Just One Moment: A Black Alcove Novel

by Jami Wagner

  “Okay, well, I’ll try to be nicer to him,” I say.

  “Don’t give him the nice girl I’m sorry-your-dad-died pity act.”

  “It won’t be. It’ll be the I’m-sorry-I’m-making-this-time-of-your-life-harder-on-you real- life actions.” I look up the trail. Only three more miles to go.

  “Are you ready to start now?” Alex asks.

  “Not really,” I laugh. “Why?”,

  The sounds of someone running fills my ears. From the smile on Alex’s face, I know exactly who’s running up behind us. Please let me be wrong.

  I avoid eye contact, which is easy with the sun reflecting off his naked chest. His solid and smooth tanned chest. Things in the bookstore would get done faster if he looked like that at work. I try to find an interest in the rock next to my foot, but my eyes need another look. On second thought, I wouldn’t get anything done if he showed up to work all sweaty like this.

  “I have a feeling the only way I’ll get any more work done in the store is if I force you to stay there,” Luke says as he and Conner jog up next to the three of us. “I was going to go easy on you if you actually did something before I got there. Guess that isn’t the case today.”

  “Don’t you have a life besides following me everywhere I go?” I ask, rolling my eyes and taking another step.

  “This sounds familiar.” Conner chuckles, pulling Alex in for a kiss.

  Alex and Conner’s story turned out way better than any relationship Luke and I will ever have.

  “I’m not following you. You should be working.”

  “What? I’m not allowed one morning off? What are you doing—because it doesn’t look like working”

  “I’m not the one who—”

  “I swear if you say trashed, broke into, or anything else that suggests I’m still to blame for this, I will slap you,” I say, glaring at him.

  “Maybe the two of you need to have a conversation that isn’t about the bookstore—like, you both seem to like this trail. Skylar, do you like kayaking? Luke loves to kayak.” Alex sounds so sweet as she tries to ease the tension the two of us have created on what was supposed to be a stress-relieving run. Complete backfire on both counts.

  “I don’t kayak anymore, but I see your point. Enjoy your hike, ladies. Skylar, please get to work when you’re done here.” Luke steps around us.

  “You’re not my—”

  “I said please.” His wide eyes focus on mine. I can’t help that my eyes flash to his lips, again.

  Damn.

  I cross my arms, catching the questioning look on Beth’s face. “Fine. And please stop cutting me off when I talk.”

  “Fine,” he says, taking off at a sprint.

  Conner hangs around for another moment, kissing Alex one last time before he follows Luke. I start back on the trail, stomping my feet. All conversations about Luke are over.

  Please, please let me get one of these jobs.

  Luke

  “How’s the store coming?” Conner asks.

  It’s just the two of us behind the bar tonight, which is a relief. I need an easy-going night.

  “It’ll be a lot better when the inspector shows up.”

  He told me it would be two weeks before he could come take a look at the store. What inspector takes that long? My stress level only increased that day, and lucky for Sky, she was the only one at work to enjoy it. Her version of that day, however, probably wouldn’t include the word enjoy.

  “All good things take time, right?” Conner squats to stock one the beer coolers. “What about Sky? How are things with her?”

  “Let’s just say, she is the last person I want to talk about.”

  Or think about any more than I already am.

  One day. I try to trust her for one day because everyone says I need to give her a chance, and the day I do, she chooses to blow off work.

  Speaking of which, I don’t have a dress code at the store, but I am going to have to start. Short shorts and skirts and even those little flowy dress things she wears are not working for me. People should come into buy books, not be distracted by her appearance.

  “You still think she did it?” Conner asks, pouring a pint of Bud from the tap.

  “Yep,” I tell him, because I do. But also because if I let myself think for even a second that she didn’t do it, I don’t know if I could trust myself to be alone with her.

  “Okay, well, only because I’m ready for you to drop the sour mood and because I’d like for our group to hang out without the two of you bickering the entire time, I’m going to let you in on a piece of information that might change your mind.”

  I lean back on the bar and cross my arms. He’s got my attention. All except for the small bit about me changing my mind. It’s not going to happen.

  “All right, so it turns out Sky’s dad is some huge lawyer. She told Alex that her family was about to do a merger with another family that could lead to a large amount of money, and we Googled him and huge is an understatement. Like, her family is worth billions.”

  “She probably lied about that, too.”

  He shakes his head. “No, man, Sky is in so many photos with her family. Her mom is like some socialite who plans fundraisers and shit almost every weekend. There was even one article that talked about the mysterious absence of their daughter.”

  “They probably wrote it to hide the fact their kid is a criminal.”

  “Luke, seriously. She has money, what did she need to break into your store for, and if she did do it, she could just call her dad and get you money to fix everything.”

  “Which she hasn’t done because it’s all a lie. Don’t let her fool you.” Who am I attempting to convince, him or me?

  “Well, she also told Alex that she left all that behind and is trying to make a name for herself.”

  “Such a shame the path she has chosen to go down.” I won’t budge. She did it. She did it. She did it. But she’s so tiny, how could she have pushed those shelves down on her own? Or broken them, for that matter?

  “Luke, man, she didn’t do it.”

  “Okay, let’s consider that you, everyone else, and my mother are right. That this is all just a misunderstanding on my end.”

  “Exactly.”

  “People don’t just walk away from money, man.”

  “Sounds like Sky did.”

  “Fine, let’s say it wasn’t her. Who would you say the culprit is?”

  “Honestly, it was probably just some high school kids trying to make noise or do what they thought was fun. You remember high school? We all did stupid shit.”

  “We didn’t go around vandalizing.”

  “We egged your ex-girlfriend’s house; I think that counts.”

  “Redecorating is not vandalism.” I laugh.

  “Right. But for real. You have to cool it. If I think you’re being a dick, you’re being a dick.”

  My head jerks back. Great, now I’m not just getting this speech from my mother. I saw Skylar standing there, in front of the store, with her hand cut from breaking the glass. I saw the fear on her face. No one else saw that. They don’t get to decide this for me.

  But … sigh. If everyone is going to tell me I’m overreacting, it’s probably not a bad idea to reevaluate my situation. Even if I don’t agree. “I’ll talk to her,” I say, referring to Skylar, but I’m really only saying it to end any conversation that includes her. He nods and walks away to make more drinks.

  Neither of us wants to be around each other. Maybe I really should talk her. Mention the money. If her story is true, she won’t have any problem getting the cash to find her own place or maybe to even donate to the financial loss I’ve taken because of her. Or, if her family is so easy to look up, maybe I’ll just contact them and tell them just exactly what their daughter has been up to.

  No, no. I can’t do that to someone. I need the money and everything would be so much easier if it were handed to me, but that’s not the way to go about it. I just need to keep working h
ard and things will eventually look up for me and my family. All good things take time, as Conner would say.

  “Hello? Can we get drinks down here?” A brunette in a yellow dress slaps her hand on the counter to get my attention.

  Fuck. I nod toward the woman.

  My mind is all over the place. I have got to get rid of Skylar, especially now that the thought of her is distracting me from tips.

  I make the woman’s drink, spilling some of the vodka onto counter in the process. Once she pays me—minus a tip—I grab a rag and clean up my mess.

  I never fully understood what people meant when they claimed someone was “driving them mad” until I met Skylar. I’m mad annoyed, mad frustrated, mad tired of her disagreeing with everything I say. I’m also just plain mad that I’m in the whole situation with her in the first place.

  “Calm down there, friend. That spot looks pretty clean. You scrub it any harder, you’ll have to explain to Sara why a section of her counter is missing its shine.”

  Beth’s voice is calm, but I’ve known her long enough that there is more to it than the actual words.

  “What’s got you so worked up?”

  Scratch that. This time she is saying the actual words.

  “Nothing.” I grunt it in a tone that Beth doesn’t deserve. But, damn it, I’m not even around Skylar and I want to know what she’s doing right now. Is she at the store? With Alex?

  “I don’t believe you. Now, no one else is around, so I suggest you either tell me what’s up or I’ll recruit Conner to help me get it out of you and then I’ll tell Abby and you know how she—”

  “Fine,” I cut her off. I’d prefer if Abby, one of the other cocktail waitresses at the BA, didn’t know anything about my business. She loves to meddle, and I don’t need to add that to my stress level. She’s been pretty low-key these last few months. I don’t intend to bring the crazy back out in her.

  Beth stops stacking the coaster bin, folding her arms as she leans against the counter. Her head tilts when she looks at me, waiting for me to speak.

  “I was just thinking about the store and hoping that Skylar is doing what I asked her to do.”

  “You’re thinking about Sky?” She grins.

  “No, stop right there. Don’t twist this like you girls do.”

  “I’m not twisting anything, Luke.”

  Her smile is even bigger now. Great.

  “Okay, end of discussion.” I step away, looking for the next piece of work to distract me, but sadly, no one needs me to make them a drink at this moment.

  “No, it’s not. Now why do you think she wouldn’t be doing what you’ve asked her to do? I know the real Sky, and I bet she did exactly what you wanted. She’s nice like that.”

  “I doubt that,” I say. “She’s probably destroying the place all over again as we speak.”

  “I doubt that,” she says, mimicking my tone. “I know for a fact that is not happening.”

  “Any how do you know that?”

  “Because she went to Alex and Conner’s place to pick out an outfit for her upcoming interviews.”

  She isn’t even there.

  “Are you serious?”

  “Okay, hold up.” Beth squares her shoulders in front of me, her hands on her hips. “That girl had a whole life before this one. I don’t know everything about it, but I do know she is trying to be a new person. And I also know getting a good, decent job is a big deal for her, so don’t ruin this. It may even get her out of your hair every now and then.”

  Reopening my store and selling it is a big deal for me. She’s going to ruin that by devoting her time to another job.

  “If you ask me, a girl who’s looking for a job isn’t a criminal,” Beth continues.

  “Just walked by the bookstore.” Logan chuckles as he walks in. “Place doesn’t look like you’ve done a thing to it. Could it be that the two people putting it back together have been pre-occupied?” he asks.

  “No,” I say firmly and I hope it gets the point across that this conversation is over. That everyone knows this conversation is over. Especially now that I need to figure how to keep Skylar from getting a job. The store comes first. How do I make her see that?

  Logan laughs again as he heads for the office. Beth joins him with a snort, and Conner smiles, punching something on the computer next to me. Why does everyone think I’m going to fall for this girl?

  “Alex and I are having people over next weekend.” Conner pauses. “Well, technically we’re having people over at Logan and Sara’s on account of the fact not everyone would enjoy being crammed into our little ole apartment, but the point is, you’re invited.”

  “I don’t think I’ll be able to make it.”

  “Please, man. It’d be good to see you out. Even if it’s only an hour,” he says.

  I could stay later at the store one night or go in early one morning. Or I could tell Skylar she needs to work more. I don’t really have an hour of free time to spare, but every time I tell him I can’t make it somewhere, Conner makes the same face his son does after he’s been told no. I see that face at least three times a week.

  “I’ll be there,” I say. This week it’ll only be twice.

  “Sky is invited, too,” he says, looking in the opposite direction.

  Of course she is.

  I take a deep breath and nod. I know I need to get used to seeing her around because her friends are my friends, but that doesn’t mean I have to like her. Thank god I have the BA as a getaway. I don’t know what I would do if she became a part of every single place in my life. The bookstore is pushing it as it is.

  “What’s it for?” I ask.

  “It’s a surprise.”

  Everything with Conner and Alex is a surprise. It’s like they are always so afraid to just tell people something, they have to make it some huge thing when they do. My bet is on either he proposed or his sister Kelsey is pregnant, again, and they’re faking the attention for her and her husband, Ethan. They are one fertile couple.

  “I’m kidding, man. It’s just a barbeque. With the summer coming to end here fast, we thought it’d be fun,” he says.

  “Sounds great. This time maybe we can finally win a quick game against Ethan and Logan.”

  “Dude, you know those two are together every day playing ball. We’ll never win.”

  “That’s not the attitude of a teammate I want to have. I’ll just ask Beth to be on my team,” I joke. Choosing someone else motivates him.

  She laughs. “Then you will, for sure, lose.”

  “No, I got this.” Conner loses any facial expression he had. “We can beat them.”

  “All right. All right.”

  Works every time.

  The conversation quickly changes to talk of his son, Jake, Beth’s brother coming to town, and how Conner hopes his classes are going to pan out. He’s a semester away from graduating. Lucky bastard. I was a year away from graduating myself when my father died. Now I’m finding myself struggling to pass any class I’m in.

  I need to get back on track, and I need to do it before the store falls apart and no one wants to buy it.

  Chapter Seven

  Luke

  “No, you can’t put those here.” I nudge her out of my way with my hip. It’s been more than a week and this place is no closer to opening. No thanks to the fact that the only new shelves I could afford are on back order. I had to call the inspector to reschedule for another week out. Fan-fucking-tastic.

  “I’m sorry I’m not doing everything the Luke-approved way.” The sarcasm in her voice is clear as water.

  Skylar is another reason I’m ready to pull my hair out. I never brought up her family, but I’ll be damned if I don’t want to scream at her. Every day we work together she sees me stress about how I’m going to keep this place afloat, and every day she doesn’t mention a word. It’s not like I expected her to come right out and say, “Luke, no worries, I have all the money in the world for you,” but she—

  Fuck
, my issues with the store aren’t her problem.

  “You don’t just toss books wherever you please. I have a system,” I say.

  She rolls her eyes at me, again. She does it every time I say something to her. Drives me up the wall. I wouldn’t notice it so much if her eyes weren’t so damn green and bright. It’s just one of the many things that add to the fuel of my frustration with her. Being attracted to her is the last thing I need right now. And I can’t seem to shake myself from stealing a glance every now and then.

  “I didn’t realize you had a system. Don’t you think that’s something you should have told me? You know, days ago? I bet things would get done sooner if we were on the same page.”

  “Things would have been done even sooner,” I mimic her voice as best I can, “if someone hadn’t done all this.”

  “Okay.” She drops the book in her hand and glares at me. “I’m tired of listening to you whine about it. Since you are so darn convinced, why don’t you tell me what motives I had for breaking into a bookstore of all places and not stealing any money or even a single book?”

  “Because that was your plan, but I showed up.”

  “So, I just broke in, shoved some shelves down, tore them apart, broke as much glass as I could find, threw some books, and then came outside to take a break before I came back for the money?”

  “Yeah.”

  “Do you even hear how stupid that sounds, Luke?”

  I swallow and my head tilts back. She’s never said my name before. I don’t like that I like the way it sounds rolling off her lips.

  “First timer and got scared.” I shrug. “You were ready to bail but then stopped and thought, ‘I came this far, I’d may as well grab the money.’”

  “Oh please, how did you even come up with that?”

  “It makes sense.” Not really. But I’m already committed to this assumption of the story. Can’t take it back now and look like an idiot.

  “Yeah, about as much sense as you owning a bookstore.” She bends down to pick up the novel that she dropped— it has a giant pink heart on the cover—and then grabs a few more romances and storms off in the other direction.