Chapter 1
AURORA
Spring break was supposed to be fun. It’s the time of year college students can forget their exams and the textbooks and the future responsibility of adult life. Everything is far away, foggy like seeing through a veiled glass. People go to parties and get drunk and have the time of their lives.
Not that I would do that. I’m too shy about this kind of thing, always overthinking, always questioning myself. Besides, I’m not a party person. Loud music is one of my biggest pet peeves. Still, I have some time off, and if I look at another algebra textbook, I might just die.
Johnny’s proposition sounded amazing when he offered it.
His father owns a hardware store in their hometown, and they needed people for the spring break.
I’ve always loved messing with tools, undoing and building things, hence my engineering major.
An offer to make money working in a hardware store while everybody else is out partying? Count me in.
It was supposed to be fun. Then why am I standing by myself at the bus station, gripping my phone for dear life?
Johnny was supposed to be here. He said he would pick me up.
But then, he was never good at keeping promises.
We dated for six months when we first started college together, and then I had to break it off.
He wanted too much, never giving anything in return.
I could hardly ever count on him. But we’re friends now. I thought things would have changed.
He said he’d be here.
I call him again. He doesn’t pick up. I tap my foot onto the pavement, closing my eyes.
Deep breath. It’s alright, Aurora. This is not the first time you have had to fix things yourself.
That’s what you’ve been doing your whole life, anyway.
Hauling my suitcase behind me, I make my way to the nearest cab and hop into the backseat, cursing Johnny for the money he’ll make me spend.
Five minutes in, a message makes my phone buzz. I unlock the screen, hoping he has a good excuse for missing my arrival.
Johnny: Hey! Sorry I couldn’t pick you up. Dad wanted me at the store.
He could have told me earlier. Twisting my lips, I shrug. At least he apologized. And it’s for a good cause. If his dad called him in out of nowhere, maybe he got busy and forgot to let me know.
Aurora: It’s okay. I’m in a cab.
Johnny: Great. The keys are under the doormat. Come here when you’re done. Dad might need a hand.
And he adds the address to the store. I blink at the message several times.
Okay. Johnny couldn’t pick me up, and he won’t receive me at his apartment, and he won’t take me to the store.
I’ll have to do everything by myself. But that’s okay.
It’s so okay. Just a bit different from what I expected of my break.
Johnny and I are sharing an Airbnb downtown, and it takes the cab no time at all to reach the place.
I thank the driver and haul my suitcase up two sets of stairs to the second floor, mentally cursing Johnny for not warning me about the lack of an elevator.
Should have packed lighter. Brought backpacks instead of a suitcase.
I let myself in, releasing a deep sigh as I stretch my spine. The place has that slick design newer Airbnbs do, with colorful frames against an off-white wall, fancy furniture, and a huge TV. It would be an expensive stay if it weren’t such a small town.
The kitchen drawers are filled with pans and plates and the sort. Johnny arrived a couple of days ago, but he hadn’t had the time to buy us groceries. The fridge is empty, as is the pantry. I wonder if Johnny is having meals with his father. It would explain the complete absence of food.
But then, why didn’t he just spend the break at his father’s place? The man lives in town. Why wouldn’t he let Johnny stay with him?
Johnny’s father. Just thinking about him makes me shudder. A cold, unfeeling man, Johnny told me. Someone with enough money to pay off his son’s college but who refused to. I guess Johnny had his reasons for renting an Airbnb. His father doesn’t sound like a great person.
And he’ll be my boss for the next weeks. I hope he doesn’t fire me too soon; I’ve already paid my half of the accommodation.
As soon as my things are settled in my room, I pick up my phone and wallet and leave the place.
After traveling a few hours on a bus, maybe I should straighten my hair and put on some makeup, but I’m not here to find a date.
I’m here to work. I put my hair up in a ponytail, exit the apartment, and follow Google Maps’ directions to a hardware store so big it takes up half a block.
The place is huge. Several cars take the spots in front, some using any available space in the street. It looks like a crowded place. I get why Johnny’s father needed him. But as I make my way into the store, I don’t find Johnny. I feel like a headless roach as I approach a cashier.
“Hi,” I start, catching her eye as she registers some items. “My name is Aurora. I’m Johnny’s friend. I’m here about a job.”
The girl’s face changes, a grin stretching her lips. She gives me a once-over I don’t understand. “Sure. He told me about you. Mr. Miller is in the back.” And she points me in the direction. “Just go in. No need to knock.”
“Okay, thank you,” I reply with a smile. The grin was weird, but maybe we can be friends. I’m always so busy with college it feels like I never have time for friendships.
The hallway she pointed me to is pretty straightforward.
The door to the left is a storage; the one to the right is a kitchen.
Mr. Miller, Johnny’s father, must be behind the closed door at the end.
Remembering what the cashier told me, I grip the doorknob and turn it, entering an office all decked in dark wood, from the desk to the cabinets and the chair.
“What the fuck are you doing?” The male voice roars at me and I almost jump out of my skin. “Don’t you know how to—” And he cuts himself short.
I finally see the man standing behind the door, apparently mid-pace. My eyes are height-level with his stomach. I look up and up and up, craning my neck back to meet his eyes. My jaw threatens to drop, but I clench it shut.
Wow. Just... wow. I don’t think I’ve ever seen a man this tall. Or broad. Big. Burly even. Shit. How does he manage to pass the doors? He definitely ducks. And there’s more to it.
He’s handsome. So, so handsome, it makes my stomach churn in surprise.
I was not expecting that. Square-jawed, a pair of deep green eyes, stubble covers his chin, making him look gruff.
In the best way possible. I want to run my fingers through his short, dark hair and bury my face in his throat to find out what he smells like.
He stares back at me, probably wondering who in the world I am. Wondering who would be rude enough to barge into his office without knocking.
My stomach plummets. I shoot out a hand, steeling my spine. “Aurora Johnson, sir. Johnny mentioned a spot in your store.” And I congratulate myself for keeping my voice from shaking. Everything inside me jitters with nerves.
I can’t believe I fell for that. That was bullying 101, and I was supposed to have learned that so long ago.
Tell the new girl the opposite of what she has to do and watch her struggle.
Worse, I can’t tell Mr. Miller someone else told me to do it.
It would make me look worse. Like I can’t take responsibility for my mess.
“I’m so sorry for barging in,” I say once he doesn’t shake my hand. “And I promise I will knock next time.”
He gapes at my hand for another long, painful moment, then turns his back to me. I let my hand drop, frustration tasting funny on my tongue. “Johnny told me you would come. Wait outside. I’ll call the manager to settle you in.”
And it shouldn’t, but his rejection, his dismissiveness, hurts. I don’t know why. And I shouldn’t feel like this. So I swallow hard, thank him, and leave, closing the door quietly behind me. Johnny told me he was a distant, cold person, and I should have taken him seriously.
As the manager shows me around, I have to keep checking myself. I sneak glances here and there at the hallway, hoping to catch sight of Mr. Miller. Why is the mere idea of him making my heart beat faster? Why am I this attracted to him?
In the end, it doesn’t matter. He’s much older than me, my boss, and much, much worse: he’s my ex’s father. This small crush, even as fledgling as it is, can only promise pain.