by Jami Wagner
“Hello, miss?”
My attention snaps to the young man behind the counter waving at me. Parker chuckles and nudges me forward with his hand on my lower back. “Hi, yes, do you want to order? The others in line probably wouldn’t mind going in front of you, especially if you wanted to keep checking out the man behind you. He has great—”
“Yes, I’m ready,” I snap. Crap on a cracker. Parker is a beautiful distraction and it’s going to ruin me. I better order a double shot to keep me on my track today.
“I’ll take a peppermint chai with two shot of espresso, please.”
“Whoa, long weekend?” Parker laughs next to me. “I’ll take a dark roast, black.”
Gross. That’s the first unattractive thing about him, and it’s coffee for crying out loud. Who cares about his choice of beverage?
“You look beautiful this morning,” Parker places his wallet back into his pocket as he walks up to me. “If you hang around the bookmobile too long, people might forget what they really came for,” he says, shooting me a wink.
I press my lips together to keep my jaw from dropping and try to look calm as I stare at him. Is he serious? No one’s going to be thinking about that. Or wait? Is that what he’s thinking? I should have said “yes” when he asked me out. No, damn it, Allie. Stop that!
My mouth opens to tell him how wrong and inappropriate his statement was when my eyes meet his. They have a gentle sparkle in them and when he gives me a half smile I decide not to acknowledge that he said anything about work. Instead, I smile back.
“Thank you,” I tell him just as they call out our names to gather our coffee. Without saying a word, we each grab our cups and head for the door. We move next to each other as if this is a routine we’ve done day after day for years. I might not be completely against that idea, but I definitely need to be cautious about it.
He pushes the door open for me and grins as I step through. This is going to be one interesting day and I sure hope I focus more on the event than on my co-host.
Parker
“Thank you for your help, young man.”
“Anytime, ma’am. Please let me know if I can help you with anything else.”
I finish helping the elderly woman I’ve been assisting for the last half hour. Leaving her with a few good romances to choose from, I head back to the lobby. The book mobile is in full swing, and the entire main floor of the library is filled with people. It’s a great turnout for the first day. All morning it has been non-stop and for the first time in the last two hours, I finally have a few minutes I can spare. I search the crowd for Allie and find her standing behind the checkout counter with a group of older ladies. She’s laughing as one lady talks with her hands and the other women nod to whatever it is she’s saying.
I can’t pull my eyes away from her smile. The way her entire face lights up is a sight that’s going to get to me every time I see it. Maybe I can get her alone for a few minutes before we start the author signing this afternoon.
“Hey there.” A woman’s voice pulls my attention from Allie. Her friend from the coffee shop last week stands in front of me. She’s wearing a red shirt with no sleeves, a short black skirt, and some kind of foot heel thing for shoes. From the outfit she has on, you wouldn’t think it was winter outside. One look at her and you know this is one woman who isn’t afraid to show her bare skin.
“Hello, miss. Can I help you with something?” I ask.
“I’m Kelly—” she says, offering her hand. “—I’m a dancer, photographer, addicted reader, and the best friend of Allie Monroe.” She blinks a few times too many as she looks at me.
I let out a small laugh. “Well, that sure is one intense job to maintain.”
“Oh no, dancing is easy. I’ve been doing it for as long as I can remember.” Her grin gets bigger. She obviously didn’t get my joke, but now isn’t the time to point it out. We stand there for a moment until she looks back up at me nodding with a small smile. “You were referring to the best friend part, huh?” She blushes and tucks a stray hair behind her ear. “You’re funny.”
“I was,” I say with a nod. “But dancing is hard work too. Especially when you have two left feet like I do.”
“Well, if you must know—” she straightens her posture and puts her hands on her hips, “—being Allie’s best friend is the easiest job on earth. She’s kind, caring, smart, and funny. Anyone would be lucky to spend time with her and—” She stops midsentence and her eyes go wide as if she just remembered something.
I laugh at her awkwardness and somehow in that moment my eyes find Allie’s from across the room. She’s watching me, but doesn’t look away. With a slight nod, she walks in the other direction.
“Excuse me,” I say and follow her. I don’t like the worried look Allie just gave me and I hope it had nothing to do with me talking to her friend. I wave to a few coworkers and members as I look past them searching for Allie. I find her in her office sitting behind the desk with her head down as she rubs circle on her temples.
“Is everything okay?” I ask with a knock.
Her head snaps up and the desk chair she’s sitting in rolls back. The soft features of her face light up and her lips twitch before she pulls herself back to her desk. “Everything is fine. Things are off to a great start, don’t you think?”
I nod and make my way into her office. I glance out the window behind her to see the snow falling fast and then take a seat on the edge of her desk. The same side Allie is sitting on.
“Yeah, it’s going great; the older women are having a good time. I’m starting to think some of them are playing the I’m-too-old-to-do-it-on-my-own card way more than they should. I’ve probably picked out at least ten, minimum, romance books for them to read.”
Allie laughs. “Mrs. Wilkerson and Mrs. Olson will play that card as long as they know you’re working here.”
She’s been watching me. I like knowing that.
“I talked to Levi and Amber a few minutes ago, and from what I gather, they’ve been checking people out non-stop. Is this how it was last year?” I ask.
“Last year, no.” She shakes her head. “There weren’t any events.”
“Really? You didn’t plan a single one?”
“I wasn’t the assistant then. I was only a technician. I tried to convince them they needed to do something, but they didn’t listen.”
“I’m sure they’ll always have an event after this year.”
“Yes, I suppose they will.” She lets out a deep breath. “I guess I’d better go check on Amber and Levi.” She stands and walks around the desk on the opposite side of where I’m sitting.
“I checked with them about twenty minutes ago and they were doing fine.”
She pauses in the doorway and looks back. Her head tilts to the side. “And they have enough cards?”
“Yep.”
“The lines aren’t getting too backed up for them?”
“Only once, but I stepped in to help. It’s a really good thing they trained me on checking people out even though I don’t do it daily.”
“Well, what about the—”
“Gift bags? All filled and provided to each and every person who’s stopped by the front counter.”
Allie’s eyes brighten as she watches me. “You’re not making any of this up, are you?”
“Not a single word.” I push off the desk and walk toward her. I move slowly while she crosses her arms and takes a step back. She bumps into the doorframe and startles herself.
“Well, I still need to double check that all the authors will be here for the signing.”
It sounds like she’s trying to convince herself that there’s more to do. It’s probably a good thing I already took care of everything for her.
“I did that first thing this morning. Why don’t you relax for a bit? I’ll make sure everything goes smooth until the book signing starts.”
Stopping right in front of her, I soak up her vanilla scent and the fact that she isn’t
stepping away. I can’t help but wonder if her body tingles the way mine does whenever we get this close to each other.
The relief that fills her eyes, along with the deep breath she releases, makes me proud. I think she just learned she can trust me and possibly that she might be into me. A guy can hope.
“Okay, maybe for a moment.” She steps back into her office and her body brushes against mine when she passes.
“Take all the time you need.”
Chapter Six
Allie
The morning book mobile went off just as planned. The only thing that didn’t go as planned was Parker’s ability to get everything I needed or wanted done ahead of schedule and that Kelly showed up. I panicked for a moment thinking she was telling him that I might really be into him. But as soon as he saw me across the room, it was like she wasn’t even there. The worst part, deep down I was happy he excused himself to come find me. Dating coworkers has always been off limits to me. It’s not a rule made by the library, it’s rule made by me. But now, I’m starting to rethink this idea.
The lobby is still full when I step out of my office. Men and women are either in groups or standing in lines near each of the tables, and more are coming through the door. A few local authors are here to read excerpts from their books, and after that, a book signing. I asked Parker to greet them as they arrived so I could pull myself together.
“Allie! Hey, there you are. I’ve been looking for you. Had I known you were in your office—” Kelly puts her hands on her hips. “—wait, you can’t be in your office and also be making this go off incredibly well.”
“I know, I know,” I say as she falls into step with me. “But surprisingly, Parker is a huge help.”
“Well, that’s actually something I wanted to talk to you about.” She pins me with a glare. “The poor guy can’t even pull his eyes away from gazing at you long enough to notice if anyone is talking to him. He likes you. And he doesn’t look at you the way others have, I think Parker might be a good guy and I think you should give him a chance.”
“He was gazing at me?”
“Ha!” she shouts and shakes her finger in my face. I swat her hand away and pull her into a vacant office before anyone can notice us. “I knew it. I knew it. Okay, so what is the new plan?” She starts to pace the small space. “How are you going to tell him you like him?”
“There isn’t a new plan. Unless it gets me out of this thing tonight?”
“Nope, you’re going.” she laughs. “Hey, you found a guy you like, now it’s my turn.”
I shake my head. Of course finding a guy in complete darkness is how she would do it. Kelly is all about surprises. “Okay then. Now, I need to get back to work so I can get out of here at a decent time.” I step out of the office, and she follows.
“We are riding together tonight, so I’ll be at home waiting for you.”
I nod. “Oh hey, can you take Bell on a quick walk when you get back? I don’t think I’m going to have time to take her and I feel bad with her being inside all day.”
“Yes, I will, now hurry up and I’ll see you at the apartment.”
Kelly grabs her coat off the rack by the front door and doesn’t bother even zipping it up before she’s out the door. Life is nothing short of exciting with someone like her as your best friend. Giving my full attention back to the event, I find Parker doing just as she said. A half grin tugs at his lips and he gives me a small wave.
I can feel the heat rush into my cheeks as I blush and look away.
Parker
Allie didn’t argue today for a ride home, but she also hasn’t breathed a word since she got into my truck. It’s a short drive, but her silence is starting to wear me down.
“Today went perfect, don’t you think?” I ask.
“Yes.”
“Did it go exactly as you’d hoped it would?”
“Yes.” She nods with a sigh. “It went better than expected. Thank you for everything you did today.”
“It wasn’t a problem. You had the entire day planned out perfectly. Besides, had something gone wrong, I bet you would’ve known how to fix it.”
She laughs and from the corner of my eye I see her whole body relax.
“You seem tired. Is everything alright?”
“Yes, everything is fine. I’m just a little in shock at how well everything went considering you had only one day to prepare. I had months, and you acted like everything was no big deal while I stressed every second of the day worrying something might go wrong.”
“What did you think was going to go wrong?”
Looking out the window, she scrunches up her nose then scratches it. I barely hear the mumble that comes out.
“I’m sorry, what did you say?” I ask with a laugh. Clearly there’s something she doesn’t want to tell me.
“Nothing,” she says quickly.
“Then you were worried because…” I pry.
“Okay!” She throws her hands up and laughs. “I thought you might mess something up and that I’d have to fix it.”
Her cheeks fill with a crimson color. With a hand over my chest, I cringe. “It hurts that you had very little faith in me.”
I chance a glance in Allie’s direction to see her starting at me with wide eyes and her lips pinched together. Slowly, I let a grin appear.
“Ugh,” she groans, and I laugh.
“You could have just told Harold to ask someone else to help you.” I tell her. “It might have helped with all the stress.”
“Yes, I could have.”
“But you didn’t”
“No.”
“Why?” I keep my eyes on her as I wait for her answer.
When she finally looks my way, I’m rendered speechless at the softness in her eyes. “I think you know exactly why.”
I swallow hard and nod as we pull up outside her apartment building. I park in the spot closest to the door she needs and kill the engine. She likes me. But why would she turn me down? I unbuckle my seat belt and reach for the door.
“You don’t have to walk me inside, really. You can watch from here.” Her voice is soft and has a hint of something that has me not believing a single word she says. If she’s embarrassed about what she said, she has no reason to be.
“And make you walk in the cold and darkness, alone, all the way to the front door? Yeah, I don’t think so.” I get out of the truck and jog around the front of my truck to open the passenger door for her.
“Well thank you, good sir,” she says in what I hope isn’t her best British accent. If it is, she really needs to practice. Her foot slips on the icy running board and she falls into my arms. It’s almost a scene straight out of a movie and it hits like déjà vu from last week in the storage room. I’m starting to think this woman is making it a point to fall into my arms. I smile down at her. I wouldn’t want it any other way.
“I swear I know how to stay on my own two feet.” I can feel her warm breath against my neck as she talks. “This won’t be a regular thing.” She straightens herself in my arms but doesn’t back away. Instead she looks up at me and locks her eyes on mine. The intensity and want that radiates off them gives me courage.
“That’s too bad.” I whisper into her ear and she blushes.
“Why?” she ask, letting her warm body brush against my skin.
“I like having you close to me.”
Her breath picks up, and with my finger I tilt her chin until she’s looking into my eyes again. Instantly they start searching for something. When she’s found what she was looking for, her lips part slowly, calling my attention to them.
Her eyes close and I’d be a fool to not to take my chance. I can feel her breathing against my lips when suddenly my whole body is shoved away.
“Bell! Down!” Kelly comes screaming out the front doors of the apartment building. “I’m so sorry!” She keeps yelling as she runs toward us. Bell jumps up once again and hits me with her front paws. Being the full size dog she is, I take a step back an
d slip on a patch of ice, falling to the ground. Allie releases a small scream and then covers the laughter with her hand.
“Bell!” she says, moving her hand quickly then putting it back over her lips. The dog responds instantly to her voice and wags her tail until she’s in front of Allie. “Sit,” she says, and Bell complies, looking at me from her spot with a proud gleam in her eye. Not that I was worried, but at least I know Allie is safe with this dog.
“Oh my gosh! Are you okay?” Allie reaches out to help me.
Both women are now laughing at me as I push myself off the ground. Brushing the snow and dirt off my pants, I make my way toward Allie. Kelly is still standing silently from the sidewalk.
Once we’re toe to toe, I look into her eyes. All hints of happiness leave and a heated look fills its place. I reach up slowly and tuck a strand of hair behind her ear.
“Goodnight, Allie. I’ll see you tomorrow,” I whisper, press my lips to her cheek, and then get in my truck. With a glance in my rearview mirror, my heart pounds at the sight of Allie watching me drive away.
Now, let’s get this date night over with.
Chapter Seven
Allie
“Welcome, everyone!” A woman’s perky voice fills the room with a tone louder than normal. “My name is Liz, my husband and I own The Blind Date Restaurant Bar and Grill, and I’m excited to have you all here tonight. Can everyone hear me alright?”
The room fills with a variety of tones replying “yes” and my body jumps when the person who I assume is at my table joins in on the reply. His voice is deep and I get the chills like I’ve heard it before, but I can’t place it. From the coffee shop maybe? Or the deli across from the library? I shake the thought from my head. The chances of me actually knowing my date are about as good as him being the one.
It’s probably just my body being on high alert after the moment I had with Parker tonight. It was hot. He’s hot. The mood he put me in doesn’t even have a name. It’s better than eating as much chocolate as I want without gaining a pound. Whoever this gentleman across from me is, he’s one lucky guy to get me in this type of mood. I take a deep breath. No more thinking of Parker. This mysterious guy in front of me deserves my full attention.