Chaucer slunk into the room and sidled against her knee. The cat’s rare show of affection made the lump in Shelby’s throat swell. It was as if he knew she was missing Gram and wanted to offer comfort.
Shelby set her hand on his sleek back, feeling the ridges of his spine as he passed by. “You miss her too, don’t you?”
Chaucer meowed on his way back out the door.
“I know just how you feel.”
A knock sounded from far away. Who’d be knocking on the front door at this hour of the night? Maybe her brother. She wiped her face and pushed to her feet. The light from the office lit her way as she headed to the door.
As she neared the entrance she caught sight of a familiar figure standing in the exterior light under the store’s canopy. But it wasn’t Caleb.
It was Grayson Briggs—who apparently hadn’t left town after all.
Chapter 15
Great. Just what she needed—her ex-boyfriend seeing her in despair yet again. She unbolted the door and jerked it open. “Aren’t you supposed to be gone by now?”
His gaze sharpened on her face, no doubt taking in her racoon eyes. “What’s wrong?”
She gave a mirthless laugh. “Are you kidding me? Gram’s gone forever, the bookshop’s a financial disaster, and now I probably owe my brother forty grand. Other than that, things are fan-freakin’-tastic.”
“Forty grand?”
She gave a sigh that seemed to come from the depths of her soul. “What do you want, Gray?”
“I was passing by on my way home. Saw your car and the light.”
“Yeah, well, I’m finished up and I just want to—” Her gaze dropped to a dog that edged closer to Shelby, tail wagging warily. Her heart softened at the hopeful gleam in those brown eyes. “You have a dog?” A pet seemed like an awfully big commitment.
“Nah, he’s lost—or maybe abandoned. Don’t suppose you’d want to take him in.”
“My apartment doesn’t allow pets. He should be on a leash.”
“He hasn’t wandered farther than three inches from my side since I found him.”
She could hardly take her feelings for Gray out on the cute little pup. She squatted and let him sniff her hand. Then he jumped up and licked her face, evoking a smile. “Hi, buddy. You’re a friendly guy.” It was kind of nice to be adored for nothing more than being present. “Where’d you find him?”
“In town last night, scavenging for food. I took him to the vet this morning, but he’s not chipped.”
“Patrick Ballard?” That was where they took Chaucer. Patrick was also a customer and would read just about anything but sci-fi. “He’s great. Why don’t you just keep the dog?”
“I’m not really in the market.”
“Well, I’m not in the market for a failing bookshop, but here we are.” She gave the dog a final scratch and stood, pinning Gray with a suspicious look. “Is he the reason you’re still here?”
His eyes roved her face. Those eyes were like a blue flame and she was about to melt under the heat. She squirmed. Crossed her arms.
“I have a proposition for you, Shelby.”
The low hum of his voice rumbled down her spine. She smirked to cover his effect on her. “This is getting to be a habit.”
“You need to turn this place around, and I’m sure you have ideas about how to do that. I do too. I have experience implementing changes for profitability. I know your financials and can help you get comfortable with the POS system.”
She was betting this “help” came at a price. Probably a share of the store—possibly the 49 percent he’d just signed back over to her. Too good to be true. She notched her chin up. “And what do you receive in return, pray tell?”
His perceptive eyes took her in and no doubt read her every thought. “This shop was Miss Viola’s pride and joy—her second story. And according to her, this is where you belong.”
“Is that why she willed half of it to you?”
