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“Hartley,” she says, stopping in front of the first rack of coats.
“Welcome to Honey Peak,” I say and I see her turn to look at me.
Her eyes are speculative, like she’s trying to see if I’m being sincere. I make sure to keep my face blank as she studies me.
“Thanks,” she says, taking a step back as she clears her throat.
I cross my arms over my chest, sighing as I watch her grab a coat off the rack and try it on. She gives me a side-eye look back, taking her sweet time trying it on. She flips the hood up, shoving her hands in the pockets. It’s like she’s examining every single stitch and I let out a louder sigh.
I see her smile slightly as she starts to zip it, but that smile quickly drops when the zipper gets snagged halfway up.
“Here, let me help you,” I say, moving to crouch down in front of her so I can get a better look at what the problem is.
“I’ve got it,” she argues, trying to step back as she pulls at the front of the coat.
“Obviously,” I mutter as I push her hands aside. “Just calm down. It just got caught on the lining here. Give me a second.”
“How is this place still in business with all this faulty merchandise?” she asks with a scowl when the zipper still won’t budge.
“Oh my god, it’s one jacket,” I mutter from between gritted teeth.
I try to tug the lining free but with Hartley dancing around, it’s hard.
“Just hold still, I’m going to pull it over your head.”
“Just let me try to––”
I ignore her, grabbing the bottom of the jacket and starting to tug it up. Hartley wiggles, trying to pull away from me.
“How can you sell anything in this freaking defective shop?” she yells inside the coat as I try to wrestle the bunched up material over her head.
“It’s not defective! You just don’t know how to unzip a jacket apparently,” I snap back as I finally pull the damn thing over her head.
I ball the parka up in my fist as I meet her pissed off face.
That’s when I look down to see that I managed to take her sweater off with the coat.
“Shit,” I whisper, staring down at her pale tits, wrapped in black lace.
Hartley clears her throat and I jerk my eyes up, my cheeks heating a bright purple as I hurry to untangle her sweater from the coat. I thrust the soft fabric back into her hands and turn around to give her some privacy.
“I think I’ll take this one,” she says, grabbing a parka off a nearby rack.
I grab it from her hand, hurrying up to the front counter to get her checked out. We stand in tense silence as I scan her items and take her credit card.
“Should I bag these for you or are you going to wear them out of the store?” I ask her and she rolls her eyes.
“I’ll just carry them. Thanks, sweetie,” she says with a deep southern accent.
“Of course,” I say back with an equally fake smile.
She storms off to the front door and I follow after her, ready to lock up and head home. The wind and snow blow inside in a rush as she hurries out to her car.
“Drive safe!” I yell after her, earning me a muffled curse and a middle finger over her shoulder.
So, that probably wasn’t the best way to introduce myself to the newest resident in town. I grin to myself as I lock the door and turn off the lights before I head out back to my own truck.
THREE
