Page 23 of Tumbling the Cornerback

Brows drawing together, he shook his head. “I don’t think I’ve heard of it. I’m sorry?”

“Secondhand books, a lot of rare and hard to find stuff.” I opened the door, motioning him ahead of me. “The name means the smell of books.”

He snorted softly. “Well, it’s a good smell so who can blame her?”

“The owner has a thing for Ouisie,” I whispered. “They were in college together, but she was dating her ex at the time. Then she got pregnant and had Greggy, her ex disappeared, and she wasn’t in any place to date.”

“Oooooh,” Lucas crooned, eyes lighting up. “Enemies to lovers! My favorite!”

“.. what?”

“Enemies to lovers! The best fictional trope! Like Darcy and Elizabeth—okay, they weren’t so much enemies and antagonists, but it counts!” He rattled off a few more names, flashing me that dimpled grin and winking before adding “So your sister and this guy… total Darcy and Elizabeth vibes?”

“No, no, nothing like that,” I chuckled. “I mean, he’s kind of a sourpuss sometimes, but that’s just him, I think. He’s been carrying a torch for Heloise for almost ten years. Not in a creepy way, just... if she ever looked his way, he’d definitely faint.”

“That’s kind of cute,” Lucas cooed. “Totally a romance novel setup.”

“Maybe,” I allowed. “If they stopped trying to outdo one another in sales.”

“Okay, nerdy-romantic then,” he said with a shrug. “It can work!”

“Tell you what,” I laughed, “you can tell my terrifying sister she needs to date her business rival. Sell tickets. I want to see if you can handspring your way out of that verbal beatdown she’d dole out. Ouisie is convinced she’s not dating until she’s at least forty and Greggy is in high school.”

Lucas looked taken aback before joining in my laughter. We stepped inside the cozy bookstore, the scent of old paper and leather enveloping us. The dim lighting and the soft jazz playing in the background created a warm atmosphere. As we perused the shelves filled with literary treasures, I caught Lucas stealing glances at me, his eyes holding an unspoken question.

I pretended to be engrossed in a dusty copy of a classic novel, but his gaze made my heart race. Finally, mustering up all my courage, I turned to him. “You know, this isn’t exactly how I imagined our evening would go.”

Eyes sparkling, he took a step closer, closing the distance between us. “How did you imagine it then?” he asked softly, his hand brushing against mine. The touch sent a shiver down my spine, and a rush of warmth flooded through me. Something clouded in Lucas’s expression as he stared back at me, his lips pursed in a thin line as his gaze searched my face. Then, as quickly as it had come, it was gone, replaced by something clear, cautious. Maybe a little interested. “Because I can safely say this is not at all like I’d pictured the night going.”

“I imagined a quiet dinner, maybe some good wine, and talking about everything but work,” I confessed, my voice barely above a whisper. “I haven’t been able to stop thinking about the other night. And I’d be lying if I said I didn’t want a repeat.” Or more...

A soft smile tugging at the corner of Lucas’s lips, he reached out to tuck a loose strand of hair behind my ear. “Well, who says we can’t still do that?” he murmured, swaying closer. Eyes hooded, his gaze caught on my lips.

My heart fluttered at his touch, the air charged with an undeniable tension. Without another word, Lucas closed the gap between us and pressed his lips to mine in a tender kiss. In that moment, surrounded by the scent of old books and the soft sounds of the shop around us, my crush burst into flame, became something else entirely.

And I only hoped Lucas might feel it too.

“Hey! Hey, you’re Heloise Howard’s brother.”

The kiss broke, Lucas taking a half step back and shoving his hands into his pocket, expression wary. A tall, thin man with sharp features and hair even redder than mine peered at us from the end of the aisle, a deep frown on his face. “Did she send you to check the place out?”

“Hey, Sonny,” I sighed. “No, we were just... out?—”

“On a date,” Lucas broke in at the same time, his cheeks flaming pink. “We were on a date, and I suggested stopping in here.”

Sonny turned his shrewd gaze to Lucas. “Are you a bookseller?”

“Not even remotely. Unless you count me taking those boxes of Mom and Titi’s romances to Half Price Books for them every year.”

He sniffed. “No. No I do not.”

“Long time no see.” I gave him one of my Media-Friendly smiles. “Should I tell Ouisie you said hi?”

Red crept up Sonny’s throat, above his buttoned collar and tie. “That’s not necessary. I’ll be watching the pair of you, though. No pictures! And if I see her little shop is suddenly copying mine, I’ll know who passed the intel on to her!”

Lucas’s eyes were so wide the whites clearly showed around the deep brown irises. “Roger that,” he murmured. Nodding sharply, Sonny turned to stride back to the counter, no doubt to watch us on CCTV.

I squeezed Lucas’s hand, offering a reassuring smile. Once the coast was clear, I turned back to Lucas, unable to contain the laughter bubbling up inside me. “Well, that was unexpected,” I said, chuckling nervously. “Weird, though.”

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