Page 31 of The Bookshop By the Loch

Come on, Lexie. Channel your inner tigress. You can handle Tobias Black.

I turned around. He was watching me intently.

I cleared my throat. “We can step into my office.”

“I think you mean our office?” he corrected. “We’ll be sharing the shop space, so surely we’ll be sharing that as well?”

One of my brows flexed upwards. Tobias’s expression didn’t flinch. So, this was how it was going to be, was it? Every time I had something, he’d try to snatch half of it, like a spoilt toddler? How very mature.

I hoped I appeared crisp and professional. “The decorators have finished in the office now and I’ve put a couple of old chairs in there, so you can sit on one of those.”

I moved ahead, striding into Book Ends. I was aware Tobias’s emerald eyes were burning into my back. “Gee. Thank you,” he growled.

Tobias took in the freshly painted walls; skirting boards and the finishing touches being put to the counter in its new position facing the door.

I approached the office. He followed me into the small space and closed the door behind him. He seemed almost too big for the room, his presence and ego taking up much of the space.

We sat down either side of the newly installed walnut desk, me on the swivel black chair and he on one of the wooden kitchen chairs. I hoped it’d give him a splinter in the arse.

Before I had the chance to get myself prepared, Tobias launched straight into his ideas for the decor for his gallery. “I intend to have the walls in my section of the shop painted mint-green and have wooden blinds installed across the rear window. I’d like to distinguish between your bookshop and my gallery so I plan on having a semi-circular glass counter put in too.”

I eyed him. “That all sounds very sophisticated. As long as your uncle is ok with that, then it’s fine by me.”

“Good.”

His long, dark lashes fluttered as he concentrated on me. I shifted in my chair.

Then he moved on to talk about staffing. “I plan to place an advert in a few art magazines for at least one part-time member of staff to begin with and take it from there.”

I nodded. “We’ll be taking on a couple of new members of staff soon as well.”

“And my uncle is aware of that?”

I managed to push out a strained smile. “What do you think? He still owns this place.”

Tobias continued to gaze across the desk at me. “Glad to hear it.”

My mouth flatlined.

“As for the name for my new art gallery, I’ve decided on Mirror Image.”

“You don’t hang around,” I announced with a twang of sarcasm. “You seem to have everything in order already.”

“Oh, I can assure you, Ms Dunbar, if I want something, I don’t hold back.”

Tobias’s stare didn’t waver.

A sudden, deep rush of adrenalin came out of nowhere and shot through me. The office felt like it was holding its breath. “Good. Excellent,” I managed. “Wonderful. Ok.” I straightened my shoulders. “So, what’s the reason for your move back to Bracken Way?”

He raised a brow. “What do you mean?”

I’d done the same thing moving back here, but I reflected on Tobias’s brittle reaction when Trevor had asked him the same question. “Quite a change, isn’t it? Moving your gallery from somewhere buzzing like the city, back to a smaller town like Bracken Way?”

Tobias’s steady expression remained. “Maybe some of the locals would benefit from a bit of culture.”

I fired him a disapproving look.

“If you’ve no objection, I’ll arrange for Mirror Image’s official opening to coincide with yours on the 25th.”