unaware we were here.
“You gave her a key ?” I said to Penny.
“She’s trustworthy.”
I sighed.
Her tone went from annoyed to pissed. “You think I want to be the only one who can open and close every day?”
“I’ll do it.”
“You barely have time to eat.” The door opened as she spoke.
“Oh, crap,” Kimber said. “I’m sorry. I didn’t realize…”
“It’s all right,” Penny said. “I noticed you forgot your phone. I’ll get it.” She opened the door to the back hall and disappeared.
I was alone with Kimber, and my escape route back to my room was blocked. Fucking great.
“Uh, hi,” she said.
Why in the hell was she talking to me all of a sudden?
“Good evening.” I walked around to the other side of the counter without looking at her. I pretended to look through some papers.
“Hey,” she said, “um, I’m sorry I called you a jerk.”
My God, I loved hearing her voice.
“No, you’re not,” I said.
She paused. “What?”
I still didn’t look up. “You’ve come to realize I’m the boss’s brother.”
“That’s not why—”
“Sure.” I turned away and pretended to look at something on the shelf along the back wall.
The slight sound of her footsteps moving closer. “Have I done something? I mean, you seem so nice to everyone else.”
“No.” She was perfect. That’s why I hated her. I’d followed her to the bookstore a couple more times. With no other copies of A Christmas Carol , she started on Oliver Twist . She seemed engrossed when she read. She smiled a little sometimes and even cried once, though she wiped her eyes thoroughly before leaving her little reading nook on the floor. I started rereading the book so I could guess at the parts that affected her.
A longer pause.
What in the hell was taking Penny so long?
“When we first met,” she said quietly, “weren’t you…It seemed like you were flirting…”
I turned and met her eyes. “If you haven’t noticed, I flirt with everyone. I thought you were a customer. I was doing my job.”
She smiled a little, the forced, nervous kind. “Right, of course.”
Penny finally appeared and handed Kimber her phone. “Here you go. I’ll see you in the morning.”
“Thanks,” Kimber said. She walked back through the shop and out the door.
Penny said something about my having an early appointment. I barely listened. Kimber walked down the sidewalk. Just before she made it past the shop’s front windows, she wiped a tear off her cheek.
I walked away from Penny, midsentence. I liked it better when Kimber hated me.
Chapter 11
Best Friend
The next few days, I lived exclusively in my room. I survived off some pretzels I had stashed in the closet and read Oliver Twist between appointments. When I finished Oliver Twist , I started on the book I’d bought for Kimber. This one I hadn’t read since high school.
And at night, I scribbled in my notebook. I tried to write about my daily conquests, but my attention wouldn’t stay centered. So, I continued with my story of the schizophrenic man. The ending kept shifting in my head. Does he beat his sickness or realize the battle he’s been fighting was already lost a long time ago?
Penny continually tried to talk to me. I slid a note under the door that asked her not to schedule any appointments for Saturday through Monday. I needed to get the hell out of here for a few days.
Friday night, Elizabeth was my last appointment.
“You’ve lost weight,” she said as she zipped up her skirt.
“Not where it counts.” I couldn’t quite manage my cocky grin.
She looked up from straightening her skirt. “Are you all right?”
“Perfectly fine.” I sat up, my knee bent with the sheet barely covering me. “How’s your daughter?” I hoped it didn’t bother her that I asked about Rachel right after we finished having sex. There wasn’t any other time to talk to Elizabeth. I hadn’t seen her in over a week, and she refused to call.
“She
“You gave her a key ?” I said to Penny.
“She’s trustworthy.”
I sighed.
Her tone went from annoyed to pissed. “You think I want to be the only one who can open and close every day?”
“I’ll do it.”
“You barely have time to eat.” The door opened as she spoke.
“Oh, crap,” Kimber said. “I’m sorry. I didn’t realize…”
“It’s all right,” Penny said. “I noticed you forgot your phone. I’ll get it.” She opened the door to the back hall and disappeared.
I was alone with Kimber, and my escape route back to my room was blocked. Fucking great.
“Uh, hi,” she said.
Why in the hell was she talking to me all of a sudden?
“Good evening.” I walked around to the other side of the counter without looking at her. I pretended to look through some papers.
“Hey,” she said, “um, I’m sorry I called you a jerk.”
My God, I loved hearing her voice.
“No, you’re not,” I said.
She paused. “What?”
I still didn’t look up. “You’ve come to realize I’m the boss’s brother.”
“That’s not why—”
“Sure.” I turned away and pretended to look at something on the shelf along the back wall.
The slight sound of her footsteps moving closer. “Have I done something? I mean, you seem so nice to everyone else.”
“No.” She was perfect. That’s why I hated her. I’d followed her to the bookstore a couple more times. With no other copies of A Christmas Carol , she started on Oliver Twist . She seemed engrossed when she read. She smiled a little sometimes and even cried once, though she wiped her eyes thoroughly before leaving her little reading nook on the floor. I started rereading the book so I could guess at the parts that affected her.
A longer pause.
What in the hell was taking Penny so long?
“When we first met,” she said quietly, “weren’t you…It seemed like you were flirting…”
I turned and met her eyes. “If you haven’t noticed, I flirt with everyone. I thought you were a customer. I was doing my job.”
She smiled a little, the forced, nervous kind. “Right, of course.”
Penny finally appeared and handed Kimber her phone. “Here you go. I’ll see you in the morning.”
“Thanks,” Kimber said. She walked back through the shop and out the door.
Penny said something about my having an early appointment. I barely listened. Kimber walked down the sidewalk. Just before she made it past the shop’s front windows, she wiped a tear off her cheek.
I walked away from Penny, midsentence. I liked it better when Kimber hated me.
Chapter 11
Best Friend
The next few days, I lived exclusively in my room. I survived off some pretzels I had stashed in the closet and read Oliver Twist between appointments. When I finished Oliver Twist , I started on the book I’d bought for Kimber. This one I hadn’t read since high school.
And at night, I scribbled in my notebook. I tried to write about my daily conquests, but my attention wouldn’t stay centered. So, I continued with my story of the schizophrenic man. The ending kept shifting in my head. Does he beat his sickness or realize the battle he’s been fighting was already lost a long time ago?
Penny continually tried to talk to me. I slid a note under the door that asked her not to schedule any appointments for Saturday through Monday. I needed to get the hell out of here for a few days.
Friday night, Elizabeth was my last appointment.
“You’ve lost weight,” she said as she zipped up her skirt.
“Not where it counts.” I couldn’t quite manage my cocky grin.
She looked up from straightening her skirt. “Are you all right?”
“Perfectly fine.” I sat up, my knee bent with the sheet barely covering me. “How’s your daughter?” I hoped it didn’t bother her that I asked about Rachel right after we finished having sex. There wasn’t any other time to talk to Elizabeth. I hadn’t seen her in over a week, and she refused to call.
“She
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