Page 6 of Sweet Dreams

I turn to her, smiling. “What ego, Dimples. I was a perfect gentleman.”

She laughs, making those dimples pop. “Right, and I’m Mary Poppins. Did you need anything? It’s busy today, and I can’t be here babysitting your ass.”

I take off my baseball cap, run my fingers through my hair, then put my cap back on. “It would be hot if you were Mary Poppins.” She rolls her eyes laughing. “Did you want my help? I’m not good with book stuff, but I can try.”

“You want a job?”

I shrug. “I mean. I got nothing else to do besides sit at home stroking my ego.”

“Yes, the ego. You should give it a break. The little thing must be tired.”

“Nothing little about it.” I smirk, adjusting my jeans. She quickly looks down before rolling her eyes.

“Whatever helps you sleep at night, Silas. Come, I’ll show you how to work the till or if you want to avoid people, I can show you the stock room. Choose.”

“stock room. Fuck people.”

I follow her to the back, where a mountain of boxes awaits me. That is not what I expected to be doing when I walked in here today. But the lack of oxygen to the brain makes you do stupid things, and let's be honest this is better than sitting at home, listening to a phone ring nonstop.

“Unpack and stock. That’s it. It’s easier than it seems. If you need help, I’ll be out front. You’ve saved me so much time, I owe you.”

“No, Dimples. I owe you.”

I’ve been working for years, but never legit that it seems foreign. The thought of not being busted or being shot at is refreshing. Then again, it’s not nearly exciting. I thought leaving was what I wanted, but maybe it wasn’t. I’m so confused about what I want. Now I’m sounding like a bitch boy.

Teagan should’ve informed me that I would still be interacting with people. Stocking books is great, but when someone asks where to find a book, that’s above my pay grade. I don’t even know where half of these fuckers go. It’s a guessing game at this point. Hopefully, my new boss doesn’t mind my fuck ups.

When I glance at the till, I see Teagan laughing and chatting with a customer. Her carefree attitude spreads to those around her. It’s hard not to be when all she does is smile. She catches a glimpse of me, grins, lifts her arm, taps her wrist and holds up five fingers. I pull my phone out and check the time, only now realizing how late it is. It’s quittin’ time.

“Are you finished?”

I look up, and she’s standing over the bookshelf, watching me. “Um, yeah. Are you?”

“I only need to cash out, and I’m done. You’ve saved me a lot of time today. I’m not sure how to thank you.”

“Can I take you out for supper in celebration of me not fucking up too much?” I spit out before my brain can think to stop it.

“You want to take me for supper?” Her brows raise. You swear I asked her to marry me.

“It’s only supper. You have dined with the other team before, right?”

She rolls her eyes. “Yes, dummy. I wasn’t expecting you, of all people, to ask me out, that’s all.”

I’ll be the one to shoulder the responsibility. While I may not be the master of small talk, and my people skills may need a little boost, but my charm makes up for it. Or at least, I hope it does. My style is usually wham bam, thank you, ma'am. Taking awoman out for supper is out of the norm for me; I swear this town is changing me.

“Pick a place. You know Holden better than I do.”

She licks her lips and starts listing off places. “You have the café, The Lucky Dragon, or the hotspot everyone goes to.”

I raise a brow. Clearly, I have never ventured much into this town.

“The Holden restaurant. And yes, that’s what it’s called,” she says with a slight laugh.

A laugh broke free. “Get the fuck out of here. Who named it that?”

She shrugs. “No idea, it’s always been named that, no matter who owned it, they never changed it. This town is strange, Silas.”

I watch as she finishes around the shop, and I try not to let self-doubt seep in. Building a new life is the whole point of the move, but if she did find out about my past life, then what? It would be hard for me to move on; Teagan is slowly sinking into the depths of my soul. I should’ve stayed away. I’m only asking for trouble.

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