pleased with himself. The gift bag he handed me was pretty, and the book inside was wrapped in brown paper. “You’ll have to open it later and see.”
“You just don’t want me to know the title and determine right this second if I trust your book recommendations.”
Letting out a stifled chuckle, he put his hand on my lower backand ushered me toward the exit. “You’re not about to reject my book and embarrass me in front of Edwina.”
With a giggle, I shook my head.
We spent an hour and a half window-shopping and exploring the square. Proving that Friday night hadn’t been a fluke, we fell into an effortless conversation. He was funny and interesting, but it was his demeanor that made him easy to talk to. His energy and personality meshed so well with mine that I could exist in the moment with him without having to deal with any of the hardships of my life. I could just be.
“I don’t know why you’re laughing that hard,” Lamar commented as he opened the door of the antique store for us to leave.
“That man bumped into you so hard. It’s not…” Cackling, I waved one hand while wiping the tear from my eye with the other. “It’s not funny. But why did he scream like that?”
The man hadn’t been paying attention to what he was doing and had run directly into Lamar. Then he screamed as if Lamar jumped out to scare him. It startled both of us because that man was the one who’d come out of nowhere and then let out a shrill sound.
“The better question is why did the scream sound like that?” he retorted.
We were both still laughing as we made our way to his vehicle. After he opened the door for me, he circled around and climbed into the driver’s seat. “Time for lunch,” he announced, starting the engine.
We had been having so much fun, I hadn’t realized I was hungry until that moment. My stomach rumbled, and I prayed he didn’t hear it.
Clearing my throat, I shifted in my seat. “Where are we headed? One of the big four?”
He laughed. “I’m not going to let somebody from Chance—”
I shook my head. “I don’t claim Chance.”
Pulling out of the parking spot, he turned right and traveled down a long, winding road. In the seven minutes it took us to get to the restaurant on the water, we recapped the situation with the man inthe last store, and I had literal tears in my eyes. We didn’t compose ourselves until we were parked and heading into the restaurant.
