“It’s not nice to mess with people like that,” she said, still with the grim expression of her face.
“Oh, come on, I was about to grab it for her when I saw you. Besides, it’s so slow. I haven’t seen another human being in hours. I’m starving for the interaction.”
“You like the quiet.”
“I do,” I said with a wink.
“You’re impossible.”
“But you love me.”
“Yes, Rainier, I do. But only because someone has to.”
“Whatever.” I sat back down in my chair. “What’s up?”
“Not much, just shopping for a new bra and–”
“GA!” I interrupted. Why Sarah thought her brother wanted to hear about underwear shopping was beyond me.
She rolled her eyes. “I was shopping and thought I’d bring you a pretzel from the food court because I’m the best sister ever.”
“You’re my only sister.”
“Which is exactly why we need to stick together,” she said shoving a small bag into my hand. “Anyway, I gotta go to work. Just thought I’d stop by and say hi.”
“You really are the best though.”
“I know,” she said, already walking out of the small store. “No more torturing the customers.”
“I make no promises,” I answered, but she was out into the main walkway of the mall and didn’t hear me. Which was fine, I was ready to dig into my weak lunch. I’d forgotten to bring something, and Jenny hadn’t shown up to work yet.
It wasn’t like her to be late. She was my favorite person to work with, not that there were many employees at Between The Pages. The bookstore was usually pretty slow, so it gave us a bunch of time to goof off or read. We’d been working together off and on for the last couple years. It had given us plenty of time to fall into a comfortable work relationship.
I had a mouthful of pretzel when I saw a customer turning into the store. I chewed as quickly as I could and swallowed a bite that was too big, the kind that hurt the entire way down your esophagus. Eating in front of the customers was something Mr. Matthews frowned upon.
When the girl looked up, I realized it was Michelle, the boss’ daughter. I hastily set my pretzel aside and sat up straight in my chair. Whatever reason she was here, I knew it couldn’t be good. Of all days, why did Jenny have to be running late today? If she were here, I would disappear while she took care of it.
I forced a smile on my face. “Hi, Michelle. Can I help you with something?”
“You could talk some sense into my dad.” The grin on her face was equally forced. Her long dark hair was lying flat against her shoulders. Her skin was red like she’d been out in the sun for too long, and she was wearing a black shirt and khaki shorts. It was the same thing I was wearing.
The basic uniform for Between The Pages.
Tap, tap, tap.
This time, my tapping had nothing to do with the song I’d been humming earlier. “Why are you here, Michelle?” I asked slowly.
“Surprise, I’m your co-worker today.” The fake smile was still plastered on her face. She looked about as comfortable as I felt. This was not happening.
I hadn’t gone to school with Michelle. But after working for her father for the last couple years and hearing stories about her from Jenny, I didn’t think I wanted to know anything beyond her name.
She came behind the counter and pushed some papers over to set her designer purse down. Unfortunately, the pretzel I had shoved out of the way was with the papers and went falling to the floor. It wouldn’t have been so bad except the five-second rule wasn’t meant for pretzels covered in melted butter touching carpeted floors that were never vacuumed.
When I got out of my chair to clean up the mess, Michelle took the opportunity to sit down in my chair. If she noticed my food on the floor, she didn’t say anything. In fact, she didn’t say anything while she pouted in my seat.
By the time I’d cleaned up the pretzel and some other little messes I had on the counter, she’d pulled a magazine from the display rack near the register. She was flipping through the pages too quickly to be reading any of them. When she was done, she grabbed another.
Eventually, she put that one back and pulled out her phone. I watched her finger move across the screen as quickly as she turned pages, and I wondered if she was skimming everything she saw there too. I didn’t dare ask.
Instead, I put books away, took care of customers, and stayed out of Michelle’s way all while praying this was a one-time deal.
Chapter Three
Michelle
If I had to be in this hellhole, at least I got to see Rainier’s face when I told him I was his co-worker for the day. He looked like he’d seen a ghost. It was so funny. I was not even offended by the blatant horror on his face.
His already pale skin looked a couple of shades lighter, which made his dark hair an even starker contrast than usual. I could see how wide his eyes were, even behind the thick-framed glasses he wore. He didn’t look at me while he cleaned up a mess on the ground and didn’t ask me to put books on the shelves. He didn’t even ask me to wait on the very few customers that came in during our shift.
It seemed that Rainier was doing everything in his power to avoid me and I loved it. I’d flipped through some fashion magazines Dad had on the front counter. I didn’t think people bought magazines anymore. Why pay for something so bulky, when the same things could be found online for free? Of course, I didn’t think people bought books either. And yet, here I was, working in my father’s bookstore.
Thankfully, it was a small store tucked away on the far end of the mall in Boise. I didn’t think any of my friends would come in, but the fact that it was so far off from the good stores, made me more confident in keeping my anonymity.
Between The Pages was a small bookstore my dad started before I was born. It would never compete with the bigger places that had at least five times the amount of space.
The green carpet was not only worn, but looked like it was at least thirty years old. The fluorescent lighting did nothing for anyone’s appearance, and the soft instrumental music playing in the background sounded like it was stolen from an elevator. The place was a joke.
For some reason, my dad was attached to it, even though I knew he barely broke even on it. I couldn’t understand why he held onto it, but it didn’t matter. I was stuck here, at least for the summer. After that, I was going to have to find a way to make sure I never stepped foot into this rinky-dink place again.
My phone buzzed.
Aves: How’s my sexy librarian doing?
Me: If you tell anyone!
Aves: Relax. Nobody cares if you’re working at your dad’s bookstore. Stop overreacting.
I took a selfie with my middle finger front and center and sent it to her.
Aves: Anyway…. wanna hang out tonight? I want to see you before I leave.
Me: Sure. Want to come over and swim?
I hit send before thinking. My skin still stung from the sunburn. I hoped Avery would suggest something else.
Aves: Carter is playing tonight. I thought we could watch him play.
Ugh. Okay, anything but that. I did not want to be the third wheel to her and Mr. Guitar Hero. They couldn’t keep their mouths to themselves. Plus, Wild Bill’s smelled like the love child of a dumpster and an ashtray. The last time I went with Avery, my favorite flats were completely trashed because some drunk guy spilled his beer all over my feet.
Me: I’m not going.
I waited for her response, but when I didn’t hear back for several minutes, I assumed she didn’t have anything else to say. Whatever.
I looked up from my phone and watched Rainier. He was walking around the store quickly putting books away. The glasses he wore kept sliding down his nose while he fought a losing battle. He would push them back up with his shoulder, since his hands were full, but they always fell back down. One time, Rainier ended up dropping a stack of what looked like romance novels, and I barel
y held my laughter back.
Fine. I didn’t hold it back at all. I laughed, and he caught me, earning a glare. I just smiled and gave a little wave of my fingers. He was such a dork, and I could only hope I wouldn’t be stuck working with him every day. Even Jenny would be better than this.
My phone buzzed again.
Aves: Just come tonight.
Me: I’ll go next time.
Aves: This is the last chance before I leave for Mexico.
Me: Then I’ll go when you get back.
Aves: You can be so selfish sometimes.
I put my phone down with more force than I intended. I wasn’t mad, not really. Avery had a point, but I really didn’t want to go out. I looked up just in time to see Rainier walking back to the counter to grab more books.
“Why are you running around like a chicken with its head cut off anyway?” I asked, when he got closer.
“It’s my job,” he said, barely making eye contact with me as he looked at the spines of the different books in his hand and began organizing them. He tapped against the books in a repeating pattern.
“Yeah, I get that.”
“Do you?”
“What’s that supposed to mean?”
He set the books on the counter and looked at me. “Nothing, but I have plans tonight, and I need to make sure I finish everything before I go.”
“Dungeons and Dragons?” I teased.
“Something like that. Can you just… Just tell me if someone comes in and needs help, okay?”
“Sure thing, Mr. Manager,” I said with a wink, which earned me a slight blush. He didn’t say anything in response, just continued with his work.
Just a couple more hours and I was out of here. I was not looking forward to a summer full of customers. Customers like the woman walking up to the counter. Rainier had just walked off when I spotted her coming in my direction. She was a mousy looking thing with a small stack of books. When I looked closer, I could see they were romance novels.
How pathetic did you have to be to read stuff like that?
“You’re not buying these, are you?” I asked when she set four books on the counter. The one on top had a woman in a beautiful green dress that was falling off her shoulder, while the man on the cover was shirtless. I snorted.
The woman’s face turned red. “Why wouldn’t I?”
“You mean besides being pathetic? How about it gives women unrealistic expectations about love?” I pointed down at the books.
Her eyes darted back and forth between the books on the counter and the entrance to the store, and it looked like she was about to cry. I wondered if she would walk out before buying them and knew my dad would have a lot to say about that if he ever found out. I started to open my mouth to apologize when Rainier interrupted.
“Mrs. Bristol,” Rainier said in a friendly tone. “How are you today?”
She quickly blinked away any tears that were forming and smiled at him. I also noticed her blush was back. Interesting. This woman had to be in her thirties or forties. “Hi, Rainier.”
“I didn’t see you come in or I would have pulled out the new Tessa Dare book I hid behind the counter for you. I know how much you love her.”
The woman pointed to the counter where her books sat. “I grabbed one from the shelf with a few others.”
Rainier looked to the books on the counter, up to me and back to Mrs. Bristol taking in the scene. When his gaze met my face for the second time, he narrowed his eyes. “Michelle, would you mind taking this?” He held a book up in his hand.
“Why?” I asked, crossing my arms. Like he had any right to tell me what to do.
A deep sigh escaped his lips, and I think he may have even whispered something under his breath before walking up to the register. Rainier rang up the books that were sitting on the counter, while he and the older woman exchanged pleasantries. It sounded like she was a regular who came in every week looking for more romance. And Rainier acted like this wasn’t the most pathetic thing ever.
Which of course it was.
They talked for a couple of minutes before she left. The smile that was on Rainier’s face through the entire transaction fell the moment he turned his head to face me.
“I told you to get me if someone came in.”
“Technically she was here before you said that.”
“You know what I meant. I’m pretty sure that woman single-handedly keeps this business going. It might be best not to alienate her.”
“We both know this is the weakest link in my dad’s chain of businesses. It wouldn’t be the end of the world if it closed.”
“To Mrs. Bristol, it might be. She loves coming in. Ever since her husband died, she took up reading. This is one of the highlights of her week.”
“Are you sure you’re not the highlight of her week.”
“She’s a widow. Cut her some slack. Not everything has to be a joke, you know. Sometimes it’s nice just to be nice to other human beings. You should try it.”
“You did not just say that to me,” I argued, feeling my temper rise. “You don’t know anything about me.”
“I’ve heard enough. Plus, between the way you just treated a poor woman trying to buy books from you and the way you’ve sat here doing nothing all day, I've seen enough.”
“Wait until I tell my dad what you said.”
“Tell him, Michelle. If telling his spoiled brat daughter that she’s not in line for some humanitarian award costs me my job, so be it. But I’d like to think your dad is better than that.”
“Better than me, you mean?”
He looked down at his watch and back up at me. “We close in an hour. Can we just ignore each other until then? I’m not asking you to do anything except let me do my job.”
I sat back down in the little chair behind the counter. “Fine by me.”
I didn’t move from that spot until the last customer left and the last dollar was counted from the register and put into the safe under the counter.
I didn’t lift a finger just like Rainier asked.
Chapter Four
Rainier
I was so glad to get out of Between The Pages. The guys and I were playing at Wild Bill’s tonight, and I was still so new to the group, I wanted to do my best to make a good impression, even if I was a temporary replacement. I’d been practicing for the last few weeks with the guys, but this was my first show.
Unfortunately, my work schedule made it impossible for me to be there for sound check. But with Cooper, the original guitarist, out of commission, everyone was pretty flexible. They were just happy to have someone who could fill-in.
Carter offered to drag my stuff down to the bar for the sound check earlier. It wouldn’t be easy for them to get a good idea of how everything balanced without me there. You needed everyone, but he told me they’d figure out a way to make it work. I trusted they would.
It was their band and reputation on the line. Not mine.
Tap, tap, tap.
I drove my car as quickly as I could, knowing it was going to be a close call. Michelle had taken it literally when I said not to do anything while I closed down the register and shelved books. She looked at her stupid phone while I did everything. Sure, I told her to do that. But what kind of human being does nothing when they see someone else busting their butt?
Michelle.
Every story Jenny had ever shared with me seemed much more believable after spending several hours with her. And the way she treated poor Mrs. Bristol. I wasn’t into bodice rippers or anything, but who was I to judge her? She was lonely, and they made her happy.
Tap, tap, tap.
I couldn’t think about that right now. I had to focus on the songs I’d be playing tonight. I’d practiced several times with the band and had played their songs over and over again when I was home. However, this was the first time I’d played in front of a crowd. It was only teen night at Wild Bill’s, but for a guy who struggled with large groups of people, it was far beyond my comf
ort zone.
The sun was just setting as I pulled into the parking lot, still in my black shirt and khaki shorts. Hopefully, the Chucks on my feet would be enough to give me the edge the band wanted to portray. They all thought they were so rock and roll.
Wild Bill’s was infamous in River Valley. It was apparently the best place to get draft beer around here. There was a fight almost every weekend, and it was the place almost everyone went when they finally turned twenty-one. I planned to go anywhere but here when that birthday rolled around.
The guys played here because Cooper’s uncle owned the place. He insisted that the band keep playing here even though he’d broken his arm.
I walked up to the building through the pothole-ridden parking lot. Even the neon sign only showed part of the name of the bar. Instead of saying Wild, it said il. Did that mean Bill was the illest?
I needed to focus.
“Hey, man,” Carter said, as I walked in the door. The bouncer stationed himself at the entranced making sure all the underage kids had bright wristbands and X’s on their hands. I was only nineteen, but he must have recognized me because he let me right in.
“Hey, Carter. Did it go okay earlier?”
“We had Cooper play your guitar the best he could. It was freaking hilarious, but everything sounds golden. I’m just glad you made it on time.”
“Yeah, sorry about that. I got stuck doing a lot of extra crap at work.”
“That sucks.”
“You have no idea,” I mumbled, but knew he couldn’t hear me over the music that played over the speakers. The music matched the country feel of the bar.
“We go on in a few minutes. Go make sure everything looks okay.”
I ran up to the stage as the guys gathered around talking to each other. I didn’t know Carter very well, but I trusted my neighbor Matt. We’d been neighbors for as long as I could remember. We jammed together casually before he formed this band with the other guys. So, when he said I could trust Carter to take care of my stuff, I believed him.
I was glad I put my trust in him. All of my gear was set up almost exactly how I liked it. It was a good thing because I didn’t think I could handle any more surprises that night. I spent the next couple minutes fine-tuning my strings and testing my pedals.
All The Things We Were Page 2
