Chapter 6
Eli sat at home, bouncing his leg. The store had closed a few hours ago, and he was antsy.
Normally he spent his evenings reading and exercising, perfectly content alone.
But now he wasn’t. Having his arms around Molly awakened something in him, and it only intensified today when she helped him with Lauren.
“I’m so pathetic,” he muttered.
He swiped his phone off the coffee table and typed out a text.
Eli: You free tonight?
Jameson: I could go for a beer.
Eli: Dexter’s?
Jameson: Be there soon.
Eli swiped his keys off the table and put his wallet into his pocket before leaving his house. The drive to the bar was quick, which wasn’t too far from the bookstore. He found parking easily and made his way inside. Jameson was already seated at the bar top when he arrived.
Eli slid onto a barstool beside him. “How’s it going, man?”
“Good. Just busy as always.”
“I bet.”
The men each placed their orders with the bartender, who slid their beers across the counter only a moment later.
“So what’s going on with you?” Jameson asked, taking a pull of his beer.
“Nothing. Just getting bored.”
Jameson snorted. “Okay.”
“What?”
“You don’t get bored. You never have.”
Eli frowned. “I get bored.”
Jameson rolled his eyes. “Growing up, you were always content sticking your nose in a book. Stop denying it and tell me what’s going on.”
“I’m being stalked at work.”
Jameson nearly shot beer out of his nose. He coughed and thumped his fist against his chest. “Excuse me?”
“We interviewed this gal, Lauren, a while ago for the barista position. It didn’t go well.”
Jameson nodded. “I think you told me about her. She ignored Katie and kept interviewing you.”
“That would be the one.” Eli was still flabbergasted by that interview. Lauren hung on every word and asked him far too many questions about himself. He had never had a weirder experience.
“So now she’s stalking you?”
Eli nodded and took a drink of his beer. “Yep. She comes in and literally runs into me at every chance she gets. Harasses me. It’s getting irritating.”
“We could file a restraining order.”
“Nah. She’s harmless. I doubt it would be approved.”
“But it’s making you restless?”
Eli sighed. This was where the truth would come out. “Not exactly. Katie and Michelle suggested I fake date someone to get Lauren to leave.”
Jameson tilted his head from side-to-side. “That could work. Are you going to do it?”
“I kind of already am. You’ve met Molly, right?”
“Yeah. She seems nice.”
“She has helped me out a few times. The problem is, I like it a little too much.”
Jameson smiled as understanding dawned on him. “Ah. So this is a girl problem.”
“This is a workplace romance problem.”
Jameson raised an eyebrow. “Dude. You’re speaking in tropes now.”
“And you know what a trope is.” Eli leaned back and matched Jameson’s look. “I own a bookstore. What’s your excuse?”
Jameson chuckled. “So you don’t want to date a co-worker?”
“No. I don’t want to date an employee.”
“There’s not much going on in the dating pool around here. You either date someone you’ve known your whole life, one of the few transplants who move here, AKA Molly, or you date a tourist. Pick your poison.”
“Wouldn’t it get messy, though?”
“I don’t know, man. I always think people are mature enough to act their age and still work together even if things don’t work out. But that usually isn’t the case.”
Eli rested his elbows on the bar. “You’re so inspiring.”
Jameson laughed. “I try.”
“Well, hello, Eli. Fancy seeing you here.”
Eli nearly spat his drink out when he recognized the voice. Lauren stood behind him and rested a hand on his shoulder. He turned in his chair and brushed her hand off, but she immediately put it back.
“Hey, Lauren,” he said, enunciating her name so Jameson would realize who she was.
Jameson smiled with a Cheshire Cat grin on his face. “Hi. I’m Jameson. I don’t believe we’ve met.”
“Lauren. I’m one of Eli’s friends,” she said.
Eli refrained from rolling his eyes, but Jameson’s snort was loud enough for Lauren to hear. She narrowed her eyes at him.
“You are? I’m his best friend. I haven’t heard about you before,” Jameson said.
Now Eli had to refrain from snorting.
Lauren rolled her eyes and tossed her hair over her shoulder. “I guess you must not be that close of friends.”
Jameson’s eyebrows raised, and all humor wiped off his face. Eli was about to intervene when a kiss was pressed to his cheek. His heart immediately galloped.
“Hey, baby. Sorry I’m late.” Molly said, sitting in his lap. She stared into his eyes, and he nearly planted a kiss on her lips right then.
“You’re right on time, actually,” Eli said.
Lauren still had her hand on Eli’s shoulder. Molly’s eyes drifted to it, and then she picked Lauren’s hand up and dropped it. “Hey, Lauren.”
If fire could shoot out of her eyes, they’d all be incinerated. Lauren huffed and spun on her heel before walking away, sitting at a table across the bar and glaring in their direction.
Molly then looked at Jameson. “How are you?”
Jameson’s mouth fell open and then immediately closed. He looked at Eli before his eyes bounced right back to Molly’s. “That was the best thing I’ve ever seen.”
Molly giggled and moved to slide off Eli’s lap, but he wrapped his arms around her waist.
“She’s watching us,” Eli said.
“I think it’s okay if I sit in my own chair, at least,” Molly said.
The three of them looked on either side of their group, but all the barstools were taken. The tables were all occupied as well.
“Shit,” Molly muttered.
Eli tried to keep the pure elation off his face and tightened his hold on her. “It’s okay. I don’t mind.”
“I’m sorry for interrupting your evening. I just thought you needed a little help,” Molly said.
Jameson laughed. “You do not know how much help we needed. I’m buying you a drink.”
He waved down the bartender, and Molly ordered a martini. Eli watched as she took a sip and relaxed into him. He glanced toward Lauren and saw her still sitting at a table, watching them. For once, he didn’t mind her stalking, not if it meant he could have Molly in his arms.
Perhaps he had been viewing the entire thing wrong since the beginning. Maybe Lauren coming around could be the highlight of his day instead of something he dreaded.
He watched Molly speaking animatedly with Jameson, and everything felt right. Having her in his arms felt so right. Now he just needed to figure out how to make it all work.