CHAPTER TWENTY-FOUR
R OSE
“Rose, quit lurking in the window. You look creepy,” Ruby calls from the next room over. I flush and slink away from the front windows, where I’ve been sneaking glances up and down the street.
It’s technically our soft opening, but I’m beginning to think we went a little too soft.
We’ve had the “Now Open” sign on the sidewalk for two hours now, and not a single person has been by. Well, except for our neighbor Charles, who came by early to raid our display of coffee and donuts.
The bells on the propped-open door jingle, and I look up, hopeful, but it must just be the breeze. It’s fully spring now, and the sweetness of fresh rain and heavy blossoms fills the front room as I take yet another tour of the immaculate bookshelves. The only thing that could make this day more perfect is some damn customers.
Movement on the sidewalk outside catches my eye, and I struggle to keep from running out to the porch and calling the trio of girls inside to browse. Then they actually do turn and head up our stairs, and I hustle back to the little checkout counter. I’m so excited I must not be paying attention, because I trip over something and sprawl flat on the floor just as the girls step into the shop.
Goddamn it, that hurt. Thankfully, Ruby sweeps in and takes over.
“Welcome to Under the Covers , where it’s always morally gray,” she calls, giving the girls a little welcome spiel to distract them from my chaos, before letting them wander.
“Are you okay?” she hisses as I steady myself on the counter.
“Yeah. I tripped over my own fucking feet, is all.” Then I frown down at my palm, where a streak of blood glistens. “What the hell?”
“Go clean up. Maybe there’s a loose nail or something.” Ruby waves me away hurriedly, and I make my way to the back kitchen office, not wanting to be the awkward bloody store owner who scares away our first customers.
As I wash the scrape and blot it dry, I keep glancing over my shoulder. Obviously, there’s nobody here in the room with me, but embarrassment is making me imagine that there are eyes watching and judging my every move. Feeling like an idiot, I decide the scrape isn’t worth a bandage and hurry back to the counter with a disinfectant wipe. But when I kneel to clean up any stray droplets, I find the floor already clean.
“Thanks, Ruby,” I whisper as she passes by with a few books, heading to one of the girls. She frowns and shrugs, as if to say it’s all nothing. I work on convincing myself of the same thing, and I’m all smiles and normality when the girls bring their books to the counter.
The sales make us a little giddy, and we even take selfies with our very first customers, Ruby getting their social media handles so she can tag them later.
“I hope we didn’t scare them off,” I say, once they’re all out the door and the shop is quiet again.
“Nah. People love that stuff. Ooh, food!” Ruby squeals, and I see a tall, handsome man walking up the stairs, carrying a double stack of white bakery boxes.
“Torrence asked me to deliver these samples to you,” he says with a flirty smile. “He’s busy now, but he said to let him know your favorites and he’ll be happy to cater your grand opening.”
“Oh, yum,” Ruby says, popping open the top box. “These look amazing.”
“You must have made an impression. Goblin Market doesn’t do private events,” the delivery guy says, eying the two of us as though he sees a completely different impression.
“Well, maybe he wants to branch out and grow the business,” I suggest with a hand on my hip, wondering why it’s such a big deal. Arlo had seemed pretty against it, too.
The guy just shrugs and turns to go, and Ruby pulls me over to check out the goodies. There’s a huge variety, with about four bites of each item, enough for each of us to taste everything. I marvel at how much work Torrence must have put into this. He’s a mystery, for sure.
“I think he really likes you, Ru,” I say, giving her a teasing jab with my elbow. She giggles and blushes a bit, choosing a flaky pastry with something that looks like spinach baked inside. Another inappropriate moan slips through her mouth just as someone else walks through the door.
“Ruby,” I hiss, bumping my hip against hers as I realize Kier is back.
“Sorry,” she mumbles, covering her mouth with her palm and taking in the gorgeous ginger towering over us now. I hear her swallow hard, and I swallow a snicker.
“Back for your book?” I say, smiling up at him. He smiles back, but it’s a little tight.
“Among other things,” he says, his tone teasing, even as he scans the room with a sharp eye, like he’s looking for anything out of place. I pull the book I saved for him from under the counter, and I’m not mad when Ruby wanders away to give me a little privacy.
Kier touches the book cover lightly. “Thanks for saving it. I might browse a little more, though. Care to show me around?”
I feel his eyes on me as I move from behind the counter and lead him into the next room. “This is the local history room, but you probably remember that. We haven’t changed everything.”
“Give me the grand tour anyway.” The corner of his mouth hooks up, but he still seems distracted. His eyes keep roaming the room, flicking to each of the windows in turn, before settling on me, only to start the process over.
“Are you looking for anything in particular?” I can’t help but feel like he’s not just here for flirty banter.
Something in my tone makes him pull it together, and he focuses intently on me.
“Sorry, Rose. I’ve had a trying morning, but I’d really like to see the shop.”
God, his eyes are amazing. I’d thought they were mostly green, but now I see a slim golden ring around the iris, and the corners crinkle as he grins down at me. His cheekbones and jawline are sharp enough to give him a foxlike aura, and I just know he would be a beast in bed.
My cheeks heat, but I manage to hold my own as I give him a little tour, although each room we pass through seems impossibly tighter and smaller than the last, as though the shop itself wants to press us together. Kier brushes against me in every doorway, his fingers curving against my lower back when we nearly bump into each other. Everywhere he touches is a light singe of heat, and I’ve never wanted to disrespect a bookstore as much as I do right now.
Eventually, we find ourselves back in the main room, where Ruby stands behind the counter, checking out another customer I hadn’t even heard come in. An edge of guilt creeps in - I’ve been worried about her neglecting the shop for Torrence, and here I am doing the same thing.
Kier sets the handful of books he’s gathered during the tour on the counter and pulls out some cash as Ruby rings him up. But his smile vanishes when he sees the bakery box still sitting open on the other side of the counter.
“Is that from Goblin Market ?” His tone is sharp, and I resist flinching as Ruby nods.
Kier’s gold-ringed eyes look molten now, and his full lips are pressed together in a tight line. “I know you’re new in town, but I’d stay away from that place. It doesn’t have a good reputation with the locals.”
“I thought you were only in Clearwater on business?” I blurt, exchanging a glance with Ruby. We’re both confused. None of our neighbors have warned us away from Goblin Market .
“I’m here often enough,” Kier snaps, pocketing his change without even glancing at the amount. “Trust me on this. Their food will make you sick. You should stay away from them, especially the owner.”
My jaw sets. I really want to like Kier, but this is sounding a little too familiar. “Funny. Because Torrence was here the other day, and he told me to stay away from you .”
Ruby’s eyes are wide, darting between the two of us as she takes in the tea.
Kier laughs, and the sound is nothing like his usual smooth, flirtatious manner. It’s hard and cruel, and the sharpness in his face grows even more prominent. For a bare second, I imagine him as an animal, backed into a corner and ready to strike.
“He would say that. I guess you’ll have to decide for yourself. But since it seems like both of your human instincts are a bit broken, I feel justified telling you to stay the hell away from that place. If you think Torrence is harmless, you’re plain stupid,” he adds, flashing his glare at Ruby.
Her mouth pops open, but Kier is already striding out of the shop, the small stack of books hooked under his arm.
“What in the world?” Ruby murmurs, her fingers tracing the edges of the bakery box as she watches Kier grow smaller in the window, his ginger hair flashing in the afternoon sunlight.
“That was so weird ,” I agree, my annoyance growing. Why can’t I just find a normal fucking guy? Why are all the ones I’m attracted to here so freaking strange?
“Well, I’ve tasted quite a bit of this food, and I’ve felt nothing but good vibes.” Ruby’s mouth is set to stubborn now, as she lifts the lid of the box and chooses another sample to try.
I smile, but my memory is suddenly snagging on the way I felt on the double date. I hadn’t thought the food was what made me sick, but now I can’t help but remember the way it turned to ash in my mouth. Nausea spreads through my stomach with the memory, and I step away from the counter and the food, busying myself with straightening displays that have hardly been touched.
Still, there has to be more to Kier’s warning than that, though. A little food poisoning or even a health code violation shouldn’t produce such obvious hatred from him. There’s bad blood between those two men. But instead of separating myself from the drama like I normally would, I find that my curiosity is scrambling to figure out the puzzle.
Ruby likes Torrence, and if there’s a real reason why Kier would insult her like that, I need to figure it out before she gets in too deep.