Page 47 of The First Spark

I only allowed it to linger a few seconds, but for that brief instant, I felt whole again.

Or I just read into something that wasn’t there, much like I did with Lucille.

Tossing the book on the table, I crack my knuckles and steal another glance down the darkened back hallway of the bookstore.

“She’s not back there,” Mina states, her mouth a thin line.

So much for flying under the radar.

“You mean Ori?”

Mina scoffs and wags her finger at me. “Yes. The woman you’ve been looking for this entire time.”

Silence fills the space between Mina and me as her words settle over me like a blanket.

The woman I’ve been looking for this entire time.

What the hell is wrong with everyone this morning? Seems the staff of both shops are determined to marry me off to the petite bookstore owner.

Well, they need to settle down. Ori and I spent one night together. It hardly qualifies as marriage material.

“Did Ori say something happened between us?”

Mina shakes her head. “Not a word, but there was that unfortunate incident with the vacuum cleaner. What else could leave such a mark on her neck, right?”

I sputter my coffee, earning a wicked grin from Mina as I recall the hickey I gifted Ori the night before. “Shit. Forgot about that. Did you mention it to her?”

“Kind of hard to ignore, considering it was front andcenter on Ori’s throat. She grabbed her purse and bolted home to change into a turtleneck. Damn vacuums.”

I glide my tongue ring along my lower lip, chuckling. “Vacuums are known to possess a fierce temperament at times.”

“Hopefully it will fade away before any of her dates take notice.”

What the hell?

I cut my gaze from the far wall to Mina’s face, trying to gauge if she’s serious with that statement. “I didn’t think she was dating anyone.”

“She’s not, but there have been plenty of men asking her out. Can you blame them?”

Okay, she’s baiting me and damn it all, it’s working. I tap my boot along the floor as the aggravation flows through my body.

Time to slide on my ‘I don’t give a fuck’ face. After all, it’s not likemybed has been cold.

“Can’t blame them at all. She’s one hell of a woman.”

“Not the love ‘em and leave ‘em type, though. Ori is a real romantic. A firm believer in true love and happily ever after. Just waiting for the right guy to come along and sweep her off her feet.”

“Look—”

Mina waves her hand, dismissing whatever cockamamie excuse I planned to employ. “Heavens, I didn’t meanyou. Ori isn’t your type. Not your style. Not your vibe. I know that, and so does she. It’s your loss, though, because the woman is fabulous.”

Tell me something I don’t know.

Mina stacks the books in a neat pile, smiling at acustomer when they enter. “Besides, you’re not her type, either.”

Time for me to leave because now my temper wants a piece of the action.

I sure as hell was Ori’s type last night.

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