Page 14 of Angel Eyes

I did anything and everything to keep from focusing all my attention on Juliet.

Occasionally, I’d sneak a glance in her direction and was ridiculously pleased to find her listening attentively. Every time she smiled, I wondered what she was thinking, and I tried to decipher which places she liked from the subtle shifts in her expression. The wrinkling of her nose. The twitching of an eyebrow. At one point, I’d lost my train of thought entirely when she dragged her bottom lip between her teeth.

Good lord.

I stopped watching her after that.

At the end of the tour, Juliet deposited her bike in the place I indicated and then left without saying a single word to me. I tried to ignore the pit in my stomach and distracted myself by talking to the other guests, who all thanked me for the tour and promised to write reviews. But by the time the last person had gone, the pit had grown into a gaping hole. I slammed the door to the bike garage, wondering how many times I would be forced to watch Juliet Chandler walk away from me before she disappeared out of my life for good.

Moving to the front of the shop, I collapsed behind the computer at the front desk, jabbing the password into the keyboard a bit harder than necessary.

It’s fine. It’s better this way.

If her enduring silence over the past week hadn’t been indication enough, her abrupt departure this afternoon without so much as a thanks, have a nice life certainly made things clear. Never mind the fact that she’d been living rent free in my mind from the moment I set eyes on her. The point was she wasn’t interested, and it was high time I got good with it.

Sorting through a few unread emails in our business account, my eyes fell across one from [email protected]. I clicked it open, reading the subject line.

From: [email protected]

To: [email protected]

Subject: Female Student

Date: June 8, 2024, 12:13 PM

Gabe, if you’re reading this, I assume you’ve already received a visit from a certain doe-eyed student who may or may not be confused with a character from Shakespeare. Feel free to thank me anytime. For the record, I will accept payment in the form of ice cream from Berthillion.

Cheers,

Nora

I snorted and typed out a quick response.

From: [email protected]

To: [email protected]

Subject: Re: Female Student

Date: June 8, 2024, 12:46 PM

Nice of you to check in. Yes, I was quite surprised to see her, and I would be more than happy to take you to Berthillion. I’ll make sure they add extra walnuts to your sundae.

- G

Leaning back in my seat, I checked the time before scrolling through a couple more emails. I had just finished filling out a purchase order for new bike reflectors when her response arrived.

From: [email protected]

To: [email protected]

Subject: Re: Re: Female Student

Date: June 8, 2024, 12:58 PM

Gabe, I’m allergic to nuts. I thought you knew that.

Cheers,

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