AllFreeNovel
Share Us
Chapter Nine
Oh,poo! She’d missed a piece.
Alice grabbed the torn scrap of paper and slapped it on top of her pile—the result of the times she’d done a scribbled calculation instead of entering a cash sale on the computer system, which now meant finalising the end of month financials was going to be a complete nightmare. She chewed on the end of her pencil. Would she ever learn? Most likely not. As soon as there was a queue of more than three people, her brain seemed incapable of using technology. Add to that her mind being occupied these past couple of weeks with Aaron thoughts and she was scattier than usual.
She stabbed the numbers into the calculator again. This time shewouldget them to tally.
Then all she had to do was add these onto the spreadsheet and email them to Rowena.
“What do you have to do to get service round here?”
Her head jerked up, horrified she hadn’t noticed a customer.
Oliver Blake stood in front of the desk smiling at her with a twinkle in those almost black eyes.
Polly was right. Hedidget more gorgeous with each passing year. And yet… Alice’s heart wasn’t doing crazy somersaults when she looked at him. Not one.
Her palm landed on her chest; fingers splayed. “Oh, Oliver, I thought you were a real customer.”
He stuck his lower lip out in a mock pout. “Better than that. I’m the bringer of books.”
He must have read her perplexed look as he added, “Albeit, slightly damaged ones.” He gave a little flourish towards a large box next to the counter. “The Earth Investor:How to Get Rich and Enrich the Planet While You Do It.” He gave a self-deprecating smirk. “There were boxes of them sent by my publisher to mainstream booksellers around Perth, but somehow this lot got damaged on the way over. Bent spines and the like. Nothing major. But I thought the Book Genie might like them.”
“Thank you, Oliver.” Already Alice had circumnavigated the desk and was eagerly slitting open the box with her penknife. “How much do you want for them?” she asked, pulling out a copy. She hadn’t really focused on the books at Oliver’s talk last week, too engrossed in other things, she supposed. But now, staring back at her, was Oliver’s amazing bod in cut-off shorts, shirt open, arms stretched wide on a pristine beach in paradise. She hoped he’d done carbon offsets for the flight to wherever it was, then chided herself fiercely. She was sounding as mean as Aaron.
Oliver’s next comment made her feel even more bitchy. “Nothing. They’re a gift.” He cast a glance around the empty shop. “Where’s your lovely mum?”
Oliver used to come into the Book Genie years ago when he still worked nearby, soon after Alice had first met Aaron. Rowena and Oliver had hit it off—another black mark against Aaron that his brother, in Rowena’s words, was “so utterly charming, and he’s readBrideshead Revisitedtwice, sweetie.”
“She’s in England for a couple of months,” Alice said, carefully keeping the relief out of her voice. Mum and Oliver’s mutual admiration club could get a bit hard to stomach at times. “She’ll be sorry to have missed you.”
Oliver had already started to unpack the books. “Where would you like me to put myself?”
Alice swiftly cleared a space on her paper-cluttered desk. “Here for now. I’ll have to work out a price.” She cocked her head at him. “Would you like a tea or coffee?”
“Sure, why not? I’ve got nothing until a book launch this evening in the city. Black coffee no sugar, thanks.”
As Alice disappeared into the storeroom, busying herself filling the kettle, Oliver sauntered over and leaned on the door frame. She had none of the skittering heartbeats that she’d experienced when Aaron was in here. Oliver just felt warm and safe, like a big brother. Or at least, how she imagined it would feel if she had one.
“How are you and Aaron going?” Oliver asked.
Alice nearly dropped the kettle into the sink. On second thoughts maybe Oliver wasn’t safe at all.
“Sorry, what?” She laughed nervously, buying time by putting the kettle back on its base and flicking the switch before answering. “Same as ever. Why do you ask?” That was dumb. Never ask an open-ended question if you want the subject closed. Out the corner of her eye, she saw Oliver’s elegant shoulders shrug.
“Oh, just a vibe I got on Saturday. I happened to look up and you two were looking pretty cosy and IthoughtI saw Aaron’s arm around you.”
Alice laughed. Oh heavens, she sounded like a braying donkey. “It was a joke.”
“Joke?” Oliver’s face was sceptical.
“More like a dare.”
“Really?”
“Yes, um, someone made a joke—dare I mean—that if Aaron put his arm round me, I would slap it off immediately. They laid money on who would give in first. Me or him.”
“Hmm. Right.”
