Page 3 of The Arrangement

“Technically, I was in bed!” The echo of his sharp laugh followed me and a blush broke out across my chest and flushed up my neck.

Sebastian was annoying. And loud. And possibly problematic. But he did have a nose that would make the Romans jealous and was tall enough that he still dwarfed me, and at nearly 5’8 I wasn't what one would call petite.

The crisp October air hit my face, cooling my flushed cheeks and waking me up more effectively than the morning coffee had done. I thanked my lucky stars every day that I worked only two miles away from my apartment. It saved me so much in gas, and honestly, the walk to work every morning was something I always looked forward to, especially in the fall. The leaves crunched underfoot and the city wasin the process of slowing down as if the coastal fall was an excuse for the whole city to hibernate.

The brass bell above the door rang as I entered Hemingway Books; the smell of cinnamon candles and coffee wafted over me like a welcoming balm as I dropped my overstuffed bag into a chair behind the register.

"Good morning, Emma!" I called out, deciding to keep my hat on as the chill seemed not yet to have left the air in the store.

Distant movement told me that the owner, an older woman by the name of Emma Page, was shuffling around in the back. The bookstore was one of the older fixtures in the city, artfully arranged next to a coffee shop with plenty of foot traffic.

Emma peered out from behind the curtains below a sign that read "employees only" and smiled at me, her salt and pepper hair pulled into a soft bun. "Good morning!"

"It's pretty cold in here. Is the heater on the fritz again?" I asked, tugging the jean jacket closer to myself as I signed into the computer system.

Emma sighed and shook her head, "Utilities are just a bit high this month, trying to keep the cost low." I nodded sympathetically, opening my mouth to say something just before a customer walked in.

Working at a bookstore meant stacking books, taking inventory, and helping customers. It also meant that in my downtime, I could work on my book—something I had been trying to finish for years now. The sultry romance novel that had been dancing in my head had never completely formed itself on paper yet. I had the plot, the characters, the climax, and the resolution. But it lacked something. The romance fell flat, even though I could clearly see it in my head. It was as if I just couldn't catch the passion of the two characters. I stared at the blinking text line, blinking…blinking…as if it was mocking me, asking me why I wasn't writing. What wasn't working for me? I had an English degree with a minor in creative writing. I knew my story. I knew my characters. Why was I stuck?

It was at that moment that a coffee cup was in front of me, startling me from my self-deprecating thoughts. I looked up to see Sarah Hart,who worked at the coffee shop beside us. Emma and I had been so excited about the new coffee spot when it had moved in that we finally threw away the old coffee maker that burnt our roasts nearly every time. Now, when the shop is open, you catch the lingering smell of coffee beans.

"Oat milk latte, two pumps vanilla, one pump lavender, extra whip?" Sarah offered with a smile, picking through a few new book stickers on the rack. Sarah was amazing, her blond hair always swept back into a slick ponytail and blue her eyes sparkling. She had a way of just knowing when to pop up and when to say the right things. Her manicured nails and smell of vanilla perfume that followed her made me always wonder how she didn’t have a trail of men or women vying for her hand.

Of course, that might be a little anti-feminist of me—but seriously, the girl was gorgeous and kind.

"You're an angel," I groaned, the heat from the warm cup seeping through my bones. Sarah just waved me off as she picked up a bookmark and tossed it on the counter.

"Why do you bother with the whipped cream if you get oat milk anyway?"

I shrugged before taking a deep sip, immediately burning my mouth. "I'm not lactose intolerant or anything. I just like the way it tastes."

"It's freezing in here. Did Emma forget to pay the gas bill?" Sarah whispered, wrapping her arms around herself. I rolled my eyes as I rang my friend up. "It's not that bad. Just, you know, being frugal."

Sarah hummed and glanced at my open laptop, its screen left on the half-written document. "How's the book coming?"

"It isn't," I sighed, shutting the laptop, not bothering to save my progress since there hadn't been any.

Sarah looked like she was going to say something but paused as the doorbell rang overhead.

"Welcome in!" I called automatically around Sarah, whose eyes widened in apparent appreciation at the customer.

"Well hello, neighbor," came a familiar, deep voice from the front door.“Didn’t know you worked here.”

My eyes narrowed as I peered over my friend to see my tall, dark neighbor with hands dug in his pockets as he looked around the bookstore in obvious interest, though I had never seen him here before.

"Oh, it’s you,” I replied warily, trying not to sigh in annoyance. "What are you doing here? Looking for a book on how to be quiet at night?” His strong black eyebrows raised slightly as a smile tugged at the corner of his mouth.

“Not my style Clark, just looking for a book, which I assume you sell here,” he responded, looking around at the bookstore as if the answer was obvious.“Besides, I like being loud.” Sarah’s eyes bulged at the wink he tossed at her, obviously just to piss me off.

And it worked.

I shrugged, leaning on the worn wood counter, ignoring the look that Sarah was giving me. "I didn't know books interested you." The tall man looked at me with narrowed eyes.

"It's a gift."

"Ah, that makes more sense." I felt Sarah’s incredulous gaze on me. I was what some people would call a ‘people pleaser,’ but those tendencies did not tend to extend to one Sebastian Quinn. “Do you need help? We’re alphabetical, so if you need to hum the song to remember the order, feel free.”

Sarah’s eyes widened again and looked between me and my neighbor in a mix of interest and awe.

---