Chapter Twenty-Seven
Book stacks can be used to measure…things.
My shelves are no match for Sanderson.
The choice of clothing was accidental.
“Okay, so tell me again,” Otis grinned, rearranging the towering stacks ofEarth’s Coreon the counter just to irritate me, “how many orgasms are we talking, exactly?”
“I’ll tell you again, Oaty Schmoaty, that it’s absolutely none of your business,” I said, checking outPride and Prejudice and Zombiesfor a tiny, pearl-wearing grandma who was either hard of hearing or blessedly unbothered.
“Is this a present?” I asked her, mostly for something to say.
“Oh no, dear. Just a treat for myself.”
With trembling fingers, she placed the book in her shopping trolley. I considered warning her that it wasn’t exactly the Austen she might be expecting—but decided to let it be. Everyone deserves surprises.
As she shuffled away, I leaned against the counter and refreshed the Haller & Mark site. My numbers were climbing steadily. John’s had finally plateaued, thank God, but he was still ahead of me, and “JereMay,” as the internet had tragically dubbed them, had surged into the lead.
“You’re a party pooper,” Otis groaned dramatically, still stuck on theothernumbers.
I’d told him. Told him it was enough times. That the thing between me and John was over. One steamy lapse in judgment, and now Mr. Fancy Bestselling Author and fanfic connoisseur Nora Skye were back to being competitors with zero tension and a lot of spite.
“Maybe just a hint at how…large?”
Otis began stacking books on the counter. One by one. His grin spread as the pile grew. “No? Still more?” Another book. His eyes sparkled with glee.
I rolled mine and said nothing. Just grabbed one of the green covers and placed it on top of his tower before walking off without further confirmation. His gasp of delight made me grin.
“And you’re sure you’re totally over it?” he called after me. “How would that even bepossible?”
“So over it,” I called back, heading for the staff exit and up the stairs as if to check on Mom.
As soon as I was out of view, I sank down onto the steps and pulled out my phone. The local resale page lit up. My old drawing table had a pending offer. It hurt to let it go, but we were days away from the power being shut off.
That, and keeping a brave face around Otis was getting harder than I expected.
Iwasover it. Obviously. And yet...I’d caught myself staring at the calendar, mentally willing the days to stretch, just to buya little more time before heading back to the cabin. Three weeks hadn’t been enough. It had taken a full seven days for the love bites to fade. Not that I checked them daily. That would be weird. Excessive. Pathetic.
My bag was already packed for tomorrow. Mom thought I was going on a cabin trip with my boyfriend. Which—technically—was only half a lie.
When I saw the sale had gone through and I could cover next month’s energy bill, I let out a slow, shaky breath. Whatever that whole John Kater thing had been, I couldn’t let it distract me. Not from what was at stake.
Not from the reason I was here in the first place.
The next morning, Otis kept giving methat lookagain. His eyes flicked to the rearview mirror for the tenth time in an hour. I was in the backseat this time, Jeremy in the front beside him, blushing every time Otis rested a hand on his thigh. It was adorable. Sickening, too, but mostly adorable.
Jeremy had made the trip to Middleton just so we could travel together this time. And not at all because the two of them were a breath away from making it official and couldn’t stay apart any longer.
Otis threw me another side-eye. Another judgmental glance.
“Have you lost something, Otis?” I finally snapped.
“Nope.” He bit back a grin. “You just look…nice.”
I frowned, glancing down. Combat boots. Leopard print coat. Black slip dress. Wait?—
“Oh.”
