Chapter 22
TWENTY-TWO
november
DOMINIC
Construction is a fucking shit show. That’s putting it lightly. I knew going into this process to expect pains— what else can you expect when the store is going through demolition and loud construction at the beginning of the busiest shopping season of the year?
“We should have waited,” I grumble to Grace at the register as I refill it with more singles and fives. This is the second time I’ve had to do this in the last four hours.
“Maybe,” Grace agrees. “Sure, it’s loud—” She cuts herself off as said loud sounds rip across the space from beyond the heavy tarp hanging across the recently demoed entry to the new space.
She resumes when the noise stops. “And yeah, it’s dusty as hell.
” Across the store, a woman wraps her scarf over her mouth while waving her hand to clear the air in front of her.
“Combined with it being the weekend after Thanksgiving? Yeah, maybe it could have waited.”
Grace laughs and nudges me as I shut the drawer with a scowl. I’m glad that she and Pen have found humor in this mess, but I’m still pretty annoyed. The door to the back room bangs open and Pen emerges, pushing a cart of new books fresh off a delivery.
“Is that the special edition of Sarah’s new book?” a sharp-eyed customer asks shrilly.
“Yes! We just got—”
Pen’s response is drowned out by a crowd of customers surrounding her and the cart. No joke, I can hardly see her as the customers swarm like hungry little badgers, desperate to get their paws on the freshest meat.
By the time I make my way over, only one customer is left and she’s giving Penelope a hard time.
“I just can’t believe you’d allow this to happen to a book!”
From what I can see, the special editions Pen had on her cart are gone; this woman is holding the last copy and there’s a faint crease on the corner of the dustjacket.
Pen, bless my beautiful woman, still has a smile on her face— a sincere, authentic smile.
Not a forced one with gritted teeth, as I’m known to sport for the pissy customers.
“I’m so sorry,” Pen says gently, flashing her eyes to me in warning.
She’s worried I’m approaching to intervene and be a dick.
Which is correct, but those eyes? I know when to sit and stay like a good boy.
“Unfortunately, sometimes the books aren’t packed perfectly when they’re shipped, which leads to—”
“It’s unacceptable!” The woman shakes the book in Pen’s face and I curl my hands into fists.
Demonstrating restraint at this point feels like a losing battle.
“This book has been sold out everywhere! You shouldn’t have just wheeled this cart out here.
You should have asked people to line up! You should have—”
All right. I can only stand so much. Clearing my throat, I step closer and the woman pauses, sharing an irritated look with me.
“Is there something I can help you with, ma’am?”
The woman’s eyes widen— honestly, calling women “ma’am” pisses most of them off, every single time.
“Excuse you!” she snarls at me and I decide I’m not even going to entertain wrapping this up nicely. Reaching out, I snatch the book from her hand. Her face, already heated, turns a deep shade of crimson.
“I understand you’re probably stressed out, what with the holidays and all.
Hell, look around you. You think we’re not stressed out with this mess?
The noise?” As if on cue, Jack’s team rips the table saw.
“‘We’re literally on the threshold of Hell, Ellen!’ The last thing we need is your attitude making things worse. ”
The woman sputters at me and I’m positive she’s never been addressed so bluntly in her life. That’s the problem— no one stands up to people like this so they carry on in life, thinking this is appropriate.
“Now, if you’d be so kind, I’d like to ask you to leave this store. We don’t have the emotional capacity to accommodate your ego today.” I gesture toward the front door and the woman storms past me.
When she leaves, the remaining customers in the store give a light round of applause. See, these are my kind of people.
“Dominic!” Pen groans, sidling up to me and wrapping her arm around my waist. “She’s gonna leave a nasty review online.”
“So what? She was being a bitch. Someone needs to call that shit out, and I am more than happy to volunteer, on behalf of society.”
“So noble.” She laughs, nuzzling her face into my side. “And nice Christmas Vacation reference, by the way.”
“You caught that, huh?”
“Should I be concerned that my boyfriend’s temperament closely aligns with Clark Griswold’s when he goes off the rails?”
God, I love this woman. Pressing my lips to her temple, I reluctantly release her. “I’m gonna put this book up by the register, just in case anyone else comes in looking for it.”
“Hopefully it goes to a good home, where someone won’t care about its cosmetic deficiencies.” Pen’s cheeks tinge pink before she smiles at me. I hate reading into shit, but I hope she’s not thinking of herself being like this damn book.
But just in case, I add, “There’s nothing wrong with this book, Pen. It’s sexy as hell. In fact, this little crease?” I rub the corner of the dustjacket seductively and she shakes her head, smiling at me with her pretty, plump lips. “It’s this that makes it so unique and so damn desirable.”
“Get out of here,” she laughs, but I can tell she understands what I’m trying to say.
A few hours later, I’m flat-out exhausted. Between the dust from the work next door, and the books and trash customers have left all over, the store is a certifiable mess. Grace went home an hour ago, so Pen and I strategize our closing plan.
“I’ll cover the front of house. You catch up with the deliveries in the back and do the financials.”
Pen scrunches her nose up at me. “Given your attitude towards customers today—”
“Every day you mean?”
“Right. How about you cover the deliveries and I’ll take care of closing the store in a half-hour? Please, Dom?” Her eyes beg me to accept her plan and, little does she know, that was my plan all along.
Sighing, I nod, pretending defeat. “Yeah, I guess you’re right.”
Pen pats me on the back as I turn, heading into the back room. Taking out my phone, I send a quick text.
Me: All clear
I wind through the shelves in the back room and find Chloe, breaking down the last box from the delivery this afternoon.
“Wow, you really powered through everything already?”
“Don’t sound so surprised,” Chloe says, patting the cart full of books at her side with pride. “It was kind of nice being back here, zoning out.” She straightens and eyes the door to the breakroom. “She has no idea I’ve been back here the last hour, does she?”
“Nope.” I can’t keep the huge smile off my face. Chloe was an integral part of my plan, making sure I could sneak away early to finish the rest of the prep needed for my surprise tonight.
Chloe nods, excitement all over her face. “Awesome. I’ll text Jasper and have him meet us there?”
“Perfect.” Sliding out my phone, I send another text, this time to Pen.
Me: I’m not feeling so great. Gonna head home early. See you there.
There’s a flurry of responses but I ignore them as Chloe and I slip out the back exit, where we typically receive deliveries. The two of us race to the house, knowing that whatever time we think we have, it’ll be less— Pen won’t take her time if she truly thinks I’m not feeling well.
“Nervous?” Chloe asks, nudging me with her elbow as we jog through the chilly, empty streets of Prairie Ridge to the house.
If she had asked me an hour ago, I would have said no. Today— and the days leading up to today— have simply been too busy and overwhelming to focus my attention on what I have planned for tonight.
But now? Yeah, there’s a flipping sensation in my stomach and a nervous energy coursing through me.
“Nah, not really.”
Chloe rolls her eyes as we begin to slow, coming up to the house. Her cousin, Jasper, walks up at the same time— he must have parked around the block so Pen wouldn’t see his car.
“It’s okay to admit you’re nervous,” Chloe says, breathless.
Hesitating, I try to catch my breath, but I realize the effort is pointless— my heart is simply pounding too hard to center myself. So I shrug and say, “Maybe. A little.”
If Pen were here, she’d follow up by saying “a lot,” but she’s not and Chloe doesn’t get our inside joke.
Glancing at my phone I ignore the texts from Pen and check the time.
An hour from now, it will all be over. Swallowing down the anxious feeling in my throat, I nod at Jasper and Chloe. “Let’s do this.”