Page 29 of Gentle Fox

"Have you had the chance to meet any of these authors?"

"Oh, yes." Bella clapped. "I travel all over to attend signings. It's how I pick which books to sell. Some of the signings have great panels where the authors get to talk about themselves, I've found some great up-and-coming authors that way. And they’re always so nice and friendly. They want to meet people who help get the word out about their books. I have a huge social media following, so that helps."

Wow. I never thought a small town could have such an impact.

"Are you originally from Willow Creek?"

"I am." Bella beamed. "I know it seems crazy to think someone from a small town can do so much but social media has really changed the world. I started out blogging and reviewing for authors. That turned into this." With her arms spread wide, she showcased the results of her efforts.

"That's fantastic."

I was a little envious of this petite woman. She looked to be around my age but she certainly had her shit figured out. I couldn't say the same for myself. I was too busy flitting from job to job to ever know where I wanted my life to take me.

It never bothered me before, but now that I was starting to see all these successful women around me, it got me thinking about how I saw my future going.

In reality, I never needed to work another day in my life. I didn't need the money my father left me because of myinheritance from my mother, but just the fact that Seraphina wanted it, despite my father's wishes, I would fight to respect his will.

Did that mean I could be lazy?

Nope.

I didn't know how not to work. I just never found something that interested me long enough to stay someplace.

Which brought me around to my current predicament. How long would it be before the receptionist position didn't satisfy me any longer? What would I do then? I was uprooting my life to this small town where I doubted there would be a lot of opportunities to find more work if this one no longer worked out.

Shit, I was starting to see the flaw in my escape plan.

Now I was standing in the middle of a bookstore, spiraling. I needed to turn things around before Bella or, God forbid Owen, figured out what was going on inside my mind.

"I'm going to look around for a bit."

Bella smiled, none the wiser to my mental freak-out. "Take your time. Let me know if you need anything, and if there's an author I don't carry, just let me know. I'll be happy to get it for you."

Yes, she mentioned that Owen’s order would be here next week. I wondered how often he placed orders or if they were new releases that just hadn't come in yet. Bella seemed like the type of attentive business owner who would know her customers well enough to anticipate future purchases.

I was looking through some dark romance reads when Owen slid up next to me. "I know you haven't said anything, but don't think I haven't noticed how small that suitcase you brought with you is. At what point were you going to ask about shopping?"

Ha. Truth be told I forgot all about it. I remembered each morning and night when it was time to get dressed, but during the waking hours, it slipped my mind.

"How about now?"

Owen gave me a lazy smile. "I'm not sure what kind of shops you’re used to, but there's a clothing boutique next door. We passed it on our way in."

I'd been too focused on the hand on my back to pay attention to which stores we passed. A clothing boutique sounded fabulous even if I wouldn't be able to get much. The cash I had on hand was running low and using my cards was still off-limits. I needed to find a way to access my inheritance without leaving a paper trail until I got my first paycheck.

Which reminded me I needed to speak to Maverick about that. It wasn't as if I could work for him on the books. I never filled out paperwork, but it didn't sound like a good idea for me to do so.

"Sounds perfect."

"Grab a few books and we can head over before it closes."

I grabbed books from two of my favorite authors and another two that I’d never read but were in the same genre. The blurbs sounded good and I was always willing to try someone new.

When we got to the cash register, Owen refused to let me pay, stating he knew how important it was I stayed off the grid and I could pay him back once I got my first paycheck. Something told me he wouldn't let me pay then either but that was a fight for another time. Not something I wanted to do in front of Bella.

Our next stop was the clothing boutique, and damn, how the hell did I miss that the first time? Obviously Owen took up more headspace than I realized because this place was definitely my kind of store. The mannequin in the window showcased a gorgeous dress that weeks ago I would've died to own. I stillwould, but now I needed to wait until I could actually afford it. I was tempted to dip into my inheritance but I knew better.

At least I did until we walked inside the store. Then all bets were off and I nearly swallowed my tongue.

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