Love and Lattes

by Heather Thurmeier

  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.

  Chapter Five

  Julia let out a long slow breath as Chase walked away. She held her gaze steady on the book in her hands as though she looked intensely at each page, but in reality she didn't see a single word. Her peripheral vision had never been as important as it was in that moment.

  All she saw was Chase walking away in a pair of very snug jeans, a distinct aura of disappointment in his shoulders. She wished more than ever he wasn't her boss or that she could just quit. After all, she didn't exactly love the job. It wasn't like she'd made any lasting friendships with the other employees in the few hours she'd been there. Enemies, maybe.

  But she wouldn't quit for him. She wouldn't change her plans again for a guy. Not after last time. Chase would have to get used to her working here, and she would have to get used to ogling those nice tight jeans from a distance.

  When he finally walked around the corner and out of her line of sight, she glanced up from the book only to find Mrs Dupree shooting her a look so full of fury, you'd think someone had suggested her shoes were from last season.

  "Don't even think of placing one single finger on him. Got it?" Mrs Dupree pointed one of her polished claws at Julia.

  "I—what?"

  "You heard me, peasant. He belongs to my Charlotte, so hands off."

  "I don't know what you're talking about." Julia shook her head completely confused.

  "You might be able to play all sweet and innocent around him," Mrs Dupree said, jabbing her finger into Julia's chest, "but I can see right through your little charade. If you know what's good for you, you'll stick your nose back in those books and mind your own damn business."

  "Are you threatening me?" Julia laughed. The lady had to be kidding with this, right? Threatened in a bookstore? Julia hadn't seen that coming when she thought about what her first day at work would be like. This place just kept getting more interesting.

  "Just keep your hands off.
That's all I'm saying."

  Mrs Dupree grabbed the book from Julia's hand, turned on her heel, and strode to the end of the aisle before rounding the corner and disappearing down the hallway. The click of her heels on the hardwood floors faded away, leaving Julia in a stunned silence.

  What the hell just happened? Had she really been threatened about Chase? Why did some pretentious woman feel like she needed to stake her claim on him? Or Charlotte's claim—whatever. Chase became more and more interesting with every passing second. Who was Charlotte and why did Mrs Dupree act like Chase was her boyfriend? Surely he wouldn't have agreed to come back to her place the other night if he was already involved with someone, would he?

  She tried to put the whole conversation with Chase and Mrs Dupree out of her mind. No sense wasting time focusing on something—someone—who could never be more than a boss to her. Whether something was or wasn't going on between Charlotte and Chase shouldn't be her concern.

  She still had the vegan book to shelve, which she assumed would need to go back into cooking. Thrilling.

  Right now she would love nothing more than to wander through the romance section to find a new tall, dark, and handsome to take home, but she couldn't. Actually, if she were really being honest, she didn't think even the steamiest romance novel would compare to Chase. He could compete with any hero in those books—and win.

  Instead of indulging in another fantasy-inspiring novel, she strolled down the main aisle that connected each of the rooms on the bottom floor, heading back toward the front of the store. She paused at every room trying to remember what kind of books each contained. Hopefully, she'd know where each section of the store was by the end of the day. Stepping into the room dedicated to magazines and newspapers, she took a few minutes to replace a few from the pile in her arms before heading back down the hall.

  She could feel the tension increase in her neck and arms under the weight of the books. They weren't really that heavy, but holding her arms in the same position was becoming tiresome as she meandered from one row of books to the next, dropping them off. She'd been silly to ignore the cart earlier.

  Wow, her mind kept repeating as she walked. Chase was even better looking than she'd remembered from the night at her house. She figured he would probably blend right in on a soccer field with his lean build and strong, defined muscles. She imagined trailing her finger from his strong jaw, down his perfectly sculpted chest and across what she knew was a set of washboard abs. Just the thought of touching him made her feel hot and flushed. Again.

  She shook the thoughts from her head. Sure, it had been a while since her last boyfriend, but she wasn't so desperate she would walk around a bookstore fantasizing about some guy with whom she'd had one little fling. The same guy who'd been invading her dreams nightly since. Her incredibly handsome, fantasy-inducing boss.

  She found herself scanning the other people wandering around in the aisles as she passed, hoping to catch another glimpse of Chase despite her desire to forget about him. So far she hadn't seen him anywhere.

  She sighed. Let him go. It's just not meant to be.

  Julia finally found the cooking section in the room nearest the front of the store and stopped before a display of vegan cookbooks. She wasn't a stranger to this section of books, so finding the spot on the shelf for the book was easy this time. She glanced around at the other books on display, flipping through one or two while straightening the stacks.

  No one would care if she shopped a little if she was also organizing, right? Maybe she'd get an employee discount to help pay for all the books she'd inevitably want to go home with by the end of her shift. That would be a nice perk, but the added expense wouldn't help pay her rent. She hoped Rebecca would mention a discount later.

  She wasn't vegan, or even vegetarian, but she liked that most of the recipes she found in vegetarian cookbooks were healthy. She always needed new inspirations in the kitchen since she got tired of cooking the same things all the time. Her culinary talent might not be award winning, but edible kept her from starving or ordering delivery every night. She definitely couldn't afford delivery charges on a regular basis, so she saved ordering food for nights when she was cramming for an exam. Thankfully, those days were almost behind her. When she got out of school and into a real marketing job, she could order in as much as she wanted. And she wouldn't have to work for Chase anymore—another added perk of finishing school. Not that her availability would matter by the time she was finished. He probably would have found someone else to date by then anyway.

  Don't waste time worrying about this stuff.

  Julia picked up Farmer's Market Feast and thumbed through the first few pages. The recipes shown in the photos were full of bright colors reminding her summer produce was just around the corner. Summer was her favorite time of year because everything tasted best when in season. This new book might be just what she needed to work her way through this summer when she had free time again. Her mouth watered at the thought of trying the heirloom tomato Panini with mozzarella and the fiesta lime guacamole.

  She decided to take this cookbook with her and maybe Rebecca would tell her where she could stash it until she paid for the book at the end of the day. This would be a good opportunity to ask about an employee discount too. She scanned the ingredients listed in the first recipe to see if she had the stuff on hand in her kitchen already and headed back in the direction of the front checkout.

  Julia walked up to the counter and waited patiently while Rebecca talked with another gentleman paying for his books. Rebecca giggled and batted her eyes, blatantly flirting with him. Does she just hit on every man who walks through the front doors?

  As the man walked away with his purchases tucked under his arm, Rebecca turned toward her, eyes blazing. That wasn't the face of a happy manager.

  "What exactly were you doing that whole time?" Rebecca slammed a few books down on the cart beside the counter. She definitely didn't sound like a happy manager either.

  "What do you mean? I was putting away books."

  "Really? For that long?" Rebecca sneered, her tone challenging Julia. She flipped her hair over her shoulder. Was it possible Rebecca's hair could get even more scarlet and unruly the angrier she got?

  "Yes. I also helped a couple of customers. I didn't realize I had to check in with you to do those things. I thought helping customers along the way was an implied part of the job."

  Rebecca squinted her eyes at her as if she was trying to decide if she believed Julia's story. What's with this girl?

  "So what? Did you forget about that one, or do you need help figuring out where a—" she pulled the book from Julia's hand, "—cookbook belongs?"

  "Actually, I found this while I was putting another book away, and I'd like to set it aside and pay for it when my shift is over."

  Rebecca shook her head and clicked her tongue. "Generally speaking, the boss would rather you didn't shop while you're supposed to be working. That's what breaks are for."

  She should've known Rebecca wouldn't be cool with her grabbing a book for herself. It was too late now, and she wanted the cookbook, so she wasn't going to bother putting it back just to have to go and retrieve it at the end of her shift.

  "Okay, I won't let it happen again, but can I leave this one up here and I'll pay for it on my break?"

  "I guess so, but don't think I won't notice if you conveniently forget to pay for the book before you leave."

  "Wow, I'm not going to steal." Julia couldn't help but feel completely offended by Rebecca's comment. "Why'd you hire me if you think I'm actually going to steal from the store? What does that say about your skills as the manager?" Julia's mouth snapped shut as she realized what she'd just said. She held her breath, knowing she was sure to get fired immediately.

  "I didn't hire you, Jason did. Don't think I'm not going to question his decision about you." Rebecca raised her eyebrows at Julia and folded her arms across her chest. "Anything else you'd like to ask?"

  "Um…
do we get some kind of employee discount or anything?" Julia tried to sound as casual as she could.

  Rebecca rolled her eyes as though she spoke to a petulant child. "Usually the boss gives employees ten percent, but the ability to use the discount would involve actually working if you want to continue to be an employee. At this rate, I'm not so sure you're going to qualify for the discount much longer."

  This manager was harsh. Did she really hate Julia so much already when she'd only worked here for an hour? "Well, I think the boss knows I was working since he helped me find a book for a customer."

  Rebecca got a strange, almost feral look in her eyes as she bent across the counter toward Julia. The stab of Rebecca's sharp fingernail jabbed into Julia's tender flesh. What was with women poking her with their claws?

  "I know what you're doing," Rebecca said, "so don't think you're going to get away with these little games. You might be fooling some of the other, slower people in the store, but you're not fooling me. I saw what you were up to when you were 'working' this afternoon and I'm not going to stand for it."

  "What are you talking about? I stocked books, just like you told me to."

  "You did a lot more than stock books. I saw how you were talking to him. I saw you flirting with him. Or didn't you think the staff would notice you hitting on the boss right in front of everyone?"

  Seriously, this girl hates me. Maybe I should quit now and save myself the headache.

  No, she couldn't quit. She needed this job. How had she made such a mess of things her first day? Maybe the next time she saw Chase, she wouldn't be fantasizing about his hard, strong body and his amazing eyes melting her into a puddle of goo every time she gazed into them. Then maybe the staff—and customers—wouldn't feel the need to hate her.

  Julia was startled out of her thoughts when Rebecca leaned further across the counter so her lips were next to Julia's ear, her voice low and bordering on menacing. "You stay the hell away from Chase if you want to keep this job. Got it?"