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“That’s right.”
His sharp response has my hackles raising, and I clench my teeth together to keep from biting out a harsh reply. I inhale deeply, relaxing my shoulders and jaw on the exhale.
“I didn’t mean any offence,” I say calmly, letting my eyes drift over the titles on the shelf.
“Then why say anything?” he asks, sidestepping and dropping to a crouch.
“Because,” I bite out, already regretting the words. “Your shop is the only one not lit up and decorated for the happiest time of year. Though, now I can see why.”
“Oh, you can?” he asks, glaring harshly at me. “I suppose you’re going to share that unasked for opinion too?”
“What the hell is your problem?”
“Myproblem?” he scoffs, shaking his head and walking back toward the front of the store without showing me where the damned Christmas books are. I follow on his heels, furious with his attitude. “You come in here and immediately start criticizing my business, and you have the balls to ask me whatmyproblem is?”
“No need to get your boxers in a twist,” I mutter. He rounds on me, his eyes burning with anger. I sigh, annoyed, but stand my ground.Way to go, Jana. Day one, and you’ve already pissed someone off.
“I’m gonna ask you to leave,” he says, the muscles in his jaw jumping.
“You’re going to kick me out of your store for asking about Christmas lights?” I ask, my eyes widening. He gestures to the door, and I roll my eyes. “Can you really afford that?”
“Get the fuck out of my store!” he bellows. Narrowing my eyes at his tantrum, I step around him and hurry to the door. I turn back when I reach the door and send him a heated glare.
“Merry Christmas to you too,” I say, offering him my biggest smile before stepping out into the cold. The moment the door snaps shut behind me, I glare at the snow. “Asshole.”
Chapter Four
Alex
I watch the woman leave, frustration simmering in my veins. Her soft brown doe-eyes had been curious, her smile honest, but for some reason, it irked me. My gaze follows her trek down the road, and I immediately regret throwing her out in the cold like that.What if someone treated Maddie or Morgan that way?I’d be furious.So why would you treat a woman like that?
I push Laura’s voice aside, focusing on the anger the woman had inspired. It was almost instantaneous. The moment she walked into the store, I was irritated—probably due to Benji’s nagging, but also from the gust of wind that had scattered my papers. And then there was the silent look Benji had sent me, as if to sayfate brought her.
“Did you just kick her out?” Benji’s voice comes from behind me, the words ringing in my ears as if to mock me.
“Yes.”
“Why the hell would you kick out your first customer of the day?” He echoes the woman’s incredulous tone, and I sigh out a heavy breath as I close my eyes and wipe a hand down my face.
“Does it matter?” I ask, stepping around the counter. It’s barely after one o’clock, but I’m extremely tempted to close the store now and go home.
“Yes, it doesmatter, Alex.” Benji’s voice grates over my nerves, and I grip the countertop tightly. “You can’t afford to be kicking customers out. You’re barely bringing in enough to keep the place open as it is.”
The heartbreaking truth: Laura’s bookshop dreams are spinning around the drain, and I can’t figure out how to stop them from disappearing completely. This shop is the last connection my girls have to their mother, and losing it would be like ripping her from their lives all over again.I’ve got to figure this out.
“I know,” I mutter, glancing out the window again. The woman is gone, but she remains burned into my mind. Perhaps my reaction was harsh because of the attraction that burned through me at the sight of her luscious curves and ruddy cheeks. It was unexpected and confusing, especially after my conversation with Benji about my love for Laura.
“You know, maybe you could host book clubs or a weekly game night,” Benji says, and my attention snaps back to him. He’s flipping through a book, his immediate attention on the current statistics of killer whales.
“A weekly game night?”
He lifts his head with a grin. “Yeah, like bingo or something.”
“That’s the worst idea you’ve ever had,” I say with a small laugh, shaking my head as I close out the register. “I need to find the funds to hire a teenager to watch the register in the afternoons.”
“That’s a good idea,” Benji says, tucking the book back on the shelf beside him. I lift a brow, counting the same bills I counted this morning.No one has come in today except that woman. Why go through the motions?“Do you have someone in mind?”
“Wren’s younger brother is looking for an after-school job,” I say. I recall my babysitter mentioning it in passing, an annoyed comment on her way out a few nights ago. “But I can’t afford to pay someone.”
