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“Okay, Miss Jana,” she says, a wide smile on her face. I watch her run into the living room with a smile. I’ve grown attached to her and her sister. I would hate to lose the relationship I’m building with them.
“You’re good with her,” Alex says, coming up behind me. I turn around, meeting him head on. He’s close enough I need to tilt my chin up to meet his gaze, and I’m overwhelmed with the woodsy-citrus scent that is Alex.
“It’s easy with her,” I reply, clutching the dish towel I’m holding tighter. “She knows what she wants and what she likes and she’s not ashamed of it. You’ve done a brilliant job with her—with both of them, really.”
“Thank you.” His lips tilt up, and I watch the movement in rapt attention. His lips are full, and I wonder if they’re as soft as I imagine them to be. “Should we start then?”
I blink, lifting my gaze to his. He waits patiently for my response, his smile morphing into a smirk the longer it takes me to answer. “Brainstorming, yes! Let’s do it.”
“I think it’s important that we include elements of both the bakery and the bookshop,” Alex says, walking to the other side of the island. He sits on a stool and opens a notebook I didn’t see before. I follow, sitting beside him and scanning the notes.
“That’s a good idea.” My arm brushes his, and I pull away quickly. Heat blooms from where we touched, and when I lift my gaze to his, he’s already watching me with an amused smile. “Um, what do you think of a prize wheel?”
“Spin the wheel, get a prize—that sort of thing?” he asks.
“Yeah, only instead of candy, you get treats from the bakery,” I say, nodding as more ideas come. “And we could get specialty bookmarks and pens too.”
“Do you think we should have anything else at the booth?” Alex asks, his hand moving across the page.
“We can sell our goods.” I lean my head on my hand, watching him. “Like gingerbread cookies or apple pies. You could do books—oh! Have you seen those ‘Blind Date with a Book’ things?”
“What is that?” He’s been scribbling in the notebook but looks up in curiosity. I laugh, folding my arms and resting them on the counter.
“Exactly what it sounds like,” I reply, tilting my head to look at what he’s written. His handwriting is little more than chicken-scratch. “You wrap a book and write the very basics on it. Say it’s a locked door mystery thriller—you write that down with a very basic summary of the story so the person doesn’t know what book it is and can’t judge based on the cover or anything. It’s a fun way to explore new books.”
“That’s a brilliant idea, Jana,” he says with a grin, and my cheeks heat in a deep blush. Butterflies erupt in my stomach, and I bite my lip, fighting my own pleased grin. “Do you want to help pick out some books?”
“I’d be happy to.”
Chapter Eleven
Alex
I stare absently at the screen in front of me, Benji’s words flowing in one ear and out the other. Christmas is creeping closer, the festival even closer. Knowing that my time spent with Jana is coming to an end feels strange. It’s like ever since we met, we’ve been pushed together, and soon, we won’t have any outside forces drawing us together. My chest aches at the thought, but I brush it off.
“Are you even listening, Alex?” Benji’s voice suddenly seems louder, and the numbers on the screen blare to life.
“What? Of course, I’m listening.” I wasn’t.Obviously.
“What is going on in that mind of yours, brother?” he asks. He turns to face me, resting his elbow on the counter. “You’ve been distracted all week.”
“Nothing. It’s all good, Benj.”
“You’re such a liar.”
I sigh, looking over the numbers on the screen. “What do these numbers mean?”
“I thought you were listening.” My eyes flash to him, and he lifts a brow, smirking.
“Shut up and tell me,” I growl.
“Your sales have increased.” I cock an eyebrow, disbelief swimming through me. Benji chuckles, leaning forward and pointing at the screen. “Yeah, by about 20%.”
“So having Zach in the store is actually bringing people in?”
“I told you, Alex.” Benji flips over the papers in front of him. “Customers like to see the store open when they can make it in—after work.”
“Does that mean we can hire more help?” I ask.
