“Lilian.”He paused, letting her name hang between them to emphasize the seriousness of the conversation.“I know you love this town.It’s where your family lives, and the store has been here for a long time.I get that.But this location is not viable for business.You told me everyone has been coming into the store and buying things?”
She nodded mutely, and he continued, “It’s helped, but it’s not enough.Everyone in this town would need to buy at least four books every week for you to turn a profit.That just isn’t feasible.”
Not feasible.
She swallowed hard.“I can’t move the business.It’s not mine to make that kind of decision.And my mom…” Her mind spun, still processing the weight of what he’d just said.“She won’t be in favor of it.”All the careful hope she’d been carrying disintegrated in her chest.“What do we need to do?”
Hawk’s jaw tightened.“That’s what I’m still trying to figure out.I need to crunch the numbers that will give you a way out of this.But it won’t be easy.You and your mom are going to have to make some hard decisions, but I think we can still keep the business running.”
That eased something in her.A path toward success was all she needed.Now that Ten Cents Books had its makeover, and with the faire season almost done, she was ready to fully commit to whatever Hawk told her to do.
He was a professional.One of the smartest men she’d met, who’d helped make his parents' faire one of the most successful in the country.
There was no one she trusted more.
If Hawk couldn’t help Ten Cents Books, no one could.
She reached across the table and twined their fingers together.Hawk gave her a reassuring squeeze; it was a silent promise between them.
“Thank you for doing all this for me.”
A hesitant smile creased his lips.His eyes shifted back to the shop around them, ensuring there was no one else around before he allowed his guard to fall.“Don’t thank me yet, we still have a long way to go.”
We.The word curled around her, a promise that she wasn’t alone in this.That he would stick by her side until the faire was over, and maybe even after.
It had only been a few days since he’d come to her house, since the heat of that night.But the memory of it sent a fire throughout her entire body.
Her thumb caressed the inside of his wrist, fascinated by the soft skin.“You know, we’re not at the faire now.Does that mean I’m talking to my business consultant or my future boyfriend?”
Hawk’s smile eased.“We’re not at the faire, but we are in a public business space.”
“No one is here.”As soon as the word left her, excitement curled in her stomach and her core.
“Lilian.”Her name was a warning, one last opportunity for her to back off if she wanted to.But it wasn’t a no.
Hawk had said no public display at the faire.But he’d said nothing about the store.
“Come on.”She tugged on his hand lightly, inviting him toward the back of the store.
Hawk followed, his eyes casting over the bookshop one last time to ensure they were truly alone.
“The bell will ring if someone comes in,” Lilian assured.
“And you think I’ll let you walk away once we start?”
His voice held a tremor of heat that licked at her.She could barely suppress a grin.I never thought I would pray not to have customers, but dear god.
They stepped into the back room, which she’d cleaned and organized over the weeks to make room for storage shelves and the boxes of inventory she’d ordered.It was a basic storage room, but that didn’t matter for what they were doing.
The door remained open in case someone stepped into the shop.The idea of it sent a warm pool of lust between her legs.
Hawk’s fingers trailed down the side of her waist as he took his time kissing her neck.“This turns you on.Doing this somewhere people can see us.”
He was too observant for his own good, but there was no use in denying it.“Yes,” she breathed.
“You did the same thing back in your shop when I kissed you.”
She blinked.“The same thing?”
