Chapter Three
Alia
You've got my jacket.
The text from the unrecognized number sent a thrill down my spine.
And you got my card. Good.
An angry face emoji followed and I paused, wondering what the hell I was doing, flirting with the mystery biker.
When he'd dropped me off at my parents’ home, without me telling him my address, alarms had exploded in my mind.
I was a sucker for a bad boy, there was no denying it, but I already had one stalker. I didn't need another.
How did you know to bring me to this address?
I'd stayed at my parents’ overnight, sneaking in like I had many times. They weren't ever surprised to see me at the dining table in the morning, especially if I'd been out the night before. Brandon, my ex, didn't know where they lived. They’d had to move to avoid him, so I felt safe here.
My stomach bubbled as I picked up the leather jacket from the bed and headed out.
My parents had gone to work, asking whether I'd still be there when they got home.
Obviously, I couldn't stay there all the time.
I had a life to live, despite Brandon, who legally shouldn't have come anywhere near me.
Except, he didn't know how to abide by the law. Plus, he was a clever son of a bitch, always just keeping his distance enough to evade punishment.
You know where I am if you want the jacket back.
The fizz of excitement returned as I walked to the bus-stop, hugging myself to keep warm from the cold. My car was at my apartment on the other side of town, I'd have to bus to work. It wasn't ideal, considering I'd then have to make my way home after work, without the protection of my car.
“Alia!” My parents’ neighbor greeted me.
Lifting my gaze from my phone screen, I smiled at the elderly woman, who'd always been friendly.
“How are you, dear?” She waved the bus down as it approached, smiling at me from under her sunglasses.
“Good, thank you.” I lied.
Smiling back, I checked the area, just to make sure that no one watched me. I couldn't be too careful.
“How is the store?” Barb asked, waving her bus pass as she climbed on.
Asking for a single into town, I thanked the driver, ready to try and escape from my mom's friendly neighbor.
She waited until I had finished, indicating that I go into the seat before her. I hesitated, knowing exactly what was coming.
Not wishing to be rude, I sat, holding the jacket and my purse tightly on my lap. Of course, she sat next to me, pushing her sunglasses onto the top of her head.
“The store is good,” I answered her question with a pang, “but there's still quite a lot to do.”
Her sharp nod was accompanied by a smirk. And here it came...
“Lily is currently in New York.” She closed her eyes slowly. “Helping a billionaire to adopt twins. She's able to afford a house in the center of town now, but she chooses to stay closer to us.”
Humming a reply, I looked at my phone, ducking my head when I saw Moth's name, which I had saved as soon as his first message came through.
You should deal with your stalker problem.
Fire burned my insides as I frowned down at the words.
“And Lionel has got a promotion. He's going to be interviewing Tom Cruise!” She laughed loudly. “Imagine that?”
Usually, Barb's gloating would piss me off. She had a bad habit of making me feel like a complete and utter failure. Her kids had fifteen years on me, and she told literally anyone who would listen how successful they were. It reminded me of my shortcomings. Bankrolled by Mom and Dad, who helped me start the business, I wasn’t exactly a high achiever.
Today didn't matter though. The heat that had fired up inside was due to Moth and his ignorant remark.
You don't think I've tried? He's evil and the cops don't care.
I had no idea why I was explaining myself to the guy who had wanted to end it all.
Anyway, you need to deal with your bridge jumping issues.
My hand clapped over my mouth as the message sent. Shit, I'd aimed to match his grumpy tone, but I'd hit below the belt. I’d intended to stop him from doing anything stupid, not push him towards it.
Barb was still talking. However, the blood rushing in my ears had drowned her out until she said my favorite word.
“Book.”
“Sorry, what?” I turned to her. “I missed that.”
Smiling kindly, she put a hand on my arm. “I said, you should get that author who writes the sexy stuff. EG Johns?”
Frowning, I pushed my hair behind my shoulder. “Do you mean EL James?”
Her eyes lit up. “Yes, that's the one. I love her books and a signing in your new store would attract a big audience.”
Blinking, I stared at her, unable to form an answer to her confession. Okay, so a lot of people had read Fifty Shades of Grey, but…Barb?
“Oh,” she muttered, jumping up, “here's my stop. Take care, dear.”
My phone buzzed and drew my attention away from the elderly woman who liked kink books.
It's only an issue because you stopped me.
Don't talk like that. I typed. Please.
Tears filled my eyes as my brother came into my mind. He'd struggled with so much for so long. And yet, I missed him every single day.
You can keep the jacket. I hope you get your ex sorted. Bye.
Fuck me, talk about being blunt and confusing. I had no idea of the age of my savior. Maybe I'd painted a fake picture of the biker in shining leather in my mind, making him older and more rescuable than he actually was.
Sighing, I sat back in the seat and watched the world go by. It was stupid to be attracted to a guy in a helmet when I was too busy dealing with Brandon and my newish business venture.
Okay. Thank you for rescuing me last night. I appreciate it. Bye.
He was right to push me away. He could've been an eighteen-year-old, struggling with life, for all I knew. I had too much going on to worry about a stranger, even if he'd got me hot and bothered.
Standing as my stop appeared in the distance, I sighed.
I'd been doing okay since I’d left school, but when I’d met Brandon, followed by my brother taking his life, everything had gone to shit.
Hence why I'd taken the brazen decision to open my own bookstore and fucking live my life to the full. Except, I hadn’t anticipated how stressful it would be.
“Thanks!” I called to the driver as the bus came to a stop and the doors whooshed open.
I climbed down, straight onto the street.
Teenage students were making their way to the school down the road, some waving at me as they passed.
Several of them had fallen in love with the bookstore and often visited.
I smiled, suddenly remembering why I'd set out to actualize my vision.
Yes, I was a sad girl in my early twenties, fighting a losing battle with my ex, but bringing joy to teens who loved to read. It was well worth it.
“Alia!” one of them called as I stepped to the store door and took out my keys. “Have you got the newest Sarah J. Maas in yet?”
Looking over my shoulder, I smiled at Gracie. She was my first and favorite customer. She'd visited the shop almost every day since I’d opened three months ago.
“It's due in today.” I winked as she walked past with her friends.
“See you after school!” She waved goodbye, warmth radiating from her and sinking into me as I unlocked the door and went inside.
There was a little walkway in front of me, lined by a wooden banister on either side.
A small ramp took me to the center of the shop, where I looked up to the ceiling, which was painted like the blue sky with fluffy white clouds.
To the left, it curved back round to the bay window, where there were several couches and thick coffee tables carved from tree stumps.
Mythical creatures hung from the ceiling, dragons and Valkyrie, hovering over a mountain that jutted out of the wall.
A crafty acquaintance had molded the half mountain and mounted it to the wall.
I’d adorned it with little fairies and fantasy creatures that splashed in the fake waterfall.
The rest of the wall was painted to extend the scene, depicting a fantasy land.
The shelves around the mountain were full of fantasy books of all sub-genres, enticing the reader to try before they buy.
On the right side of the floor, there was a kid’s corner and a small group of tables and chairs for those wanting some lunch.
A set of stairs, on the left-hand side, just after the fantasy section, lead to the upper floor.
At the top of the stairs, there was a little corridor with three doors.
To the left, there was the contemporary romance reading room and to the right, my top-secret room. Straight ahead was the restroom.
Bringing my attention back to the downstairs, I gritted my teeth and pushed on.
At the back of the shop, there were two counters that almost ran the length of the room, the left side selling food and drinks, the right a sales counter.
The little area behind that was for food storage, food prep and the back exit.
“Hello, beautiful,” I greeted my passion project. “I wonder if anyone will come and see us today.”
I'd been so busy decorating and getting the downstairs finished that I hadn't had time to advertise properly.
Word of mouth had spread around the teens, but they weren't around during the day.
Plus, they didn't have much money to spend in the store.
Not that I minded them browsing and reading, I would let them do that whenever they wanted.
However, I hoped to attract the passion readers, to maybe make a friend or two at the same time.
I had to make a success of this. I had to pay my parents back somehow.
The doorbell pinged and I turned as I placed the leather jacket on the counter. An older woman with a ponytail and long grey jacket smiled shyly.
“Welcome!” I greeted, trying not to look intrusive. “Please feel free to have a look around or read for a bit.”
Smiling, she went over to the fantasy section and had a little look, running her hand over the fake mountain and studying the little fairies.