Love and Lattes (4 page)

As she wandered around the store, she realized how different the layout was from the usual giant bookstores she was accustomed to. Instead of the large open floor plans, this place had multiple small rooms, and each contained a different genre or reference section. Not to mention the store was three floors high and had a rooftop terrace café. Good thing the place had an elevator or she'd need a personal trainer just to make it through a whole day of work without collapsing.

Julia finally found the gardening section on the first floor. She needed to ask Rebecca for a map so she could find her way around. Or maybe she should leave herself a trail of breadcrumbs. It would take her all day to learn the layout of the store. Good luck to the customer who asked her where something was—she might accidentally send the poor soul to erotica when they were really looking for science fiction.

She scanned the rows of book spines trying to decide where the book in her hand should go on the shelf. Was this section organized by author or title? She was used to navigating the Dewey Decimal system the campus library used, but this system was trickier to figure out.

Shrugging, she shoved the book into the shelf between two other how-to books. If the book still wasn't in the right spot, at least it was close enough. She glanced down at the next book on top of her pile:
Nourishing Your Inner Vegan
. Awesome. Another random section to find.

"I need a book on children's gardening projects for Nanny," a stern voice said behind her.

Julia turned to see a woman with features so chiseled she could've been made out of marble. The customer stood staring directly at her with wide, expectant eyes.

"I haven't got all day." Her voice was sharp and she snapped her fingers in front of Julia's stunned face.

Wow. Rude.

"No problem." Julia forced the annoyance out of her voice. "I'm sure we can find something in here that would work."

"Yes, I'm sure
you
can." The woman picked up her cell and used long polished nails to type into the keyboard.

Julia narrowed her eyes and focused her attention on trying to find an appropriate book as quickly as possible so she could send the Wicked Witch of the West on her way. She quickly glanced at the titles on the top shelf but didn't find anything useful. She moved on to the second shelf and began checking those titles. A loud and obvious sigh of impatience came from behind her.

Why did she have so much trouble finding a simple book? And where was a computer she could use to search the store? A store like this one must have a data system in place. She would have to find out about that before anyone else asked her to find another difficult book.

"You do work here, right? Do I need to call your supervisor over?"

Julia plastered on a smile as fake as the woman's breasts and hoped it passed as sincere. "Today's my first day. I'm trying to find you the book as quickly as I can." She tried to remain calm and not get flustered under the woman's glare. "Perhaps if we both look, we'll find your book faster?"

"Perhaps you need to be kept in the back stockroom if you're too dimwitted to find a simple book."

Julia's mouth fell open and the overwhelming desire to pluck one of the snotty woman's fake eyelashes was almost too much to ignore. She pushed down the annoyance brewing deep inside, like a kettle on the brink of boiling, and remained calm, determined not to let this woman get to her. Julia needed this job, which meant she needed to get used to putting up with divas like this on a daily basis. She may as well get used to sucking up her pride and ignoring the plastic mannequins who tried to belittle her.

She walked her fingers along the spines of books with glossy photos of sunflowers and whatnot, desperately trying to find anything suitable to give the woman who was now gossiping loudly into her phone. She had to find a book,
any
book—defeat was not an option.

Julia dived down to the lower shelves. Hidden amongst the books on perennials and planting petunias, there was bound to be a book on projects for kids, and she wasn't giving up until she found one. She had to get rid of this lady fast, before she ended up fired on her first day of work.

Chapter Four

Chase wandered out of the mystery section on his way to the science fiction new releases. A new
Dresden
book had come out a few days before, and he was eager to delve into the newest escapade of Jim Butcher's unique brand of fun. Sci-fi was his favorite guilty-pleasure genre, and one he indulged in more often than he cared to admit. Reading was exactly the kind of thing he needed to help take his mind off Julia.

He would never call himself a scholarly reader, and he was okay with that. When he was at Harvard, he'd done more than his fair share of reading books written by men too pompous for their own good. The moment he'd graduated from the university two years ago, he vowed to read only for pleasure. Since he was single with nowhere better to be, his pleasure tonight would be stretching out on the couch with a beer and a novel—not exactly everyone's idea of a good time, but to him a night in reading sounded like heaven after a long day of work.

He glanced down the aisles as he meandered through the store. More customers lingered in the rows than he expected to see on a Tuesday afternoon. In the spring, people were generally anxious to get out of the house as soon as the weather turned warm. Today was definitely one of the nicer days the Northeast had seen so far, and customers were wandering into the store in droves for iced coffees and conversation. The store and café were busy, but still not nearly distracting enough to prevent his thoughts from drifting back to Julia and their amazing night together.

Chase turned right to take a shortcut through the reference section. That section was usually one of the quietest areas of the store, which meant he wouldn't have to weave around people like a New York City taxi driver. He wasn't the world's best driver, so avoiding potential collisions along the way seemed like a smart choice. He'd already changed his shirt once today, and it was the only spare he had available without a trip home.

Rounding the corner into the gardening aisle, Chase glanced at his watch to see how long he had until the fresh baked cookies would be ready in the café. Only a few minutes after two meant he still had to wait another hour until he could get his cookie fix. Stealing a cookie hot from the oven to go with his iced latte was his favorite part of the work day—one he practically drooled for as soon as he stepped foot inside the front door in the morning.

Chase stumbled as his leg connected with something hard, warm, and distinctly human-shaped. He jumped around on his other leg, catching his balance moments before falling forward onto the person squatting down by the lower shelves.

"Are you okay?" He knelt and came face-to-face with Julia. Unblinking, she stared back at him with those gorgeous eyes of hers. He instantly remembered her staring up at him from the piles of pillows strewn across her bed—so strikingly beautiful. His heartbeat quickened.

"I'm fine. It was just a little tap," she said. "I shouldn't have been hanging out on the floor." She straightened the pile of books in her arms that had gone askew and tugged at the hem of her T-shirt.

"No, it's my fault. I should've been watching where I was going." He tilted his head to the side and chuckled. "So what are you doing down here anyway?"

"I'm looking for a book, but I can't find the stupid thing anywhere, and I know it must be here somewhere…" Her voice trailed off when her eyes met his, her cheeks pinking. "Sorry. I guess I shouldn't complain to the boss about my job on my first day, huh?"

He ignored her question, too intrigued by her to care if she liked her job at the bookstore or not. In fact, he actually hoped she hated working for him and quit immediately. That would solve their problem nicely. Then he could take her out to lunch, find out more about her, and hopefully take her to bed again at some point.

Stop thinking that way. She's not going to quit. You're not going to fire her. End of story.

Frustration nibbled at his brain at the thought of never getting to do any of those things with her. Why did things have to be so difficult all the time? Why couldn't he catch a break when it came to women?

"Don't worry about it." He smiled at her. "I'm not the kind of boss who gets upset about a little complaining."

"I'm glad to see you found a new shirt."

Her eyes trailed along his shirt and the warmth of desire started building inside of him. He wondered what it would feel like if her hand touched his bare chest again. Would he burst into flames at the heat of her touch if a mere glance was already kindling his internal fires?
Damn, I might never get to know the answer
.

"You were saying something about needing a book?" He moved the conversation to something more neutral rather than the fantasies he'd started to formulate in his mind.

"Sorry, it's—um, a book. I can't seem to find the one I need and I'm getting frustrated." She scrunched her eyebrows together as if she was doing long division in her head. Unsuccessfully.

She was cute, really cute. Frustration looked good on this girl. As she tucked a few loose strands of her black hair behind her ear, the remembered taste of her delicious skin flooded his brain, making it almost impossible to focus.

Stop.

"Maybe I can help you find the book you need. What's it called?"

She sighed. "That's the problem. It's for the lady over there." She nodded in the direction of the woman who was still talking loudly into her phone. "She doesn't have a title, just a topic."

"That customer being a pain?"

Julia laughed. "Yep. A little bit."

"Don't worry, Mrs Dupree's awful to everyone, myself included. So what's she barking about this time? I'm sure she has some crisis that needs immediate attention, like a chip in her nail polish or something."

"You know her?"

"Sadly, everyone here knows her. But I'm not so sure anyone actually likes her. So, what're we looking for?"

"She needs a book on planting projects for kids to give her nanny. I've looked but I can't seem to find anything."

"We'll find something. Don't worry." He looked along the bottom shelf for a moment before standing and running a finger along the top shelf. "How about this one?" He held up a book with colorful pictures of flowers and kids running in a field adorning the glossy cover.

A grin spread across her face, making her eyes twinkle like the sun reflecting off the warm Caribbean Sea. Reaching out and taking her hand, he helped her up from the floor. Her skin was soft and warm and gone all too quickly from his. The urge to reach out and pull her against his body threatened to overpower his judgment. To take her in his arms again and kiss her, taste her mouth on his. Pushing those unprofessional thoughts from his mind took all of his resistance.

Why wouldn't she just quit so he could have the chance to know her as a girlfriend instead of only as an employee?

They stood staring at each other for a moment, not bothering to move. He knew he should take a step back, but he couldn't force himself to. Why should he, when standing here with Julia felt so right?

"Ahem." Rebecca cleared her throat loudly from beside him. He jumped a little, startled she stood so close to them. He hadn't even noticed her walk up.

"Hey, Rebecca. What's up?" He hoped he sounded casual and not like a teenager caught sneaking out of the house in the middle of the night—although, sneaking around in the dark sounded good, too, as long as Julia was involved.

Rebecca's eyes flickered back and forth between them, before she answered. "Nothing. I was just walking by and I thought I'd check in with Julia to see how she's doing." Rebecca turned to face Julia directly. "So, finding your way around okay?"

Chase thought he heard a familiar tone in Rebecca's voice, the one she used every time she found him talking to a woman. He hated that tone. He sighed, knowing this conversation wasn't going to go anywhere productive.

Julia took a step back from Chase. He wondered if she could sense Rebecca's tone, too, or if her reaction to Rebecca's presence was just coincidence. "I am, thanks. I was just helping a customer and then I needed help from Mr Bloom.

"I'm just Chase. Mr Bloom makes me feel old." He laughed, hoping to lighten the mood, which had changed drastically since Rebecca found them.

"Great." Rebecca sounded like she was feeling anything but great. "I'm glad Chase was able to help you. Next time, maybe you can ask me for help instead of bothering the boss."

"It wasn't a bother at all. I was just passing through and thought I'd lend a hand to the new girl. That's all." Chase motioned toward the front of the store. "Who's up front?"

"Jessie."

"Maybe you should head back. She hasn't been here long enough to leave on her alone to handle all the customers herself for too long."

As though the store could read his mind, a young voice came over the loud speaker. "Manager to the front with the key, please. Manager to the front."

Rebecca's eyes darted between them again quickly. "I guess I should go. Julia, when you're done with those books, there are more waiting."

"I'll be up there as soon as I put these away." Julia motioned to the stack of books and magazines at her feet.

Chase watched Rebecca leave before turning back to Julia. "So, this book should be fine for Mrs Dupree." He held the book out to her like a peace offering amid the awkward silence hanging in Rebecca's wake.

"This is perfect, thank you." She took the book from his hand and flipped through the pages. She glanced back at the shelf with a puzzled expression and cocked her head to the side. "I don't know how I missed this one. I swear I looked there."

"It's easy to miss. All the books tend to blend together on the shelf." He stood there staring at her, wishing he could say something else relevant to continue their conversation. "I guess I should let you get back to work, huh?"
Real clever
, he thought, begrudging his lame exit line.

"I guess you should." She glanced between her book and him. "Thanks again for the help."

"My pleasure." He walked passed her a few steps before turning back. He wished there was something he could say about their situation, but what? No sense dwelling on something that could never be.

She watched him, tilting her head to the side as if she questioned his hesitation.

"Listen, about the other night." He started, but wasn't sure where to go from there. "I really had a good time with you."

She grinned and laughed, blushing a deep red. "I could tell."

He laughed too. "No, that's not what I meant—well, I guess I mean that, too—but I actually just meant I liked talking to you, dancing, everything. It—it was nice."

"I had a good time too, in all meanings."

"I really wish we could go out again sometime. I had already been planning where I'd take you once I finally got a hold of you."

"Oh yeah? Where?"

"There's this little Spanish place called Luna that serves the best tapas." He shrugged. "Doesn't matter now, I guess."

The smile slid off both of their faces as the weight of his last statement hung in the air between them. "Too bad. I like tapas."

He nodded, his disappointment almost breaking through his boss exterior. "Something else we have in common."

"I'm sorry." Julia spoke quietly and wrapped her arms around the book she still held, pulling it protectively against her chest. "It's just, I really need this job. I wish I didn't, but I do."

Chase shook his head. He didn't want her to feel pressured into quitting just because he wanted to go on a real date with her. "No, of course you do. I shouldn't have said anything. I didn't mean anything by it. Just thinking out loud I guess." He wouldn't make that mistake again.

"I'll let you get back to work. Let me know if you need anything." He turned and left without glancing back. He needed to get on with life without Julia. Their situation wasn't going to change, and the sooner he accepted reality, the better off they'd both be. He wouldn't pressure her again. They were stuck working together and that's all there was to it.

Chase wove his way through the rows of books and ducked into the self-help room on his way to new releases. He kicked a book lying in the middle of the aisle and bent to pick it up before flipping the book cover side up in his hands.
Banging in the Backroom: Tales of Workplace Romance Gone wrong
. Oh, hell. Even the merchandise was on his case.

Time to move on to the next girl, like always.