7. Jane
7
JANE
‘ A nd that’s it!’ I said as I completed Jackson’s tour of the library.
As well as obviously taking him down all of the different aisles of the library to show him that we had books from every romance genre you could think of, including contemporary, historical, paranormal, new adult, LGBTQ+, steamy and closed-door romance, I’d shown him the bookshop and stockroom.
I’d even taken him upstairs to the first floor to see the space that Jess and Theo hoped to develop one day into a rooftop book bar with sea views. But that was a long way in the future. Before we could even think about that, we had to work out how to keep the library and the bookshop on the ground floor open.
‘This place is amazing! It’s even better than I’d imagined.’ Jackson’s lovely eyes sparkled.
‘It is,’ I said quickly, trying to keep my thoughts professional. ‘You’re going to love working here.’
How I was going to cope was a different story .
When we’d walked around the library, I’d try to stay focused and not get distracted by how gorgeous Jackson was. But it was hard.
I still couldn’t get over how much he’d changed. Just like adults cooed over babies and gushed about how much they’d grown since they last saw them, I wanted to study every part of Jackson to try and understand exactly what it was that made him look so different.
Maybe it was his height? He was always tall, but he’d added an extra inch or two since school.
It was clear from his muscular chest and arms that he’d discovered the gym.
Before, he’d worn glasses, so I assumed he used contact lenses now. He still had those gorgeous deep brown eyes and ridiculously long lashes.
His hair was cut a lot lower than the small Afro he’d had at school, and obviously he had more facial hair. The immaculate beard he was sporting now made a big difference. So did the clothes. I was no expert, but his shirt, trousers and super shiny shoes looked expensive. Those evil bullies that used to laugh at his second-hand uniform and damaged glasses definitely wouldn’t be teasing him if they saw his outfit today.
Thankfully, though, just like I’d noticed when we bumped into each other earlier this week, his personality hadn’t changed. He still seemed like a great person.
‘So you’ve had the grand tour?’ Jess said as we returned to the library. There were about a dozen members milling around in the main hall. Some lounging on sofas with a book, others browsing down the aisles.
Theo was working in the bookshop and was very happy when one customer from the US came in with a suitcase because she’d heard about the library and bought the entire Windy City series by Liz Tomforde, Lyndsey Gallagher’s Sexton Sisters series plus the Twisted and Kings of Sin series by Ana Huang. If we could get more people doing that, it’d definitely help our situation.
‘I have. What you’ve created here is amazing. You should be really proud,’ Jackson said.
‘Thanks! It was a team effort, though. I couldn’t have done it without Jane and Theo’s help.’
‘She’s being modest,’ I said. ‘And now we have the cafe to look forward to. Speaking of which, I was chatting to Maddie earlier and she was struggling to come up with a name for it. Do you have any ideas?’
We’d been so busy getting the library up and running that we’d never got around to giving the bookshop a proper name or creating a sign. It was always just known as The Romance Library Bookshop, which wasn’t very catchy. So it’d be great to give the cafe its own name.
‘My brain’s so fried these days I’ve got zero creativity. Tell you what: how about you two have a brainstorm? This afternoon, Jackson, I’d love you to start working on some event ideas, especially for the cafe. But maybe you could help Jane think of some names until lunchtime whilst it’s still quiet? You could use the events room.’
‘I’d love to help!’ Jackson said enthusiastically.
‘Great,’ I said, trying and failing to convince myself that it was no big deal. ‘Follow me.’
I led Jackson to the events space. It used to be two classrooms, but when Jess had bought the old school and done the renovations, they’d knocked down the wall to make it into one big space.
‘So.’ Jackson pulled up one of the chairs and his scent wafted through the air. It was hard to describe. It smelt like very expensive shower gel, mixed with a rich, woody aroma with a hint of citrus. Whatever it was, it was bloody delicious and extremely distracting. ‘Do you have any ideas?’
‘I made a few notes on the walk over from Sweet Treats.’ I pulled out my notebook and turned to the page where I’d scribbled down my thoughts. ‘So I’ve got Coffee & Books, Books & Biscuits and Books & Brews.’
‘Hmm.’ Jackson rested his finger on his chin. ‘I like that they’re simple. They say exactly what we’re offering, which is great, but maybe we could think of some other options, just in case.’
Most people would’ve just said my suggestions were too basic, but Jackson had always been diplomatic. Even when I’d struggled to answer simple questions when we did maths homework together, he was patient.
‘How about One More Chapter?’
‘That’s cool.’ I nodded. ‘It could apply to all book genres, though. Maybe it’d be good to have something that relates more specifically to romance. You know, like the happiness it brings. I know! How about Happy Endings?’ I said enthusiastically.
Jackson’s eyes widened.
‘Um, yeah… good idea, but that name just on its own kind of makes me think about something that isn’t related to books.’ He smiled. ‘Then again, it’d probably fit well with some spicy novels.’
‘Huh?’ I asked.
‘Happy Endings… y’know. It has another meaning…’ His voice trailed off. ‘Like a sexual meaning.’
I frowned, then the penny finally dropped .
‘Oh! Of course!’ I slapped my forehead. He must think I was such an idiot for not knowing that. Then again, if he knew how inexperienced I was, he’d understand why a massage ending with a blowie or handjob wasn’t the first thing I thought about.
Jackson was probably inundated with women desperate to give him a happy ending, so no wonder that thought had popped into his head.
Head was an inappropriate choice of word given the context of the conversation. But I supposed I should be pleased that I’d spotted a double entendre without being given a signpost.
‘Ever After could be a safer option?’ Jackson suggested.
‘Could be. But it doesn’t convey the happiness. How about Happy Ever After?’
‘Let’s put it on the list.’
‘Okay. So what do we have so far?’ I glanced down at my notepad. ‘Happy Ever After, Books & Biscuits, Books & Brews… anything else?’
‘How about Love & Lattes?’ Jackson added.
‘I like it!’
‘Or the Library Cafe? No. That’s too safe. Cupid’s Cafe sounds better.’
‘Great! I’m sure we can come up with more ideas. It’s always harder to do it on the spot.’
‘Yeah. I’ll ask my friend Marcus. He’s in marketing, so will probably have some ideas.’
‘Perfect! Jess’s friend Sarah helps out with our social media, so I’ll ask her too.’
‘Good thinking. The more ideas we have, the better.’
Jackson and I continued brainstorming for another half an hour before Jess called him in for a meeting to discuss the cafe opening.
It was crazy. As I watched him leave (desperately trying not to shamefully ogle how good his arse looked in his trousers), I was filled with disappointment.
Initially when Jess had said we’d be working together, I was nervous about spending time with him. But when I stopped staring and focused on our brainstorm, I started to relax and really enjoy it.
Fifteen years had passed, but somehow it felt like only yesterday that we’d chatted during class as we tried to solve whatever task the teacher had set.
I thought that maybe Jackson and I could get lunch together at Sweet Treats, then I could show him the beach, but he spent most of the day either being briefed by Jess or in a meeting with Theo, and just as I was putting away the library returns, he came to say goodbye.
‘You’re off already?’ I blurted out without thinking. ‘Sorry, I didn’t mean… I just didn’t realise it was so late, that’s all.’ Time always flew here.
‘Yeah. I’m going to… I’m meeting someone.’
‘Oh.’ My stomach sank. Sounded like he was going on a date. ‘No worries!’ I said as enthusiastically as I could. ‘Thanks for your help today.’
‘No, thank you for showing me the ropes and making me feel welcome.’
‘My pleasure. When are you working next?’
‘Tomorrow.’
‘Great!’ My stomach fizzed with excitement. Maybe I shouldn’t sound too enthusiastic. I didn’t want him to think that I liked him. I mean, okay, maybe I did, but just as friends, nothing more. The last time I’d got involved with a colleague it had been a disaster, and ultimately it cost me my job.
Luckily for me, I landed on my feet and got to work here, which was a million times better. But that was precisely why I couldn’t allow anything, including a stupid little crush, to mess up the best opportunity I’d ever had.
Jess and Theo really valued the work I did here. I loved everything about this job and provided we could keep the library going, I reckoned there would be a lot of opportunities for me here.
I had to nip whatever lingering feelings I had for Jackson from years ago in the bud.
‘Enjoy your evening.’ Jackson smiled and my stomach flip-flopped.
‘You too,’ I said, thinking it was a good thing he was going on a date.
If Jackson was off the market, it’d be another point to add to the list of reasons why I couldn’t like him.
And given how much I’d enjoyed working with him today, the more reasons there were and the less temptation I had, the better.