Page 106 of Bookworm

Instead, I just said, "And now, we have to decide how to spend this money."

Bo grunted.

"You want your half now or later?" I asked.

"Keep it," he said. "You won the bet by landing the Bo Stryker."

"I should since you just added 'the' before your name."

I shook my head, unable to hold back my smile.

"But there's no way you're not getting some ofthis. We'll spend it together. We only have afew more days before the week ends on our arrangement"—I gave him a significant look—"Maybe we can do dinner and a movie, go out as friends, once this is all over?"

Bo's face went stony once more.

I got the feeling I'd said something wrong but had no idea what.

After a beat, he reached out and tucked a strand of my hair behind my ear, making shivers race down my spine.

"I'll think about it," he said.

I'd wanted to kiss him then, feeling the time on our deal ticking away, afraid I'd never get the chance if I didn't act—but I'd held back.I'd wanted to tell him that the reason I actuallysoughtto set something up was so that we'd have time together after this, an excuse to see him again. But I remained silent.

See? Totally worthy of a gold medal.

I'd also saidfriendslike that was all I wanted from him.

I only wished that were the truth.

With Bo all but confessing he was in love with someone else hence his aversion to the HUBS bet, I needed to get over whatever these feelings were and fast.

It still didn't stop me from wondering who she was.

Or getting jealous when I saw another woman flirting with him on our flower deliveries over the weekend.

When I stepped intoMrs. Lee's FlowerShop, I paused just inside the door. Mrs. Lee was nowhere to be found. Instead, there was a girl I'd never seen, sitting on amedium-sized ladder beside the storefront window, bobbing her head to the music blasting through her sky blueheadphones as she wrote something. It took her a second to catch sight of me, but when she did, the girl's eyes widened, and she lowered the headphones to hang around her neck.

"Hi," she said in what had to be the softest voice I'd ever heard.

"Hi," I replied, taking in her pink retro 90s t-shirt with Sailor Moon on the front, the baggy jeans, and her sylish-yet-well-worn sneakers. There was a smudge of somethingpurple, looked like paint, on her face. I smiled, liking her already. "I'm Charlotte. Most people call me Lottie, but my cousins typically go with Lotte. Mrs. Lee calls me all three. So basically, I'll answer to anything." Pointing to my uniform, I added, "I'm hernewest volunteer/employee."

Her return smile was genuine. "Nice. I'mMi-Cha, but my friends call me Meech."

"I love that," I said.

"Fits me better than Mi-Cha. In Korean, that means gorgeous, and"—she ran a hand down her front—"as you can see,my parents greatly exaggerated."

I shook my head. "Not sure what you mean. I think you're lovely—also, Sailor Moon is the best."

"Right?" she said her eyes animated. "She and the sailor scouts don't get nearly enough credit."

"So much girl power," I agreed.

"Truth."

"Which character would you be?"

She thought about it a second then said, "Any of them, but probably Sailor Mars.You?"

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