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She wiped her hands on a towel. “Sure. I’ll take you up there.”
“I don’t want you to have to close the store early.”
“Oh, we close at six. I was using the time to pack new bags.”
I perused the store, seeing it fully stocked.
When I looked back at her, she blushed. “Not that we need more, but it keeps me busy.”
“You sure you don’t want me to help you brainstorm ideas to increase business?”
She sighed long and hard, her shoulders lowering. “I’m not sure it will make a difference.”
Her heart wasn’t in the store, not like me and Jake with the garage. “The other day, you said this wasn’t your dream.”
She smiled sadly. “I just want to keep Nana and Grandpa’s dream alive, you know?”
I did know something about keeping family members happy, but I stopped trying a long time ago. It was different for her because of her close relationship with Nana. I wanted to help her grandmother. She wasn’t being pushed or coerced.
Hailey untied the apron from around her neck, stretching to hang it on a hook behind her. My gaze caught on the sliver of tan skin bared with the movement.
My fingers ached to touch the skin. I knew it would be soft just like her voice.
“I’m going to wash up. Want to come on back?” She gestured to the long hallway that led to the back.
“Yeah, okay.” I wasn’t sure what I was agreeing to, but I knew I’d follow her anywhere she wanted me to go.
It was like there was some invisible line between us, drawing me closer to her. I swallowed over the nerves in my throat as I followed her. She wore a dress that draped over her curves in the most delectable way, enticing me to follow her, to touch her. I ran a hand through my hair. Why was I torturing myself? There was no way she felt the same way.
I tried to remember how she looked when we were kids. An annoying little girl in pigtails and dresses, always there, nagging us to play with her. I tried to conjure up a bit of teenage irritation, but I couldn’t. My dick was one hundred percent on board with adult Hailey and couldn’t have cared less about the past.
She stopped at an industrial sink in the back. The area was small, cramped, and filled with cleaning supplies. The water dripped from her hands as she dried them with a clean towel.
“Let me just grab the apartment keys from my office.”
I stepped back, allowing her to squeeze by me in the tight space. The result was her body brushing against mine. I sucked in a breath, my stomach muscles quivering at the contact.
She was soft where I was hard. I thought she’d smell like the spices she was mixing; instead, I sensed lavender underneath.
Would she be a mix of spicy and sweet between the sheets? It sounded like the perfect combination.
“Are you coming?” she asked from the doorway to her office.
Startled, I moved quickly to join her. Her office was like the rest of the space, crowded and tight. A desk filled the space, and shelves with more spices, empty glass jars, and bags lined the walls.
“Why do you keep doing it if you don’t love it?” I wanted to know what made her tick.
When she glanced up at me, I nodded toward the jars.
“I’m doing it for Nana and Grandpa, of course.”
“You said that, but it’s not enough. What about whatyouwant?” I wasn’t sure why I cared or why I was insisting on an answer, but I wanted to know more about her. What she was thinking. What she cared about. Who she was.
It seemed vitally important to gain any knowledge I could about her. I told myself it was because I should know something about the woman spending time with my son, but I knew it was more about me than Corey.
Her eyes widened with surprise. She was quiet for a few seconds, her hand fluttering by her side. “I don’t even know what that is.”
“Don’t you think you should figure that out?” I kept my voice gentle.
