can let their friends hang out and steal the place blind."
"So? What's that mean¸ exactly? You never get a day off?" Star asked.
Shane removed the full trash bags from around the store, tied them off, and piled them next to the back door to take out later. "If I want a day off, I can take it." He grinned at her. "Why, Neptune Girl? You have plans for me to do something other than slave away here in Harper's General Store?"
Star shook her head and smiled in spite of herself at his assumption. " Neptune Girl ?"
"Yeah. The facts I know about Neptune seem to fit you," he told her. His eyes locked with hers unabashedly. Shane gathered all of the bags of trash in one hand and pushed open the back door.
Star chewed on the inside of her cheek considering his words as he walked outside. All of the unflattering things she'd discovered about herself by studying astrology flooded into her consciousness. She often blamed Neptune for her shortcomings, especially her apparent inability to discern fact from fiction.
The uncanny ways she chose to retreat into a dream world instead of facing the cold, hard realities had been her way of life -- escapism, through drinking, sometimes drugs, and oftentimes sex. The skin prickled on her scalp. Was she really that transparent? Could he see through her carefully constructed walls already?
As soon as he rushed back inside from the biting, cold wintry air, she lit into him. "Explain, please?"
"About?" he asked, genuinely confused.
"Exactly what Neptunian facts ?" She found it hard to mask the anger starting to burn inside of her. Sensitive. Thin-skinned . Two more of her unflattering traits , she mused.
"Whoa," he held up his hands. "I didn't mean anything bad by the reference."
Star rubbed her arms against the chill that had entered the room behind him and bit her bottom lip. "Guess it's just me. I tend to automatically assume the worst."
A faint smile crinkled the corners of his clear-as-a-summer-day blue eyes, and a phantom dimple appeared momentarily in his cheek. "Neptune is the stormiest planet in the solar system, and I see a quiet, yet determined intensity when I look at you. It's sort of like watching the calm before the storm."
He reached toward her, and she inhaled sharply as he brushed the pad of his thumb across her cheekbone. Her feet were frozen to the floor, and she wondered if she should step away, disconnect herself from his intoxicating magic. She wasn't sure she could, even if she wanted to. "And?" she whispered.
"And the planet has a system of thin dark, incomplete rings. Like the shadows beneath your eyes." He smiled and dropped his hand away from her. "Neptune is blue, yet undeniably beautiful."
Star swallowed. What exactly did he mean by that? Does he think I'm beautiful? "Aren't you the romantic one?" she asked with a tiny voice.
Shane tipped his head back and laughed. "Me? Nah. I'm the logical Capricorn. The scientist, remember?"
He pulled a magazine from the rack and hoisted himself up onto the counter. He flipped through the pages and pretended to read. For all he knew, he could have been holding the thing upside down. His mind, as well as his eyes, kept wandering back to the intriguing woman who lit his insides on fire.
"Can you cook?" he asked her.
Star was working on restocking the cigarettes, and though her back was to him, she sensed him watching her. When she turned to face him, his attention quickly dropped back to the magazine in his hands. "Yes, why?"
He flipped a few more pages and said, "Thanksgiving's coming and Neona was planning to have dinner at her house."
"Can you cook?" she asked.
He glanced sideways at her and smirked. Unexplainably, she found his surreptitious glances extremely flattering, albeit unnerving. It had been a long time since a member of the opposite sex had paid her any attention. Especially a sober one.
"Yeah, I'm baking the pies," he said.
Star shook her head. "Baking them? As in buying them at the grocery store and
"So? What's that mean¸ exactly? You never get a day off?" Star asked.
Shane removed the full trash bags from around the store, tied them off, and piled them next to the back door to take out later. "If I want a day off, I can take it." He grinned at her. "Why, Neptune Girl? You have plans for me to do something other than slave away here in Harper's General Store?"
Star shook her head and smiled in spite of herself at his assumption. " Neptune Girl ?"
"Yeah. The facts I know about Neptune seem to fit you," he told her. His eyes locked with hers unabashedly. Shane gathered all of the bags of trash in one hand and pushed open the back door.
Star chewed on the inside of her cheek considering his words as he walked outside. All of the unflattering things she'd discovered about herself by studying astrology flooded into her consciousness. She often blamed Neptune for her shortcomings, especially her apparent inability to discern fact from fiction.
The uncanny ways she chose to retreat into a dream world instead of facing the cold, hard realities had been her way of life -- escapism, through drinking, sometimes drugs, and oftentimes sex. The skin prickled on her scalp. Was she really that transparent? Could he see through her carefully constructed walls already?
As soon as he rushed back inside from the biting, cold wintry air, she lit into him. "Explain, please?"
"About?" he asked, genuinely confused.
"Exactly what Neptunian facts ?" She found it hard to mask the anger starting to burn inside of her. Sensitive. Thin-skinned . Two more of her unflattering traits , she mused.
"Whoa," he held up his hands. "I didn't mean anything bad by the reference."
Star rubbed her arms against the chill that had entered the room behind him and bit her bottom lip. "Guess it's just me. I tend to automatically assume the worst."
A faint smile crinkled the corners of his clear-as-a-summer-day blue eyes, and a phantom dimple appeared momentarily in his cheek. "Neptune is the stormiest planet in the solar system, and I see a quiet, yet determined intensity when I look at you. It's sort of like watching the calm before the storm."
He reached toward her, and she inhaled sharply as he brushed the pad of his thumb across her cheekbone. Her feet were frozen to the floor, and she wondered if she should step away, disconnect herself from his intoxicating magic. She wasn't sure she could, even if she wanted to. "And?" she whispered.
"And the planet has a system of thin dark, incomplete rings. Like the shadows beneath your eyes." He smiled and dropped his hand away from her. "Neptune is blue, yet undeniably beautiful."
Star swallowed. What exactly did he mean by that? Does he think I'm beautiful? "Aren't you the romantic one?" she asked with a tiny voice.
Shane tipped his head back and laughed. "Me? Nah. I'm the logical Capricorn. The scientist, remember?"
He pulled a magazine from the rack and hoisted himself up onto the counter. He flipped through the pages and pretended to read. For all he knew, he could have been holding the thing upside down. His mind, as well as his eyes, kept wandering back to the intriguing woman who lit his insides on fire.
"Can you cook?" he asked her.
Star was working on restocking the cigarettes, and though her back was to him, she sensed him watching her. When she turned to face him, his attention quickly dropped back to the magazine in his hands. "Yes, why?"
He flipped a few more pages and said, "Thanksgiving's coming and Neona was planning to have dinner at her house."
"Can you cook?" she asked.
He glanced sideways at her and smirked. Unexplainably, she found his surreptitious glances extremely flattering, albeit unnerving. It had been a long time since a member of the opposite sex had paid her any attention. Especially a sober one.
"Yeah, I'm baking the pies," he said.
Star shook her head. "Baking them? As in buying them at the grocery store and
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