Although, when it came to Mia Russo, it was pretty safe to say she fell more into thecharactercategory. Some things didn’t change. Even so, he wasn’t sure he liked this latest development to his day. Her walking into his shop the first time was a surprise. Her walking in a second time…well, now it was interesting.
“I wondered if you’d be back,” Ross said as he bent to replace the silver and rose gold earrings to their original position within the glass case.
“I’m sorry?”
Ross’s eyes met hers. “Did you change your mind?”
Her forehead crumpled in confusion. “Change my mind?”
“About the earrings. If so, I’m going to need your boyfriend’s credit card again because of the price difference.”
Mia waved her hands in front of her. “Oh! No. He’s not my boyfriend.”
“Fiancé? Husband? Whatever. It doesn’t matter. All I care about is the credit card.”
“No, I mean…none of those.” She paused to take a moment before pushing ahead. “I’m not here about the earrings. I’m sure his actual girlfriend will be thrilled with them. I just met the guy in the coffee shop and he asked me to come with him for a second opinion.”
Mia’s eyes drifted upward, studying the ceiling panels. “Now that I say it out loud, it is…kind of weird. But I’m not surprised. Weird things always seem to happen to me.”
“Okay,” Ross replied, unsure of the proper response to her ramblings. “So,” he said, stretching the word to fill the silence. “I take it you’re here for me then?”
“What?” Mia’s amber-colored gaze zipped to his, her cheeks blooming pink. She eyed the door as if calculating how long it would take to escape the shop if it became necessary.
This reaction befuddled him. “Well, I doubt you’re going to reminisce with the dog.”
“I…uh…I,” Mia said. “I’m actually here because of your sign.”
“What sign?” Ross replied, his own patience fading fast at whatever game this was.
Mia leaned, pointing to theHelp Wantedsign he’d set in the window earlier in the day. “That one.”
It was his turn to stumble. “Wait. What? You’re askingmefor a job? Is this a joke?”
She crossed her arms. “Are you the owner? If you don’t want people coming in asking you for a job, why’d you hang the sign?”
“Yeah, I’m the owner.” Ross gave her a solid once over. “Youhave experience in jewelry retail?” He didn’t bother hiding his skepticism in the question.
Mia lifted her delicate chin, drawing closer to the jewelry case, which served as a barrier between them. “I don’t actually, but it doesn’t mean I still couldn’t do the job to your satisfaction. I’m a quick study, and I imagine jewelry, especially pieces as unique and beautiful as these, have no problem selling themselves.”
Ross returned her look of bravado with a flat one of his own before reaching to retrieve a bottle of glass cleaner. He sprayed the counter, wiping away nonexistent fingerprints as if this was his biggest priority of the day and required all of his attention.
Despite his nonresponse, Mia spoke again. “Let me at least fill out an application. I’m–”
“Mia Russo. Valedictorian. Class Treasurer. National Honor Society. National AP Scholar. Yearbook editor. Debate club. Model UN.” As he rattled off the list, her eyes grew wider. “That’s all I can remember right now. And, in that very impressive list, I don’t think any of it qualifies as experience for working in a small jewelry store.”
A brief moment of pleasure passed through him as Mia’s mouth dropped open. But it would be a matter of seconds before her brain rebooted itself as she never remained silent for long. “What? How?” She shook her head. “Did we go to school together?”
Ross narrowed his eyes before returning the spray bottle to the bottom shelf. Her reaction was sincere. She didn’t remember him. Hurt gave way to annoyance. He leaned against the glass case, not caring about adding a new set of fingerprints to it. “It was a long time ago.”
It had been close to ten years since they last interacted, whichwasa long time. For Mia to remove his face and name from her memories, as she moved through her academically privileged life, shouldn’t have been surprising. But the disappointment was startling anyway.
Ross’s memory was not flawed. He knew it was Mia the moment she walked through the door of his jewelry store. It didn’t matter if the braces were gone or her face narrowed, or her golden-brown hair fell in thick, soft waves instead of being pulled into an ever-present ponytail. The way her soft curves filled the short summer dress and navy blue blazer, revealing long shapely legs—
Anyway, those were the things that had changed. Her large eyes, the color of warm, melting amber, remained the same and were still framed behind glasses. Although, presently, she was sporting chunky, black frames instead of slender silver ones. The style of the glasses didn’t matter, they suited her either way. And her eyes still possessed the ability to thaw anyone’s resolve. Anyone else’s that is. Ross’s resolve had been permafrozen.
Worse yet, the same smile was there on her lips, something he would remember today or a hundred years from now. And that single, damn dimple on her right cheek. It was burned into his memory as if it was branded with a hot poker. He used to love and hate Mia Russo’s dimple because, in the old days, he would have done almost anything to see it.
But that was then. Maybe time had changed her the same way it had changed him. Life had taught him so many lessons over the last ten years, the adult version of himself was nothing like sixteen-year-old Ross. Not all changes were physical, including his late growth spurt and actual muscle definition. The teenage version had spitfire lava running through his veins. But years had cooled the heat, turning his heart into a hard, cynical stone. As a result, Ross, the man, would never succumb to anything as ridiculous as a dimple these days, even if it came in looking for a job.
