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“Remind me why we’re friends again?” Mike hissed and walked toward the front door.
“Because I’m the only one who’ll put up with you?” Harry laughed.
Mike’s heart slammed into his ribs as he got closer to the door and saw Nicole Scott standing there staring through it at him. She wore a beige cotton shirt with delicate gold and pink roses. It hugged her slender frame and was partially tucked into the hem of her well-worn light blue jeans. While you could see she had matured, her face was still smooth, and her pink bow lips shone with a touch of gloss.
Why did she still have to look so young and beautiful?
He gave himself a mental shake, unlocked the door, and pulled the door open, freezing when his hazel eyes met her big green ones, framed by thick, sooty lashes and perfectly arched natural eyebrows. He swallowed, feeling his throat go dry. Nicole was just as beautiful as he remembered her to be.
“Are you going to stand there staring at me all day, or can I come in?” Nicole’s melodic voice drifted toward him and hit him between the eyes, making him realize he was gaping at her.
“Um.” Mike cleared his throat. “Sorry, sure, come in.”
“Thanks,” Nicole said, brushing past him.
Her scent wafted over him, filling his senses, while his skin warmed where she’d brushed him. It wasn’t until Harry whispered in her ear that he was jolted back to reality.
“No crush, huh?” Harry patted his shoulder, then walked to Nicky, who was looking around the bookstore. “Nicky Scott, right?”
“Yes, and you’re Harry Beckett, Sam’s husband.” Nicky made the connection between Harry and Nicky’s older sister, Lorry.
“That’s right.” Harry smiled and glanced at Mike. “I believe you know Mike Sullivan, Angus’s nephew.”
“Yes, I did recognize you.” Nicky turned and gave Mike a tight smile. “I came here looking for you after I found out about your uncle.” Her eyes darkened with sadness. “I was sorry to hear about his passing. My sincerest condolences. Mr. Sullivan was a truly remarkable man.”
“Thank you.” Mike’s voice sounded gravelly, so he cleared his throat and gave himself another good mental shake. “It’s still a big shock.”
“I understand that.” Nicky nodded. “A sudden loss like that tends to leave one reeling, especially when you have no early warning signs.”
“I know this is past due,” Harry said to her, “but I’m sorry about the loss of your father.”
“Thank you.” Nicky turned to Harry before looking at Mike once again. “While I came to pay my respects to you, Mike, I also wanted to discuss the for-sale sign in the window.” She pointed to it.
“Oh!” Mike’s eyebrows shot up, and he sighed resignedly. He didn’t need another lecture on how selling the shop was a bad idea or to hear more stories about his uncle. “If you’ve come here to try and talk me out of selling.” He glanced at Harry. “I’ve had my fair share of people telling me that already.”
“No,” Nicky said with a frown marring her brow. “I was going to make you an offer to buy it.”
Mike’s eyes widened even more to reflect his surprise as he gaped at her.
“Here.” Nicky pulled a piece of paper from her jeans pocket. “As I noticed, this was a private sale. I got valuations of the properties in the area and some advice from a property sale advisor as to what the store is worth.” She handed him the paper. “This is the offer I would like to make for the store.”
Not taking his eyes off her, as he still didn’t believe what he’d heard, he reached out and took the paper.
“I hope that’s around what you were aiming at selling the store for,” Nicky said. “I can pay it all upfront, so there’s no waiting for finance.”
Mike held the paper in his hands, still staring at her as if in a trance until Harry stepped in and snatched the paper from his hands.
“No, you didn’t have a crush on her at all,” Harry muttered as he looked at the paper, then elbowed Mike in the ribs. “Wow!” He elbowed Mike again when he still hadn’t made a move to look at the offer. “This is—” He looked at Mike. “A very generous offer.”
Mike eventually snapped out of his daze and looked at the offer Harry was now holding right in front of his face, and his eyes widened once again as he saw the amount. It was quite a bit over the price he was hoping to get for it.
“Harry’s right.” Mike finally found his voice again and looked at her, snatching the paper from Harry. “This is a generous offer.”
“Have you had any other offers for the store?” Nicky asked him, her brow furrowing deeper.
“No,” Harry answered for Mike, who seemed to keep getting tongue-tied. “The for-sale sign only went up yesterday.”
“Okay, great.” Nicky smiled, and Mike once again felt his heart slam against his rib cage as it lit up her face. “My number is at the bottom of the page.” She leaned in to point to it. Her hand brushing against his sent a volt of electricity through his system. “You can call me when you’ve decided about it.”
