"Okay," he responded eagerly, as though this was the most exciting thing he had done in months.
I turned to walk to the back of the store, Landon following close behind me.
"Belle?"
"Yes?" I turned around, and he practically ran right into me. Luckily, I got my balance just before I did a face plant into his chest. We were standing much too close.
This was a mistake. Keeping him around. Talking to him. Letting him in, even just a little. All colossal mistakes.
I looked into his eyes...another fatal error.
"I wanted to thank you for giving me a chance. I don't know why you changed your mind...but I'm really glad you did. I really need this."
I took two steps back and smoothed my shirt with my shaky hands.
"You're welcome, Landon," I replied, in the most professional tone I could muster.
I turned away but thought I heard the front door and turned back toward him suddenly. Was Landon…checking out...my butt? I looked away instantly, in complete disbelief that he had been looking at any part of me, let alone my ass. I certainly must have been hallucinating. There was no other explanation.
Then he said quietly, "And, by the way, you look amazing in those jeans."
I kept my eyes forward and my back to him as I walked through the store to the back room. Was there even a correct response to the incredibly inappropriate comment? Either way, I was oh so grateful that he couldn't see me blush. For the second time today, that boy had left me speechless.
After I showed Landon where I kept the books in the back room and how to log them for inventory, I made my way back to the front of the store. I sat down behind the counter, laid my head down on its cool surface and took a long moment to castigate myself, not for hiring him — technically, I hadn't hired him — but for allowing myself to be overcome by his charm. Obviously, he was only being nice because I’d given him a chance to work here. He was just grateful. If I believed, even for a moment, that he was interested in anything more… I was a bigger fool than I thought.
Besides...
I was married.
I was old.
And what about Derek? Sure, he was a horse's ass, but legally he was my horse's ass. He was my husband and that fact wasn't going to change any time soon. Landon was young and gorgeous and had his whole life ahead of him. He could travel wherever the wind took him, and while I dreamed of leaving all the time, I knew I couldn’t.
Maybe that’s why he got to me, because he still had a future, possibility, and opportunity. And I didn’t.
I ended my self-lecture by adding quietly, "And no one wants you, Belle. Not your husband and certainly not someone like Landon."
It was just the sort of talking to that I needed to snap me back into reality I raised my head, wiped off the schoolgirl look from my face, walked to the front door and then flipped over the ‘Come In, We’re Open’ sign hanging in the window.
For the rest of the morning, I showed Landon around the store. The reality was that there wasn't much to show him. Turning Point was very small. The most complicated part of selling books was learning how to work the credit card machine, but he already knew how from his days working retail while in college. I explained to him the different sections of the store, which were quite logical. The most popular topics I kept up front and the bestselling books got a spot at a table that sat right inside the entrance.
Every time I looked up at him, he was staring at me with those eyes! It was infuriating. Everything about this boy had me on the edge.
When all of the store operations were explained to him, I put Landon to work arranging a bookshelf on the other side of the store. It was my best attempt to prevent myself from looking at him, and better yet, prevent him from watching me.
Early in the afternoon, however, Landon approached me as I was poring over a small display of classic literature — my passion.
"Hey," He said and I nearly jumped out of my skin. My hand hit the coffee cup that had long since gone cold, and it wobbled precariously and then lost its battle with gravity. As it fell over, a small amount of liquid — no more than a few ounces — spilled out on to the counter.
“Oh my God, I’m so sorry! I’m such a klutz,” I exclaimed and leapt out of my chair, looking wildly around for a napkin or a rag. My heart pounded in my chest to the point where it ached, and I swallowed down panic that I shouldn’t be feeling. Not here.
“You’re apologizing — to me? For spilling a little bit of coffee?” He watched my face as he calmly reached past me and grabbed a tissue from the Kleenex box that rested on the credenza.
“I guess I am.”
“This is not a big deal, Belle. Accidents happen.”
“You’re right. Sorry.”
“You are apologizing again.” He wiped up the spill, never taking his eyes from mine. “There. All better.”
“Thanks,” I muttered as my breathing and heart rate returned to normal.
"I was thinking of running up to the deli for a sandwich. Want anything?"
I thought of how rushed I’d been in this morning and how I’d forgotten to bring lunch.
"Yes, that sounds nice. Just let me grab my purse."
He held up his hands to stop me. "It's on me. My way of thanking you for giving me a chance. And my dad gave me some money this morning.” His face turned just a hint of pink.
"But I haven't officially given you a job yet."
"Ah, but I am a firm believer that you will." When I didn't make a comment one way or the other, he looked at me with that melt-my-heart smirk and added, "I'd like to buy you lunch if you'll let me, all the same."
"Okay," I relented. He was too damn adorable. Would I ever be able to say no to him? I scribbled down my order and he left. I was grateful for a few moments of freedom from the assault on my common sense and judgment. His charm was certainly having its desired effect.
I turned my back to the front door and returned to the never-ending task of straightening books. Only a couple of short minutes had passed when I heard the bell above the door jingle.
"I'll be right with you—" I turned around to greet the customer. Hannah breezed through the door.
"Oh, it's only me. No need to be so nice."
Hannah.
She looked like a hippy. Not in the stereotypical way, but in the gorgeous way they portrayed them in Hollywood — like Kate Hudson in Almost Famous, but with bigger boobs. Her long, straight blonde hair hung halfway down her back, and her white tank top hugged her body, showing her ample cleavage — and the dark colored bra underneath. She had on a flowing, multicolored skirt. The material could have come from any number of curtains that hung in this town during the sixties or seventies, but it looked sexy on Hannah all the same. Her feet, adorned with toe rings, were encased in cute little sandals with shells braided into the leather. My big sister was the essence of perfection.
"Nice of you to join us," I spat out as bitterly as possible, my arms akimbo on my hips.
She paused to assess me, her eyes running up and down my body as I stood in front of her, waiting for the apology that I knew I wouldn't get. I saw her note the ‘girls night out’ jeans, but she didn't say a word about them.
"Come on Hell’s Bells. Are you still mad about yesterday? Because anger really clouds up your aura."
God, I detested that nickname. Not quite as much as Fannie Annie but it irritated me all the same. Couple that with how pissed off I was at her for abandoning me yesterday and I was about to go over the edge.
"Whatever, Hannah.” I rolled my eyes knowing just as well as she did that she couldn’t actually see my aura. If Hannah was everything that she claimed to be, then she would already know my secret. “I should fire you for flaking out on me yesterday, but what else is new? You flake out on me all the time."
"You would never fire your own sister. Would you?" The sarcasm in her tone made me want to strangle her.
"Keep testing me and you’ll find out," I challenged her.
&nb
sp; She waved her hand at me, dismissing my anger in one swift motion.
"Enough about me. Guess what? I had a psychic vision about you this morning, so I raced right over to tell you about it. "
Like a fairy godmother with one damn wave of her magic wand, we were finished talking about yesterday, all because she was finished talking about it. My sister was unbelievable.
I rolled my eyes at her. Here we go again.
"You had a vision? What now?"
Hannah had so many “psychic visions” about me over the years that I’d grown used to her ranting. Most of her visions involved me leaving Derek, shooting Derek, castrating Derek...and so on. Her visions certainly had a theme and she was excellent at crafting them to make a point.
She leaned up on the counter, watching me with wide and excited eyes. "I saw a new man in your life. He was young and oh so sexy. Oh my god, really beautiful. Nice job."
I laughed aloud — literally so loud it made my ears hurt. Then it scared me a bit. The sound of my own laughter was foreign to me. Like someone speaking French — completely incomprehensible.
The sound, however strange, didn't faze Hannah.
"But...it isn't all good news, Belle. A darkness surrounds this new man. I couldn't see what it was, but all I do know for sure is that it could destroy you if you let it.” Her voice clouded over with concern as she added, "Promise me that you’ll be careful."
"Hannah, you’ve truly gone off the deep end."
"Scoff. Doubt. I don't care. Do whatever you’re going to do, but as your sister, I feel it’s my duty to warn you."
"Your duty to warn me?" I responded in anger, mocking her. "What about your duty to me to help me out yesterday?"
"Stop dwelling in the past, sister. This is about your future, and I won't deny what I saw. You’re in danger."
"I assure you, Hannah, that I have absolutely no idea what you are talking—"
I would have finished my denial, but at that very moment, the door swung open, and Landon sauntered in with his arms full of deli bags.
"They were out of Provolone," he said to me, not seeing Hannah in the room. "So I got you Swiss. I hope that's okay."
He seemed oblivious to Hannah, who was gawking at him, proverbial drool coming from her mouth.
"That's perfectly fine," I said as business-like as possible. I looked back and forth between him and Hannah as I took the bags out of his hands and set them on the counter. "Thank you."
I smiled at him. It was fake. It was awkward. And he was clueless to how uncomfortable I was.
“By the way, Theresa said to tell you ‘hi’ and to remind you about dinner tomorrow night.”
My heart stopped for just a moment, and the blood drained from my face. “Did she say…anything else?”
Theresa, while being my father-in-law’s long-time girlfriend, was also Cannon Beach’s town gossip. One phone call would be all it took for news of me hiring Landon to reach my husband.
“No....I saw her yesterday when I asked her about a job. I forgot to tell you that, and on my way back today, I passed the market and remembered. You were in such a hurry when you ran out of here.”
“Okay…good.”
Hannah waved and smiled, bringing the attention in the room back to her.
"I'm sorry," he said. "I didn't realize you were with a customer."
"Oh, she's not a customer," I said. "She works here."
With that, he walked over to her, held out his hand. "Hello, I'm Landon."
"Well, of course you are.” Hannah took his hand and held onto it tightly. She looked him up and down, as if he were a mouth-watering steak she wanted to devour.
I had to intervene. I reached in and pulled Landon's hand free from my sister's clutches.
"Landon, this is my older sister, Hannah."
Hannah immediately pushed out her chest, fluffed her long blonde hair, and licked her lips seductively.
"Nice to meet you," he responded.
"Pleasure," she purred.
"Hannah, Landon filled in yesterday for you when you didn't show up for work."
"Oh really?" She batted her eyelashes at him. "Well, I'm eternally grateful to you for helping a girl out. I hope I can find a way to show my gratitude."
Hannah was certainly working extremely hard to get him to react to her. I wasn't sure if Landon was ignoring her overt gestures or was just totally oblivious to them. Either way, it seemed to irritate my sister and, therefore, amused me. If he kept this up, I might have to hire him solely for the entertainment value.
"Oh, a ‘thank you’ is just fine." He looked over at me and smiled. "Belle was nice enough to give me a trial run on a job for the summer."
Hannah, still drinking in the sight of Landon, said to me, "Belle, sweetie, can I talk to you alone for a minute?"
"Sure," I responded. "Landon, would you mind watching the store?"
He nodded, and I knew he watched us as I followed my sister into the back room. The door clicked shut as I leaned back against it.
We had been barely alone for five seconds before Hannah turned to me. Silently, she pointed in Landon’s direction and I knew what she was going say. I had to stop her before she could get one word out of her mouth, and put an end to this nonsense.
"Don't even start, Hannah. If you hadn't flaked out on me yesterday, I would’ve never needed him. This is all your fault!"
"That's him!" She said loudly, her right arm gesturing wildly toward the closed door.
"Will you please lower your voice?" I hissed.
"That's him," she said much softer.
"That's who?"
"That's the man I saw in my vision!"
"Really?" I asked skeptically. "You saw Landon...in your vision?"
She nodded.
"Whatever, Hannah. You need to get some help."
"No, I don't need any help. I know what I saw," she confirmed adamantly. "That's him. I'm sure of it."
I paused. No way. Hannah was a lounge act. Her visions were far from accurate on her best day.
"Well, if that is him," I started, "and he’s hell-bent on destroying my life as you say, you'll only have yourself to blame."
"Why would you say that? I never said he would ruin your life only that he might. The choice is yours."
"Well, if so, I made my choice. I hired him because I can't count on you."
"Oh, Belle, I may not know much, but I am quite sure that your reasons for hiring that gorgeous boy out there had absolutely nothing to do with me. Now, why don't you tell me the real reason you hired him. Or do I already know?"
"I have no idea what you’re talking about. Maybe I hired him to punish you."
"So, this is your idea of punishing me?" She laughed.
"Yes, why?" Why was she laughing?
"Hiring a hot, young boy toy? If I didn't know better, I would think you were trying to entice me into coming to work more often."
"Entice you?"
"Don't tell me that you haven't noticed how delicious that boy is? One look at him and I almost came."
"Hannah, you're crude, and the only reason he is here is because I need help around the store. You aren't exactly the most reliable employee.” I left out the part where my heart stopped every time he looked at me, and how I'd already imagined him naked three times that morning, not wanting to give her the satisfaction.
"Don't blame this on me,” she said.
"Oh? Who would you like me to blame? Yesterday you knew I needed to get home. Derek would have been really upset if I’d been late, but once again, when I needed you, you didn't come through for me. Same old Hannah..."
"What’s that supposed to mean?"
"That I’ve never been able to rely on you."
"Not this again, Belle. Every time we get in a fight, you bring up the fact that I didn't help out as much as you did when mom was dying. I'm sorry I'm not as perfect as you are!" she yelled at me.
"I'm not perfect, Hannah."
"And who cares if Derek was going to
be upset?" she asked, changing the subject again. "Why can't he make his own damn dinner anyway?"
Hannah knew that my husband was an asshole, but I’d kept the more ‘physical’ part of our relationship from her. It wasn't too difficult. Hannah was pretty much only interested in herself. She knew he had anger issues, but believed me when I told her that he just yelled a lot. She’d noticed bruises on me occasionally, but I always had a stupid excuse that she bought hook, line and sinker, simply because Hannah didn't make a habit of noticing the plight of others except when it concerned her. If a poor, starving man on the other side of the world died, she only cared if it directly affected her in some way.
"He is my husband, Hannah," I finally answered. "I care when he’s upset."
"Well, if that's true, how upset do you think he’s going to be when he finds out you hired Adonis out there? If he even gets an inkling that something hokey is going on, he'll break that boy in two."
"Why don't you let me handle Derek, hmm? If you cared that much about my marriage, you’d have been here yesterday."
"I'm just saying, I saw the way that boy looked at you."
"What?" I squeaked out. The idea was preposterous. "You have no idea what you are talking about.” I pulled open the door and then looked back at Hannah. "Do me a favor and mind your own damn business!"
I stormed out past Landon, who was helping a customer find a book in the Hiking & Camping section.
"Everything okay?" He called out after me.
"Sure, life is good," I lied to him, smiling at the customer. “Listen, can you put my sandwich in the fridge and watch the store for a few more minutes? I need a walk."
"Sure thing, boss."
Boss. The word made my stomach sink. I was so stupid. Just as I said earlier, I was only a means to an end...nothing more.
Nevertheless, if I was an imbecile, then so was Hannah. It was the only comfort I had, that I was not alone in my stupidity.
"Thanks," I said a little too coldly. I knew that he watched me as I pulled open the door, turned toward the beach, and stomped out of the store.
Turning Point Page 5