“Girl, you are hiding something juicy.”
“No, I’m not.” She snatched some more random cleaning supplies, until her arms were overloaded before leaving the supply closet.
“Just where do you think you’re going?”
“To take care of the bathroom, because I’m an adult and I’m doing my adult job.” This statement would have been more impressive if it had been said with more eloquence—and also if she hadn’t dropped a roll of toilet paper, and accidentally kicked it across the floor.
Natalie’s laughter trailed behind her. “Uh-huh. I bet you’re going in there to do more of that daydreaming.”
Mia shut herself in the bathroom and took a moment to lean against the door and stare at herself in the mirror. Okay, maybe Natalie was also adult-lite, but she didn’t seem to care. The young manager never had to impress anyone. Natalie, in true goddess fashion, was confident enough.
She didn’t know where her need to impress came from. Sure, her parents pushed her, (sometimes they pushed her hard), but there was always this fear that if she didn’t do well, it meant something was wrong—with her in particular. She couldn’t remember not ever having this fear embedded within her gut as if it was another protective instinct like fight or flight. Miahadto be smart and clever and make organized plans in a mental notebook on how to accomplish her ambitious goals. For people to realize that she struggled was too much exposure. She was positive this would be sunlight on an unprotected film strip, and the image could be ruined beyond repair.
But, seriously, to get back to her original issue—What the hell was she doing?
Placerville was a detour, a pit stop, a temporary place to make a little money. What was the point of making friends, both at Pony Expresso or at El Dorado Jewelry, when it would be a blip compared to the larger picture? She’d narrowed down her top PhD programs, looking at mostly the East coast, and setting her sights on places such as George Washington University in DC or MIT in Cambridge. But because she wanted to put her “new” plan into action as soon as possible, Mia was open to other places, and already in the process of gathering the necessary letters of recommendations.
At the same time, she had trouble letting things go. Running into Ross the other morning was indeed an accidental coincidence. She hadn’t lied. Mia wasn’t a creepy stalker, which was why she’d dashed off-trail when she spotted him. And then shereallyspotted him. When Ross pulled his gray T-shirt off, revealing that his attractive forearms were simply a preview for the rest of him, her mind was desperate to convert the vision into slow motion to savor every drool-worthy moment. His runner’s body was tight and lean with a perfect formation of dark chest hair dipping down to his—
And that’s when the log sprung up in the middle of her walking path.
Even now, her groans reverberated between the bathroom walls. It was so embarrassing, and she tried to convince him she was doing a “cute nerd” thing.Dream on, dork. Why did she have to be so awkward?
She didn’t remember it being this way with her ex-boyfriend, Tom, but maybe because he was a little stiff himself. If he hadn’t been so set against long-distance relationships, perhaps they would be an equally awkward couple to this day. With their breakup passing its one-year anniversary, Mia now realized Thomas made the right call. She never got the same chest flutters with her ex, and him moving all the way to Boston didn’t bother her as much as it should have.
“Are you leaving?” Natalie asked when Mia was finished restocking and cleaning the bathroom.
“Yup. I’ll see you tomorrow, boss.”
“Bye-bye, daydreamer.”
Mia wrapped her sweatered arms a little closer to her body as she stepped into the chilly late September air. A ping of excitement buzzed through her stomach. Despite the embarrassing situation, one bright spot did emerge. Ross was going to let her borrow his fancy camera. Her fingers itched to adjust the f-stop and play with shutter speed. It didn’t matter if she was taking photos of coffee or jewelry.
Even though Ross didn’t want to be friends with her, and in the grand scheme she shouldn’t care, there was some invisible force drawing her to him, wanting to win him over, wanting it to be like the old days when everything in her life felt sure-footed and concrete. That was why she was walking in the direction of the jewelry store after work. Well, that and the prospect of playing with his fancy camera, of course.
“Hey, Aanya,” she said upon entering the shop. Hermes wagged his tail but remained glued to his bed. Mia bent to scratch along the top of the dog’s skull.
“Hello again,” Aanya replied. “Have you gotten enough tips to go jewelry shopping yet?”
Mia met Aanya at one of the display cases and leaned against the top, gazing at the lovely jewelry within. “Not yet. But I already picked which one I want. That ring with the pearl.” She tapped the glass, pointing to the most beautiful ring she could imagine, a ring for a forest fairy queen. Like much of the jewelry, the band itself looked like a twisting twig of glistening gold with a soft pink pearl at its woodsy center.
“You can try it on.”
“Oh, you don’t have to open up the case just for me. I’m sure it’ll be a while before I can afford to touch it.”
Aanya had her keys in hand and removed the ring from the black velvet display holder. The tiny tag at the bottom of the band read three hundred and fifty dollars, because, of course, Mia had expensive taste. It was too big for her ring finger, and she slipped it on the one beside it. At a nearby window, the sun highlighted the rosy, glistening undertones of the ring. “It is stunning. Who makes these? Is it an elf from the nearby woods?”
Aanya chuckled. “Close. The boss.”
Mia’s gaze flicked to the older woman. “Ross makes these?”
“Uh-huh.”
“Wow. I mean, he’s really good.” And she meant it. There was something about his solid, firm fingers molding metal and stone into beautiful pieces that made for an attractive visual. Her thoughts again went to his bare torso on the hot, dusty trail, and warmth bloomed within her veins. Mia couldn’t deny that talent and ability were seductive qualities.
She jumped when the door to the back room opened. The subject of her current fantasy walked out, rubbing a hand through his dark, disheveled hair. A gray, plastic magnifier rested at the edge of Ross’s hairline, and he wore a leather apron. The apron was captivating in its old-school craftsmanship lines and its worn, distressed edges. Mia didn’t need to press her nose to the apron to know what specific smell it would emit, all raw earth and hard work. She could imagine it being both comforting and familiar. Like she wasn’t already in trouble with enticing forearms, a bare torso, and perfectly tousled hair. He had to go ahead and throw a sexy leather apron onto the kindling. Her infatuation with everything related to him was on the verge of combustion.
She fixed a bright smile on her face. “Hey, Ross, can I borrow this ring for…well, forever? I’ll give you a nice shout-out on my Instagram page.”
