First Edition Romance

by Shannon M Harris

  When she walked in, Lauren sat at a table in the back, beckoning her over. Her hair was put up today, but a few curls had broken loose and hung around her face. She wore a blue sleeveless blouse with the first few buttons undone, showing an impressive amount of skin. A thin gold chain hung around her neck.

  The flutter in Ainslon’s belly sent tingles throughout her whole body when a smile blossomed on Lauren’s face. Even the butterflies in her stomach couldn’t stop her from accepting Lauren’s hug. Her nerves be damned.

  “What a welcome,” Ainslon said, after they sat. “I’m glad to see you too.”

  Lauren chuckled. “Can you blame me? I’ve looked forward to this all week.”

  “No, I can’t blame you. I’ve looked forward to this also.”

  “Good. I’m glad we were finally able to meet. It seems a lot longer than four days.”

  The nerves building in Ainslon all morning vanished at Lauren’s relaxed state. “It does. I was telling Shady that this morning.”

  Lauren took a drink of her coffee. “How long have you had Shady, and if I may ask, how did you come about her name?”

  “I adopted her four years ago. She was two. At the time, she was named Quinn, and while I liked that name, it didn’t seem to fit.” Ainslon scrunched up her nose in thought. “I figured once I had her for a while that a name would come to me.”

  “Go on.”

  “One evening I made a grilled cheese sandwich when my phone rang. I wrapped the sandwich in a paper towel and put it on the kitchen counter, then went into the living room to answer my phone. When I went back into the kitchen, Quinn was seated on the counter and the paper towel was torn and a bite taken out of the sandwich. The first thing that came to my mind was that was some shady shit. She waited until I left the room to eat my sandwich. So, that’s how Shady McQuinn was born.”

  Lauren laughed. “Sounds about right.”

  “What about you? I know you said you had a dog, but do you have any pets now?”

  “No.” Lauren pushed her saucer away. “I’ve thought about it but haven’t had the time to look into it. And now, I spend more time at the store than I do at home. My mother’s always getting on to me about working too much.”

  “Nana does too. She knows that in order for the store to succeed I have to put in the time, but what would they do if not worry about us?”

  “You got me there.” Lauren leaned forward and laced her fingers together on the tabletop. “So, this Sunday is another day at the park. Would you like to join me?”

  Ainslon leaned forward. “What’s the activity?”

  “Does the activity determine whether or not you will say yes?”

  The smug look on Lauren’s face kicked her competitiveness into high gear. “I would love to join you. You know I can easily look it up, right?”

  “I know. Do you not like surprises?”

  “I love them. I can wait.”

  “Good.” Lauren glanced at her phone. “I do need to get to work. As for Sunday, I’ll meet you here at say, eight o’clock.”

  “I wouldn’t miss it.” Ainslon accepted Lauren’s hug.

  “Now, for Sunday, make sure you wear something you don’t mind getting dirty in.” Lauren winked and walked away. Ainslon’s eyes stayed glued to Lauren until she turned a corner.

  Halfway to work, what Lauren had said hit her. Something you don’t mind getting dirty in. “What the hell have I gotten myself into.” She knew two things; one, all Sundays in the parks revolved around families, and two, there was no way she was going to miss out on their next friend date. If only to see what Lauren considered clothes that she could get dirty in.

  Bright and early Sunday morning found Lauren pacing in her bedroom, her thoughts on the one woman she couldn’t seem to get off her mind. Ainslon O’Neil had swooped into her life and Lauren wasn’t sure what to make of her feelings toward her. Lauren couldn’t seem to get the smile off her face, but she didn’t mind. Ainslon was a breath of fresh air that rushed into Lauren’s life at the best possible moment.

  Lauren tipped her head and regarded her reflection in the mirror. Aging used to bother her, but now at forty-four, it didn’t anymore. Gray sprinkled her dark brown hair, but Lauren liked it. The lines around her eyes could easily be covered with a smidge of make-up or sunglasses.

  Though her body wasn’t muscular, she’d kept it lean over the years. Thank goodness her breasts still held their small shape beautifully. While not toned, her stomach was semi flat, with a hint of a pouch. She’d have to work on it. Maybe take up cycling again with Jeffrey. She knew it wouldn’t take much to drag him out on the weekends, considering he had complained the previous week about getting lazy in his workouts.

  A quick turn allowed her to take in one of her best assets. Her ass. She’d chosen these specific athletic pants to highlight said asset and she knew Ainslon would appreciate them, considering she’d caught her staring at her ass countless times.

  After putting her bra on, she slipped on a black, short sleeve, light-weight t-shirt. During their last conversation, she had mentioned to Ainslon not to wear white today, for today’s activity would be a water balloon fight. Per the flyer, some balloons would be filled with water, while others would be filled with paint, and some shaving cream. Considering most people saw her as an uptight businesswoman, she hoped Ainslon enjoyed seeing this more playful side of her. True, Garriety’s gossip sites followed her around, but they always seemed to paint her in the worst light.

  She needed to have a talk with Ainslon about it. She was by no means a celebrity, but for some reason her name seemed to always be in some article the Garriety Gossip printed. Although she didn’t want Ainslon dragged into that mess, there was no way she wanted to stay away from her. After the astronomy opening, a picture had surfaced of them, but nothing had come of it. After their outing last week, a picture of them had popped up on the Garriety Gossip site, but there was only a short description of their time at the park. Of course, speculation ran rampant, but Lauren knew the Gossip site would never cross the line of interacting with either one of them. They did, at least, respect people’s boundaries.

  She jumped as the alarm on her phone went off. Time to go. She swiped the Meerkat ball cap from the shelf by the door, slipped her sunglasses on, then headed out.

  She was still early, so she settled down at what she had come to think of as their table at Brew and Bake and waited. She didn’t have to wait long when Ainslon strode in, dressed in a pair of jeans with a hole in one knee, and a long sleeve gray and red striped shirt. Her hair was put up and she looked good enough to eat. All Lauren thought about since meeting Ainslon was running her tongue along her jawline.

  “Lauren.”

  Lauren snapped out of her daydream, stood, and slipped her arms around Ainslon. “Sorry. My mind was elsewhere.”

  “It’s all right.” Ainslon chuckled.

  Lauren felt a spark of joy when she caught Ainslon’s eyes, for a split second, linger on her ass. Score one for her.

  “I’m glad you took my advice to heart.”

  “Well,” Ainslon said, sitting down. “Your text that said don’t wear white in caps was a big clue. I can honestly say I’m intrigued, and I did not look up what this Sunday’s activity was. When I mentioned it to Justin, he smirked at me and walked off, announcing that I would enjoy it.”

  “I hope so.” Lauren looked up when Ainslon covered her hand with her own.

  “You look good as well.”

  Lauren arched her brow at the coy smile on Ainslon’s face. “That’s what I was going for.” Lauren squeezed her hand once before pulling hers away. “Now, let’s eat. The first activity starts at ten.”

  “Sounds good to me.”

  Forty minutes later, Lauren and Ainslon stared into the crowd after registering. Lauren couldn’t read the look on Ainslon’s face and it left her uneasy. “We don’t—”

  “Of course we are.” Ainslon turned to look at the sectioned off portion of the park. �
��There’s no winning in this, is there?”

  “Just a good time.” Lauren took the chance and wrapped her arm around Ainslon’s waist. “It will be fun to blast everyone with the balloons.”

  “I agree. I saw a woman who complained my vintage book prices were too high register a few minutes ago. I would love to pelt her with one.”

  Lauren pulled back and smiled. “That’s the spirit.” She cleared her throat. “I can do fancy. I will do fancy, but I also like to have fun.”

  “Oh, I can do fancy too. Fun now, fancy later.”

  Lauren turned to the right when their names were called. “Ready for this?”

  “Better believe I am.”

  Three hours, a shower, and a change of clothes later, Lauren and Ainslon sat side by side on top of a picnic table overlooking the water.

  “I felt great satisfaction popping that one guy in the chest with that paint filled balloon,” Ainslon said.

  “Your excitement was palpable.” The morning had been fun, and Lauren felt more than once that there was something decidedly beyond friendship about her feelings for Ainslon. She would wait it out and after their business concluded, then ask her out. It was inevitable at this point. “I had fun as well.” Lauren drummed her fingers on the tabletop. “Can I ask you something?”

  “Yes, though I reserve the right not to answer.”

  “That’s fair.” Lauren took a deep breath. “Where did you learn to throw like that?”

  Ainslon tilted her head back and laughed. “I played softball in high school. I was good too, but it wasn’t something I wanted to do in college. I wanted to focus on my academics.”

  “Looks like your aim was true, Ms. O’Neil.” The pink hue at the tips of Ainslon’s ears was about the cutest thing ever. Everything about Ainslon made her pulse race. “How about some food? After that, I’m afraid we’ll have to part ways. I have dinner plans with my best friend and her family tonight.”

  “Food sounds great.” Ainslon stood and held her hand out. Lauren latched onto it.

  “I am free tomorrow morning if you’d like to have breakfast together.”

  “I wouldn’t miss it.”

  Lauren was in trouble, she knew it, but at this point she couldn’t bring herself to care. Ainslon was a fire she definitely didn’t want to put out.

  Thursday came far sooner than Ainslon expected. Her plans to get breakfast with Lauren Monday morning never surfaced. Shady hadn’t felt well and Ainslon had to rush her to the vet. Thankfully, everything turned out all right.

  Tuesday and Wednesday were jam-packed, but Lauren understood work came first. They’d texted a few times and talked on the phone once. She needed to work on getting her book. That’s how all this started.

  The Monday night meeting with Shelly had been postponed. Tonight, she would meet with Shelly at Edna’s house. Hopefully, she’d be able to close the deal on Lauren’s book.

  On Monday, she’d called the realtor about the building she and Justin were interested in and arranged a meeting with him at one at the building later today. She had her fingers crossed that everything would work out.

  Ainslon glanced at the clock on the wall and paced behind the counter with all their financial papers clutched in her hand. They’d met with the bank on Tuesday and had everything in order. It would all hinge on the sale of their current building, but she felt confident it would sell fast. Especially since she’d already talked with Kat about the sale of the building and they were still interested.

  “Ainslon, please,” Sarah said.

  “Sorry.” She ran her fingers through her hair. “This is a big day.”

  “I know. Where’s Justin?”

  “He should have already been here. We have to leave in a few minutes.” As soon as the words left her mouth, he came barreling through the door. Seeing his confident swagger helped put her at ease.

  “Ready to do this?”

  “Yes.” She met him at the door.

  “We both look nice,” he said.

  She slipped her hand through his arm. “That we do.” She’d opted for an A-line gray skirt and a red sleeveless silk top. “I’m nervous.”

  “Me too. We have all our paperwork, and everything checks out. All we can do now is meet with the realtor and go from there.”

  “I know.”

  “If it doesn’t work out, we’ll continue looking.”

  They had to bypass a few obstacles on the sidewalk, because of construction, but made it to the building with five minutes to spare. She squinted when she saw Lauren walk out of her store, accompanied by the man she’d talked to at the astronomy opening. They came to a stop in front of Ainslon and Justin. Lauren regarded them with curiosity.

  “Ainslon, Justin, what brings you here today?” Lauren asked, her ever present smile on her face. She turned to the man beside her. “This is my accountant, Bryce Murphy.”

  “Nice to meet you. I’m Justin Bishop.” Justin shook the man’s hand.

  Ainslon shook Bryce’s hand. “Ainslon O’Neil.” She turned to Lauren. “I would love to stay and talk, but we have a meeting.” Ainslon motioned toward the vacant building.

  Bryce gave them a perplexed look. “As do we.”

  “What?” She had to have heard him wrong. “Our meeting is at one.”

  Lauren sighed. “So is ours. We’ve been trying to get this building for the last six months.”

  “I…” Ainslon didn’t know what to say. Lauren was their competition. Just great. Lauren hadn’t mentioned anything about expanding her business, but neither had she.

  “Ainslon,” Justin said. “We don’t want to be late.”

  “No, of course not.”

  He let go of her and opened the door, allowing everyone in. Ainslon’s eyes widened at the steel and wood beams that ran along the ceiling, and the hardwood floors. Then her eyes caught a man walking toward them. He was tall, and handsome, but had an air of arrogance about him that instantly put her off.

  He clasped his hands together in front of him. “Good afternoon, I’m Fredrick Morris.” He motioned to the two seats in one corner or the room. “Ms. O’Neil, Mr. Bishop, if you two would take a seat, I am going to speak to Ms. Millán and Mr. Murphy first.” He led Lauren and Bryce to a table with two chairs in front of it on the opposite side of the large room. Close enough to see but far enough away that they wouldn’t be able to hear their conversation.

  Ainslon glanced at Justin, noticing a pained smile on his face. Lauren being their competition didn’t bode well for their chances. Justin slumped down beside her. Of course she would be in direct competition with her crush, and they’d been making great progress on their relationship.

  After an uncomfortable fifteen minutes, Lauren and her companion headed in their direction.

  “Fredrick is waiting for you,” Lauren said.

  Ainslon accepted Justin’s hand and stood. “Thank you.” Ainslon smoothed out her skirt and accepted Fredrick’s hand when he reached toward her. “It’s nice to meet you.”

  He smiled. “You as well. Please, have a seat. I know this might seem unorthodox scheduling both meetings at the same time, but the owner was intrigued when I told her about your phone call. She can be picky at times, but she has narrowed her two choices down to you and Ms. Millán.” He held out his hand and Justin handed over their folder. He slipped his glasses on and skimmed the pages. Ainslon’s heart pounded when he slipped his glasses off and placed his hands on top of the folder. “Your offer is contingent with the sale of the building you’re currently occupying.”

  “Yes.”

  “So, you’re not looking to expand your business, you want to move it all together. Is that right?”

  “Our business has grown faster than we expected. Given our recent growth we will need to move in the next year or two. When we saw this building was for sale, it seemed like the perfect opportunity and fit.”

  Justin nodded. “We do well in the neighborhood we’re in, but this building will give us the opportunity
to expand that our current location can’t.”

  “This building is expensive. Are you sure it wouldn’t be hindering your future plans by expanding too soon?”

  Justin scooted forward in his chair. “We’ve talked about it and feel moving to a larger location is the right step.”

  Fredrick tapped the folder on the desk, then stood. “It was nice meeting you both. I should have an answer for you by the beginning of next week.”

  “Oh,” Ainslon said, standing as well. “Thank you for your time.”

  “I’ll walk you to the others.” Fredrick smiled. “I will be in touch with you. Everyone think about what I said.”

  Ainslon gripped Justin’s arm so hard he flinched. “We will.”

  “Good day.”

  Ainslon opened the door and walked out followed by Justin, Lauren, and Bryce.

  “I hope we didn’t just waste our time,” Justin muttered.

  “Me as well.”

  “Ainslon,” Lauren said from behind her.

  Ainslon took a deep breath and turned around. Lauren and Bryce were staring at them. This wasn’t Lauren’s fault. None of this was anyone’s fault. “Yes.”

  “Would you like to grab lunch since we weren’t able to grab breakfast?”

  Ainslon managed to squelch her anger but couldn’t keep the bite out of her voice. “Right now, I don’t think that’s a good idea.”

  “For the record,” Lauren said, “I’ve been dealing with Fredrick for months. I even offered over the asking price and she still wouldn’t accept my offer.”

  Ainslon shook her head. “Well, isn’t that great.” She tried to cool her growing anger because Lauren didn’t deserve it. In her wildest dreams she would have never imagined this scenario. “You have more money to offer and we barely have enough. Christ, I wonder who they’ll pick now.”

  “I didn’t mean anything by that. I…” Lauren nervously fiddled with the belt around her waist.

  “Lauren,” Bryce said. “I need to get back to the office. Are we still on for dinner tonight?”

  “Of course, Bryce,” Lauren said.