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"I've read it already, I was trying to find anything else by the author."
"Sadly, this is her only one so far," I said.
"Crap. I'd love a new romance," she murmured. "Something… spicy like this. I like to read it to my husband, if you know what I mean."
I turned away from her and perused the shelves. My fingers trailed along the colorful spines of paperbacks, stopping on a set I loved. "This whole series is so sexy. The descriptions are vivid. You could start with book one and see if you enjoy it?"
"Perfect," she said, winking, as she took a book and turned it over, skimming the back. "Hell, I'd better take all of them, don't you think?" She stacked four more books with the first, making her way back to her husband, who added the books to the coffee bill.
"Enjoy," I called after her, and they both took their goodies and left with a friendly wave.
As the door closed behind them, silence wrapped around us once more. Colby leaned against the counter, his shirt stretching taut over his muscular chest, revealing contours and shadows that beckoned my eyes.
"Thanks for the help, Mira," he said, pushing a plate with a muffin toward me and sliding a fresh latte across the counter. "You're a romance reader."
"Yeah," I said, blushing a little. "Someone recently told me I can't get everything from books, but they come close."
"Well, you made a sale and you don't even work for me, I'm impressed."
"Nothing to it." I avoided eye contact for a moment, picking at what was left of my scone, feeling embarrassed that I'd accidentally played the part of a salesperson. When I looked up, Colby's gaze was on me and he was smiling. His hazel eyes held flecks of gold that seemed to dance and tease.
"It was great. Without my sister's help, I never feel like I can focus on the bookstore." There was a hint of disappointment in his tone. "But you've made me realize how much we could use someone to draw people into the books even when they're only here for coffee."
We talked for a little while about his life — about how difficult it was to run the bookstore when his sister wanted to be anywhere but Hazy Cove. He was so easy to talk to that I got a little carried away, telling him about what had happened in med school, whenI'd been on the verge of a nervous breakdown, and my struggles with what to do during the break, including my rapidly depleting savings.
"You're the first person other than my best friend, Nori, that I've told that story to," I said, blushing.
Colby smiled kindly. "It seemed like you needed to get it off your chest. Have you considered that maybe working in the medical field isn't truly your dream?"
"That's what Nori said, too."
"How soon do you have to decide?"
"They deferred me for the rest of fall semester, and for the spring, too," I said. "I need to decide if I want to go back in the fall, or take another year off. There are so many students on the waitlist, and the school can't hold my place forever."
"You don't have to go back." Colby leaned in, grinning. "Your life decisions aren't set in stone. It's okay to realize something's not right for you. Though I've only known you a few hours, so take my advice with a grain of salt."
A few hours?I glanced at my watch, wondering if I could still catch Gunnar at his shop. "Holy shit, I've been here for three hours?"
"You know what they say, time flies and all that." Colby shrugged and stood up, brushing off his apron.
"I suppose I'd better go." I glanced at his stacked boxes of books. "You have work to do."
"Work can wait! Or if you must leave, at least give me your number," Colby said, a cute blush rising to his cheeks. "It's not often I find someone I can talk to so easily. And if you'll be in town a while, maybe I can show you around?"
"Okay." I felt shy, but at the same time, like I'd known Colby for much longer than a few hours. We exchanged numbers, and I put my phone away, turning to leave with a little wave.
"Hey, Mira," Colby said, as I reached for the door handle, his voice halting me in my tracks. I turned, finding him standing with an earnest look etched across his handsome features. "What if… what if you stayed?"
"Stayed?" I echoed, confusion lacing the word.
"Here. With me. At the bookstore." He ran a hand through his sandy hair, a nervous gesture that was somehow endearing. "I could use someone like you around here—someone with your passion, your warmth. I know it sounds crazy, but what about a job? Here, helping me out. Just while you sort out that mixed-up brain of yours. You have a few months until school starts, right?"
My heart hammered against my ribs, fierce and unrelenting. A job? Here? I gazed back at the cluttered store, faced with a decision I hadn't anticipated making.
"Working… with you?"
"Exactly," he said, a spark lighting up those hazel eyes. "I could use the help, clearly. And you love books, I can tell. No pressure, just a thought. You said you're looking for a job to hold you over until school starts back up, right?"
