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“It’s okay, Celine,” I said, walking forward. Jett’s eyes lit up.
“Hi, we thought we’d come and support you. It looks good when one sees a business with a crowd of people. We’ve set up shifts for the next few days to help support and keep sales going. Hello, I’m Phoenix, Drake’s wife.” This was the lady from Dad’s funeral. Phoenix stepped forward and reached out a hand. Shyly, I grasped it and shook and let go.
“That’s neighbourly of you,” Reid called loudly from behind us, appearing to shake hands with people.
“Rage and HQ enjoy being neighbourly,” Phoenix said with a grin. “This place is amazing, and I’m not going to lie, I’ve peeked when you’ve gone home at night. And seeing this for real, I got to say the shop looks fantastic.”
“You’re English?” Reid queried.
I stepped away and let him take over as I usually did.
“Yes, from London, and then I lived in Devon before moving my family here. Where are you from?” Phoenix asked curiously.
“London via Oxford and Devon.” Reid laughed.
Phoenix grinned back.
“Wow, small world. This is my husband Drake, his VP Ace, Ace’s father, Apache. This is my assistant Emily, and Director of Fund-Raising, Stefan. That’s Jett, who you know, and they’re Mac and Slick. Slick booked the day off as he loves reading.
“To be honest, Slick’s usually encased in my library at home, so Drake’s cursing you, as Drake knows he wouldn’t have got much out of Slick today. At the same time, Drake’s celebrating as Slick won’t be invading our library as often.” Phoenix shot Slick a grin, and the man grinned back.
“This is Silvie, one of the old ladies at the club, and Silvie loves historical stuff. Oh, that’s my Director of Public Relations, North. North enjoys reading too, so I agreed to give him the morning off as North was ready to pull a sick day to attend,” Phoenix continued. I blinked at all the information, whereas Reid took it in stride.
“Hello, I’m Reid, one of the co-owners. That’s Sinclair, who’s hiding,” Reid said, tossing a grin over his shoulder. Embarrassed, I glared before scurrying away. Conversation drifted around the shop, and coffee orders were placed. Quickly, I disappeared into the autobiography section, which was at the back, and bemoaned the fact I’d left my chocolate latte on the counter.
Nervously, I sat down on one of the snuggly armchairs we’d dotted around and drew my knee’s up to my chest. Maybe I was fooling myself because I didn’t understand how to interact with people socially. My flight instinct was kicking in, and I wanted to heave at the idea of mixing with complete strangers. Even the friendly Phoenix had made me feel gauche and uncomfortable.
A shadow fell across me, forcing me to glance up. Jett stood there with a quizzical expression on his face. He leaned against the bookshelf and folded his arms against his chest, making his biceps bulge. Long legs were crossed at the ankles, and my mouth went dry.
“Okay?” Jett inquired, concerned. Unable to talk, I shook my head. Jett dropped his gaze with concern and frowned.
“Sin?” Jett asked, uncrossing his legs, and he crouched down in front of me.
“Jett, I can’t do this,” I whispered.
Jett propped his elbows on his knees and laid his hands on my legs.
“Do what, honey?” Jett asked softly.
“Deal with people. Reid was wrong. I can’t be in public view and need to hide downstairs in the Vault. Honestly, I’ll be happier there. The Vault is where I’m needed.” Mild hysteria lit my voice. Jett rubbed a hand up and down my leg soothingly.
“Honey, you’re having a bit of a panic attack. Sin, calm down, you’re rightfully nervous. Anyone would be.”
“But I’m a coward, scared of saying or doing the wrong thing.” Tears welled in my eyes.
“Hey, don’t do that. Please, honey, I can’t handle crying. Yeah, you may make an erroneous comment, but who cares?”
“The customer I accidentally insult will. What if I can’t answer a question? I’ll look stupid.” Jett’s face changed then, and I blinked.
“No one can ever call you yellow sweetness. You quit a good-paying job to start this with Reid. From what Reid said, your old employer let you hide in an office away from people. Suddenly leaving that safety and continuing with your father’s shop and working with the public is really brave.
“A coward would have sold the Reading Nook and remained hiding in the underground office, distant from everyone. A wimp would never have undertaken the extent of the rebuild you did and designed a fuckin’ excellent place. You’re no yellow belly, Sin,” Jett said firmly and touched my leg again.
Forcefully, I blinked away the tears. “I’m not?” I asked, wobbly.
“Nope.”
“Okay, but what if I mess up and get tongue-tied?” I whispered. That was my worse worry.
