Page 3 of Ruined By the Hunk

Harper turns when the door to the bookstore opens and several women walk in. It’s Harper’s book club and hopefully my reprieve from spilling my guts. Harper turns back to me, but my focus is one hundred percent on the last woman to walk through the bookstore entrance.

It’s Alice and like the night in her backyard, my heart beats faster just looking at her. Her hair is braided down her back just like it was the night we met and my fingers itch to undo it and run my hands through the gold strands.

“Hunter?” Harper pulls on my arm, pulling me out of my Alice-induced trance. I hope she didn’t realize I was staring at her. I don’t know why she turned me down the other night, but being a creep at the bookstore isn’t going to win me any points.

“Sorry, Harps.” She stares at me and I start feeling a little like a bug under a magnifying glass. “I have a lot on my mind and spaced out there for a second.”

“Sure.” She laughs. “My book club is about to start, so I’ve gotta get going. Are you coming to dinner next Sunday?”

“You’re first official time to host? You bet I’ll be there. You’re one of my favorite sisters-in-law.”

She laughs and kisses my cheek. “You St. James men are ridiculous. I’ll see you later.”

I watch as Harper walks over to the table her friends have taken over in the corner of the book club. Alice is laughing at something Effie, who owns the bookstore, is saying and her whole face is lit up. I want to be the one to put that smile on her face.

Quickly I buy the books Clara recommended after I called and told her about Alice. I’m not completely sure she isn’t messing with me, but I’ll read them if it gives me some insight into the female brain.

I start to leave the bookstore but look over at Alice one more time. I turn to just take a quick peek and find her watching me. To my surprise, she doesn’t look away. I want to go talk to her, but I know deep down that’s not the right move. Instead, I wave, give her a quick smile, and leave the bookstore.

I need to get home and see if I can learn anything from the romance books I just bought. When it comes to my next-door neighbor, I need all the help I can get.

Alice

I watch as Hunter walks by the window and fades out of view. I can feel the heat of my blush from being caught staring at him. Crawling under the table and never coming back out sounds like a good idea right now. He’s just so hot. It’s impossible not to look at him.

“What was that?” Effie asks.

“I think someone has a thing for Alice,” Harper says.

“What?” I expected them to tease me about having a crush on Hunter, not the other way around. There’s no way someone that looks like that would want someone like me. “He’s my neighbor. He was just being neighborly.”

Bridget, who’s a teacher at my new school, says, “I want a neighbor like that!”

Everyone dissolves into laughter, I make a quick wish that’s the end of us talking about Hunter, but I’ve never been lucky.

“Hunter was buying romance books suggested by Clara,” Harper tells the table.

“Clara?” I ask, unfounded jealousy shooting through my body.

Harper narrows her eyes at me as if she’s trying to figure out if I’m good enough for one of the St. James brothers. At least, that’s what I feel like, although it’s probably just my overactive imagination.

“Clara is the baby of the family. All of the brothers go to her when they need advice. They’resuperclose.”

Okay, that was a bit of a warning, but I’m not sure why. Nothing is going to ever happen between Hunter and me.

“What did Clara recommend?” Bridget asks.

Everyone starts talking at the same time about the books Hunter bought and what others they think he should read. I don’t say anything. I feel out of place for the first time with this group and I hate it. Why should it matter that Harper warned me away from her brother-in-law? I wasn’t planning on going after him.

“Nothing is going to happen between Hunter and me,” I blurt out.

Everyone at our table, and the tables around us, freeze. All eyes focus on me and I want to fade away. This is another reason I like to spend my time with Splat at home.

“Why not?” Harper asks. “He’s cute and very sweet. I saw the way the two of you were looking at each other. There were some serious sparks there.”

“I wouldn’t turn him away,” another member of our book club, Daphne, says. “He’s the last standing St. James.”

“I have no idea what that means,” I huff. “I don’t date and didn’t want Harper thinking I was after her brother-in-law. I promise to leave him alone.”

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