Page 63 of The Charmer

"And if you want to go dancing at any point before the party, let me know. I'm your man."

I’m your man. Why did that sound so appealing?

"I'll think about it," I said, "but this is a busy season, so..."

"No need to explain yourself. By the way, I’ll send you a gift, specifically for the party.”

I licked my lips. “What is it?”

“It’s a surprise. You’ll get it tomorrow morning.”

My heartbeat was erratic. I didn’t even know what to say.

“I can't wait to see you," he whispered.

"Me either."

After hanging up, I dropped my head on the back rest, taking in a deep breath.

Oh, Georgie, you told yourself you were never going to date a powerful man again.

But I wasn’t dating Julian. I was simply pretending... and enjoying it.

Po-tay-to, po-tah-to. I was playing with fire again, and I knew it.

Chapter Fifteen

Georgie

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The next morning, I arrived at the store forty minutes late. The bus had gotten a flat tire, and it took forever to fix it. Luckily, Zelda was opening today.

I wondered when Julian was going to send the gift or if he was going to bring it himself. I’d definitely love that. I was looking for any excuse to see him. I had a yearning for him that I couldn't explain.

To my intense disappointment, there were no customers inside the store.

I will never get used to this, the highs and lows. Why was yesterday so chock-full and today empty?

"Hey," Zelda said when I stepped in.

"Have we had any customers today?"

"There were two girls earlier. They bought a handful of beads and cheap masks. And you got a delivery."

Aha. Guess who had butterflies in her stomach? That's right, me.

She pointed at an elegant box at the side of the counter. It was nondescript.

"Thanks. Who brought it?"

"Someone working for Julian LeBlanc."

I grabbed the box and said, "I'll just go in the back."

"Sure."

She had a very sneaky smile. Could she tell from my face? Oh, who cared?

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