Page 14 of One Last Wish

“He’s coming in at ten. I’ll do all his starter paperwork in my office, then he’s all yours.”

Thanks to Daisy, I knew the new guy was twenty-six and calledDarce Undergrove.Ugh!The name still screamed ‘geek in a knitted sweater.’ His parents were probably English Literature scholars from Britain, and had called him Darce because of their love of Pride and Prejudice.Gross!

Ihatedtraining new employees. It was the reason I was extra grumpy today. Training meant I had totalkto someoneallfucking week! It was okay, though. By day two, he’d hate me. All my trainees did. Well, except Theo, but he was an exception.

By ten, I was busy re-stocking the bookish merchandise near the entrance. I was preoccupied refilling the bookmarks, when my eyes snapped up, taking in the man standing in front of me. Not justanyman,theman. The gorgeous guy I’d beenobsessedwith for the last week. As if in a trance, I stood there staring at him, unable to believe what I was seeing.

“Oh, hey. I’m meant to meet with Malcolm at ten.” He greeted me with his hands in his pockets.No fucking way! Hewas Darce Undergrove? This had to be a dream! “I’m the new guy.”

“You’reDarce Undergrove?” I questioned him like an idiot. It appeared I was wrong. There wasn’t a knitted piece of clothing in sight.

“I was the last time I checked.” His tone was clipped as he looked around. I took him in, trying to swallow the gasp at how beautiful this guy was. In the daylight, his face was so perfectly chiselled. Every contour I studied made him look more handsome. I couldn't bring myself to look at the rest of him in case I started drooling. His fitted black jeans and grey shirt were enough to make me wonder what was underneath.

“Darce!” Malcolm made me jump as he shouted behind me. “I’m glad you made it. Come into my office and we’ll get your paperwork done.” Malcolm patted me on the shoulder. “I see you’ve met Alora. She’ll be training you this week.”

Darce’s gaze turned into a strained stare. What wasthatlook? It could have been hate, lust or loss. I had no idea. “Alora?What anoddname.” Well, that wasrude! I got the impression he didn’t remember me from the club as he followed Malcolm to his office.Damnit!

“Who wasthat?” Alice asked, suddenly standing next to me. I hadn’t even noticed her hair was pink until now. That girl changed her hair colour like she changed her pants. What was it with people startling me today? “Please tell me that’s Darce.”

“It would appear so.” I wasn’t even looking at her. My eyes were still fixed on the space where Darce had insulted me. If he thought he could offend people better than me, he had another thing coming. I was the queen of rudeness. You could ask anyone who knew me. “Don’t you haveworkto do?” I glared at Alice, wondering why she was still bugging me.

“Okay, boss. Jeez. Once you’re done with Darce, I don’t mind him helping me out the back.” She wasn’t getting her hands on him. At least until I was finished with him.

Shit!Did I even sleep with work colleagues? For this guy, I’d make an exception. If he actually found me attractive and wanted to sleep with me, that is. This man had my mind in overdrive, and I’d only spent a matter of minutes with him. How was I going to cope all day?

I was back at the till serving the customers when Malcolm and Darce emerged from the office. Taking a deep breath, I watched them head towards me. I nervously tucked the loose strands of my hair behind my ear. It didn’t matter how many times I put it up at work, parts always fell out.

“He’s all yours, Alora,” Malcolm beamed. “I’ll make sure you get paid next Friday, Darce. I’ll ring your details through to the head office now.” With that, he turned and walked back to his office.

“Thanks, Malcolm,” Darce called, his eyes firmly locked on mine. Why was it suddenly so hot in here? “Where did you want me?” Excuse me?Could I give him my honest answer?

“I...Um...I...Y...Yo...You can start at the till, I guess. Have you worked in customer service before?”

“Nope, never.” I couldn’t quite work out his accent. Did I hear a hint of British in his tone? He made his way around the cashier desk, keeping his distance from me and putting his hands back in his jean pockets. “I’ve never used a till, either.”

“Oh, it’s pretty simple. Technology does all the work for us, these days. If you watch me a few times, maybe after lunch you can have a go.”

“Have you worked here long?”

“Four years.”

“You must really like books.”

“I do.” As I turned to look at him, I swept my tongue out to wet my bottom lip. “Darce is an interesting name. Were your parents fans of Jane Austen?”

“Who?”Wow!This guy might be moodier thanme.

“Mr.DarcyfromPride and Prejudice?” Apparently not. He was still looking at me blankly. Not a fan of the classics, it would seem. “I was wondering if you’d been named after him, that’s all.”

“My name isDarce. It’s not taken or abbreviated fromanything. I certainly wouldn't be named after a mere character from abook!”

“Okay,” I replied, scratching my neck uncomfortably. I was glad to finally see a customer headed our way.

We stood there in an awkward silence for a few hours. Darce watched me like a hawk with the customers, his hands hardly leaving his pockets as he took in everything I was doing.

This was why I preferred one night stands. Now that this guy had opened his mouth, he was already aggravating me. Why did his face have to be so perfect each time I gazed at him! I wanted to scream!

“You might have to take your hands out of your pockets after lunch,” I spat towards him before storming off to get some lunch. I wasn’t close enough to hear his witty response.

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