Chapter Fourteen #2
“Come on,” he cooed. “Sweet little thing. Fluffy love of my life. What, all that meowing and now you won’t— There we go.” He leaned backward, showing off his furry reward. “Cat has been acquired!”
Vi gave him a dorky thumbs-up. “Can the floor acquire him?”
Nick climbed back down, mercifully slow. He let Mosey drop carefully onto the carpet. Mosey gave him a meow of thanks and then darted toward the back room, where his dinner was waiting.
“You’re welcome,” Nick called. Then he got back onto the ladder.
“Now for the fun part.” He looked down at her, smiling mischievously. “Still going to catch me?”
“I’ll let you fall on your ass,” she replied.
Nick laughed, loud and delighted. “Give me a push!”
She moved forward to help.
Nick made a warning noise. “Ah-ah!”
Vi paused. He was watching her expectantly. It took her a moment, but finally, it clicked.
She stepped back. “You know what, Nick? No, I won’t help. Push yourself.”
“There we go,” Nick whispered, his eyes gleaming with pride that she absolutely didn’t deserve.
Then he pushed off the carpet.
The ladder careened along the fiction wall.
Nick whooped, shoving his body into the rungs so he would go faster.
Vi felt herself grin, watching him. Everybody always did the Belle pose, flinging their arms out.
If you wanted to go fast you pulled your body into the ladder, like Vi did when she was closing and sure no one was watching.
She’d lost count of how many times she’d zoomed along the shelves on that ladder, body pressed so hard into the rungs they left imprints in her skin when she let go.
He slid to a stop at the end of the wall and immediately launched off again, coming back the other way. He hollered the whole time, a loud, joyous whoop that had Vi covering her mouth to hide her smile.
The ladder rolled to another stop. Nick started climbing off, still giggling. Then his foot slipped, and he swore.
Vi rushed forward.
“Whoa, hey,” Nick said as she steadied him. “There you go again! Can’t stop yourself from helping out, huh?”
Vi gave herself a moment to enjoy the texture of his button-down straining over his chest and then stepped back. “Would you rather I let you fall?”
Nick’s smile faltered. He paused, seemingly weighing up his options.
“Nah,” he said finally, his voice soft. “Better not.”
He passed the rolling ladder from hand to hand, kicking gently at the wheels. “Seriously, though. Can’t do stuff for everyone else. You deserve a little me time.”
“I have me time,” Vi protested. “I’ve had more me time in the past month than I’ve had in years!”
“Yeah, because I annoy you into it,” he drawled. He leaned against the ladder, his muscles bulging tantalizingly as he crossed his arms. “Notice how the world doesn’t end if you get Emma to host her own café’s quiz night for once? Or if you don’t stay late at work to finish doing returns?”
Vi sighed. It was nice, but it couldn’t last. Especially not with Nick, multinight stand extraordinaire. It was only a matter of time before they went back to their usual lives.
“Speaking of,” Nick said, his voice dropping low. “Want to go have some me time together?”
It was a cheesy line. But Vi had been hoping he would say something like that since he’d walked into the bookshop.
People had been trying to convince Vi to do less for years.
Usually right before they asked her to do something for them.
Luckily, doing something for Nick also meant doing something for her, and he usually convinced her to have a nap afterward.
“Okay,” Vi said. Then real life came rushing back in and she gasped. “Oh, after I drop off that vacuum! I told Lydia I’d drop it off tonight.”
“It can wait,” Nick said. Then he paused. “Or, y’know, I can do it. Pretty sure Lydia’s house is closer to mine than it is to yours. I can take it over tomorrow.”
“Oh, that’s not necessary—”
“It’s no big deal,” Nick assured her. He glanced out the bookstore windows, making sure no one was looking into the dim, half-lit store. Then he leaned in and ran her hair ribbon through his fingers, tugging in a way that was heart-stoppingly close to fond.
“Come on,” he said. “Just once. I’ll find some way to fit it in between my busy schedule of tinkering with my motorcycle and watching reruns.”
It was more than once, Vi wanted to protest. He’d already taken over book club for her. But it was just a vacuum, and he was closer, and she was busy tomorrow . . .
“Just once,” Vi echoed.
Nick grinned. Then he headed to the door, a spring in his step. “Great! Can I ride shotgun, or do you want me to follow you home? I can jog pretty fast.”
“You can ride in my car,” Vi said, appalled. “People know we’re friends.”
“Yeah?” Nick paused at the bookstore door, something unnameable flashing through his eyes. Then it was gone, and he was the same unflappable, easygoing orc she had always known.
Easygoing . . . and taking vacuums to book club members?
It was only so he could hook up with her without having to wait for her to drop something off first, she told herself as she climbed into the driver’s seat next to him. It didn’t mean anything.