How are we doing?
Everything is very professional.
Boring.
Your lover boy can’t stop talking about you. He’s a good one.
I wish I was there.
Me too.
Btw.
Yes?
What would you think about carrying some romance? Had someone ask for a specific title today—and apparently we’ve had a lot of similar requests lately.
No.
Nora.
No. We are a science fiction and fantasy bookstore. Not a place for fuzzy love stories.
…
What?
… you’re the boss.
I felt a little bad. Truly. But Dad…Dad had poured so much time and heart into this store. He’d handpicked every title, shelved every copy ofDunelike it was sacred. Changing it—turning it into something else—felt wrong. Like letting go of the last real piece of him. And I wasn’t ready for that.
When I finally tore my eyes off the screen, the words had started to blur and swirl. Out the window, I spotted Jeremy and May bundled in jackets, each holding a steaming mug, adding the finishing touches to a snow-sculpted TARDIS. Some warm little part of me wanted to join them. I shook my head.
Nora. Voluntarily joining social activities? Who evenareyou?
Instead, I stretched out across my bed, savoring the luxurious sheets. Wondered if anyone would notice if a set mysteriously disappeared into my suitcase.
I heard the backdoor shut. Jeremy and May making their way up the stairs and into their rooms.
I closed my eyes.
A floorboard creaked on the other side of the wall. Then another.
Someone else was clearly awake.
I stared at the ceiling and wondered what he was doing. What he was wearing. Then promptly asked myself what the hell was wrong with me.
I’dhadhim. That should’ve broken the spell. That was the rule. You obsess. You pine. You get what you want, and then—boom—you’re free. Unshackled. Ready to move on.
That’s how it always went.
Except this time…it hadn’t.
My ears strained for the tiniest sound. I couldn’t stop imagining him: shirtless, his hair a mess, laying in bed. Was he thinking about me?
Stop it, Nora.
I threw the blanket off and swung my legs over the edge of the bed, feeling overheated and restless. My reflection in the mirror was flushed, my eyes a little wild. Great.
