Chapter 7 #2
The queen seemed like the sort who wouldn’t approve of any scheme to disenfranchise smaller vendors. Lilian opened her mouth, ready to ask when a familiar voice interrupted.
“Mom, what are you doing dressed like that?”
Hawk stepped in, dressed in another short-sleeved polo and tight khakis.
His upper arms had a tan from all the days out at the faire.
Ugh, another reason to hate those stupid polos.
His trusty clipboard was nowhere to be seen, and a slight line of sweat dampened his forehead, mussing his usually well-kept hair.
“Your ladies have been looking everywhere for you.”
The queen’s large eyes widened. “Busted by my own son.”
Hawk scrutinized the scene before him. His dark gaze narrowed on the book by the cash register. Instantly, the mood in the shop shifted. “Reading on the job, Ms. Bodice?”
“I wouldn’t be much of a bookseller if I didn’t read,” Lilian answered, crossing her arms over her chest. She didn’t miss the way his eyes dipped down to her cleavage, just for a second, before snapping back up.
A thrill sizzled through her. One she savagely pushed down.
The queen kept looking back and forth between them, obviously sensing the new tension in the air.
“Well, it has been an absolute delight meeting you, dear. I could stay here all day, but I have to get back to my queenly duties.” She flashed a round cheek smile and patted her stack of books with glee.
“I hope the rest of the faire goes well for you.”
“Thank you, Your Majesty.” Lilian gave a slight curtsy as the woman took her leave. “I hope you enjoy those books.”
“I’m sure I will.”
She left with a knowing look at her son, who did not follow. Lilian’s good mood quickly dissipated as she realized it was her and Hawk, alone in her shop.
Crap. That probably meant he wanted to talk to her.
Well, she wasn’t in the mood.
“I’m sure you’re busy, sir. Have a good day.”
“Ms. Bodice,” Hawk said, clearing his throat.
Her eyes narrowed on him, determined to hold her ground against whatever asinine rule he threw her way.
He hesitated for a second and tried again. This time softer. “I mean Ms. Brody.”
“Yes?”
“I want to apologize for Thursday. I was… rude. Again.”
“Yeah, you were.” But she had given it right back to him. Snapping and rising to anger every time he showed his arrogance.
“I shouldn’t have said anything about your business failing. As your boss, that was wrong of me.”
She blinked. Holy shit, was Hawk… apologizing?
Any biting remark died as her mind went horribly blank. He was still talking, and she realized she’d missed an entire part of his apology when he repeated, “Ms. Brody.”
“What?”
“You’re staring.”
“I’m sorry. I think my brain short-circuited. I didn’t expect an apology.”
He glared at her.
She quickly realized that wasn’t the right thing to say either. “Shit. I’m sorry. That was rude.”
“Yes, it was.”
“So now we’re even.”
His brow furrowed in confusion.
“We’re even,” Lilian repeated. “You were rude to me, and I was rude back. I’m sorry. Please don’t fire me.”
Somehow that got his lips to crack into a smile. “That’s not how the faire business works.”
“Great, another thing about business that I don’t understand.” The words spilled out before she could stop them or remember who she was talking to.
Panic hit immediately.
She buried her face in her hands and prayed for death. “Please forget I said that. Actually, forget I said anything at all. I’m… having a bad day.”
“Anything I can help with?”
She lifted her head. Nope, no knight in shining armor. No stranger. Just Hawk Carlisle in a polo.
Which meant she hadn’t imagined his voice.
“Not really,” she said.
“Is this about the show tomorrow?”
“No.” That was the truth, even if only part of it.
The show ranked somewhere below the quiet dread that she was sinking money into something doomed from the start.
But now that he’d said it out loud, her heart started a mean little tap dance against her ribs.
The show was one more thing that could go wrong. What had she been thinking?
“Because I saw you practice,” Hawk said calmly. “You really don’t have anything to worry about.”
“You’re just saying that to be nice.”
“Do you think I say things like that to be nice?”
She stopped. Thought about it for less than a second and realized how ridiculous it sounded. Hawk? Nice?
“No.”
That small, fleeting smile appeared again. “If I saw something that I was concerned about, I wouldn’t let it go on tomorrow. That’s what I told Alex when she pitched this idea to me. But you surprised me Thursday and yesterday. It’s not perfect, but you’ll be fine.”
“I… thank you.” It was a strange sensation. Taking comfort in the words of Hawk. Even stranger to realize he was being nice to her… again.
He nodded, eyes darting toward the faire behind him as if he couldn’t wait to get out of her shop. Luckily it was at that moment that the radio on his hip crackled to life. A muffled voice rattled off a quick series of questions.
The tension in Hawk’s shoulders visibly disappeared as he snatched the radio and snapped back, “I’m on my way.”
Without even a goodbye, he turned on his heel and marched down the path toward the belly of the faire.