Not tonight, though.
Tonight, she was simply going through the motions. Ever since she’d seen the news item about Jet, and especially since finding out that even his own family was worried about his whereabouts, her mind had been occupied with little else.
God, where could be? Was he all right? Oh, God forbid…could he have done something stupid to himself?
Her brain spun with terrible possibilities, unbidden by conscious thoughts. It wasn’t that she indulged in the morbid fantasies; it was more like they thrusted themselves on her without her permission.
She couldn’t wait for this night to be over so that she could close up the shop, go home to her bed, change into her pajamas and slippers, and curl up with a glass of wine and Netflix, which was the best way she knew how to escape the stresses of the day.
It was almost time. She glanced at her watch at the same time that the bell over the front door chimed, signaling that someone had entered the shop.
Cool, this should be the last customer. AKA, the only person standing in between me, a nice Chard, and an episode of The Crown!
She grabbed the now-empty crate she’d taken the bottles out of to load the shelves and headed to the front. As she walked, she called out cheerfully, “Hi, there! What can I help—?”
When her eyes landed on the person who’d just walked through the door, and then locked onto his, she froze.
It was Jet, and oh holy mother of rock star, did he look every bit as sexy as she remembered. His shaggy black hair and two-day shadow were perfectly engineered to look as if they hadn’t been engineered at all, and his faded vintage t-shirt hugged his arms, pecs, and abs just enough to show off the Adonis-like V-shape that his shoulders formed leading down to his waist.
Best of all, though…oh my God, yes, still the best of all…were his piercing blue eyes. They were the color of the ocean on Mykonos, She’d gone to that gorgeous island when she’d studied abroad in college, and the vibrant hue of the water had sent an ache of missing Jet through her entire body.
And now, years later, here she was, looking into those eyes again.
The world seemed to slow and still, a preternatural silence enveloping her in its grasp. It was clear and perfect, like fragile spun glass – and it only lasted for a moment until it was shattered by the loud clatter of the heavy crate falling to the floor.
That startled her out of her trance and she jumped and stumbled backward.
A vision went through her mind of herself in that moment. She saw her hand reaching out to catch herself before she fell to the ground, grasping at a shelf, and then falling to the ground anyway but bringing thousands of dollars’ worth of wine crashing down around her at the same time, leaving nothing to do but stare up at Jet Valentine from a sopping puddle of spreading liquid.
The whole thing raced through her mind in a flash, but with enough clarity that it caused her to summon the iron will to right herself before she tumbled ass over teakettle.
Not in front of Jet. Never in front of Jet.
She got her feet under her with as much subtlety as she could manage, which she had to admit wasn’t a whole lot.
A small smile played on his lips. “You okay, there, Abs?”
Ignoring his question, she kept her tone airy and casual as she said, “Oh, Jet. Long time no see. How are you?”
His shoulders slumped. “I’m pretty fucking shitty, to tell you the truth.”
Her heart jumped at his dejected air, and she had the urge to throw her arms around him, take his pain away, hold him close to her until he felt halfway human again.
But that was so not their dynamic.
She gave her voice a teasing edge. “Oh, did Maserati not come out with a color you like in their new lineup? I can only imagine what kind of hell rock star problems must be like.”
He looked up, surprise flashing in his eyes. “Shit. Don’t you know what happened?”
Of course she did, but she tilted her head to the side and wrinkled her brow. “What are you talking about?”
“Well…I mean, it’s been all over entertainment news all day today. I don’t think there’s been even one gossip blog that hasn’t posted about it.”
She rolled her eyes. “Give me a break. I have better things to do with my time than sit around searching the internet for tidbits about you.”
Oh, please, please, please God, never let him see my search history!
His eyes roamed the interior of the shop. “I can see that. This place is beautiful. You’ve created something really special here, Abby.”
She stood silently, waiting for the follow up quip, for the little dig of one-upmanship.
It never came. It seemed he was sincere. A flush crept up her neck and invaded her cheeks. She spun to face the display behind her, not wanting to let him see that little glimmer of weakness.
“Well,” she said, and then had to clear her throat before she could start again. She took a deep breath. “Well, I was just about to close. How about I lock up and you can come in the back with me and taste some of my Private Reserve selections?”
A wolfish grin grew on his face, and his eyes glinted. Her ass almost hit the floor, despite her earlier Herculean efforts to stay on her feet.
“Abby,” he said, this throaty voice low and sexy, “There is nothing in this world I would rather do right now than taste your Private Reserve.”
Available Here
OTHER TITLES BY MELANIE SHAWN
VALENTINE BAY SERIES
Protecting My Heart – Book 1
Rescuing His Heart – Book 2
Rocking Her Heart – Book 3
Playing By Heart – Book 4
THE CROSSROADS SERIES
My First – Book 1
My Last – Book 2
My Only – Book 3
My Everything – Book 4
Tempting Love – Book 5
Crazy Love – Book 6
Actually Love – Book 7
Fairytale Love – Book 8
My Love – Novella 8.5
All He Wants – Book 9
All He Needs – Book 10
All He Feels – Book 11
All He Desires – Book 12
Just One Night – Book 13
Just One Kiss – Book 14
WHISPER LAKE SERIES
Whisper of Love – Book 1
Whisper of Surrender – Book 2
Whisper of Attraction – Book 3
Whisper of Temptation – Book 4
THE HOPE FALLS SERIES
Sweet Reunion – #1
Sweet Harmonies – #2
Sweet Victory – #3
Home Sweet Home – #4
One Sweet Day – Novella #4.5
Snow Angel – #5
Snow Days – #6
Snowed In – #7
Let It Snow – #8
Perfect Kiss – #9
Secret Kiss – #10
Magic Kiss – #11
Lucky Kiss – #12
Christmas Wish – Holiday Novella #12.5
Fire and Love – #13
Fire and Foreplay – #14
Fire and Romance – #15
Fire and Temptation – #16
WISHING WELL, TEXAS SERIES
Teasing Destiny – Book 1
Convincing Cara – Book 2
Discovering Harmony – Book 3
Taming Travis – Book 4
Claiming Colton – Book 5
Trusting Bryson – Book 6
Seducing Sawyer – Book 7
Unwrapping Jade – Book 8
STEAMY WEEKENDS SERIES
Charming Cupid
Seducing Cinderella
ABOUT THE AUTHOR
Melanie Shawn is the writing team of sister duo Melanie and Shawna. Originally from Northern California, they both migrated south and now call So Cal their home.
Growing up, Melanie constantly had her head in a book and was always working on short stories, manuscripts, plays and poetry. After graduating
magna cum laude from Pepperdine University, she went on to teach grades 2nd through 8th for five years. She now spends her days writing and taking care of her furry baby, a Lhasa Apso named Hercules. In her free time, her favorite activity is to curl up on the couch with that stubborn, funny mutt and binge-watch cable TV shows on DVD (preferably of at least eight seasons in length – a girl’s gotta have her standards!).
Shawna always loved romance in any form – movie, song or literary. If it was a love story with a happy ending, Shawna was all about it! She proudly acknowledges that she is a romanceaholic. Her days are jam-packed with writing, being a wife, mom aka referee of two teens, and indulging in her second passion (dance!) as a Zumba instructor. In the little free time she has, she joins Melanie in marathon-watching DVDs of their favorite TV programs.
They have joined forces to create a world where True Love and Happily Ever After always has a Sexy Twist!
You can keep up with all the latest Melanie Shawn news, including new releases and contests, at:
melanieshawn.com
and
facebook.com/melanieshawnbooks
Unbreak My Heart (Valentine Bay Book 5) Page 13