Page 76 of Can't Take My Eyes Off You

I stand against the open side door, completely confused. ‘Why are youallhere?’ As I say the words, I’m frantically pressing the bracelet charm, pulling my phone from my pocket and calling him as quickly as I can.

‘What’s wrong?’ he answers, worry in his voice.

‘I’ve got a bit of a problem at the shop.’

‘What?’ I hear shuffling on his end. ‘I can be there in five minutes. Are you alright? Is it Alex? Did he hurt you? Berx. Talk to me;what’s wrong?’ He’s starting to panic.

‘I’m not sure?’ I ask as a question, my voice raising with each word. ‘Your family is here. At the store. After hours. All of them. Either I’m about to go missing, or they’re here to burn the place down.’

‘What?’ he barks into the phone, his voice raised so loud Mike hears him and snatches the phone from my hand.

‘Get here and she’ll leave unscathed, pretty boy,’ he says with a douchey laugh, ending the call and handing my phone back to me. ‘There ya go.’ He flashes me a soulless grin as he walks past me into my store like he was invited. ‘I know he’ll never quit you, so if he’s really not here, he will be soon.’

Truthfully, I’m a little worried about what’s happening. I don’t think I can handle these people alone without accidentally committing a crime. I pull up Alex’s contact. It rings once. Twice. Thrice.Fuck, Alex. He finally answers midway through the fourth ring.

‘Babe, I’m sort of in the middle of something. Just tell me whatever it is up here.’

‘I need you down here. I think I’m being kidnapped? Or murdered? Maybe burned at the stake? I dunno.’

‘What?’ He chokes out a laugh. ‘By a Domino’s delivery guy? Just take the pizza and close the door.’

‘Alex!’ I hiss. ‘How much of an idiot do you think I am?’ I yell it in a loud whisper, turning away from the Adlers now meandering through my bookstore like they belong here. ‘I need your help so if you could hit pause on fangirling yourself on TV and get down here, that’d be great.’

He groans, clearly not thrilled. ‘Might I remind you that you yelled at me last night in front of a room full of people that you don’t need to be saved?’

‘Oh, my God.Thathurt your ego? Jesus, Alex. You’re so fragile.Just get down here, please.’ I hang up on him, shoving my phone into my pocket and turning back towards my uninvited guests.

‘I thought you said he wasn’t here?’ Melinda asks, turning to look at me.

‘He’snot.’

After seconds that feel like hours, Alex rounds the corner into the hallway from my office, stopping in his tracks.

‘Who is—?’ He looks around before dropping his head. ‘Fucking Adlers. Man, you just cannotleave these people alone, can you?’

Like I invited them.

‘So, Williamhasbeen here,’ Melinda says with a smirk, picking up on Alex’s words.

‘Alex Donovan,’ Mike says with a grin. ‘Dude, you were fucking stellar today. I mean, besides falling for this hot mess.’ He throws a thumb my way before lifting a hand that Alex actually high-fives. ‘She must be a real vagician to have both you and Willy after her, eh?’

Vagician?! ‘Mike!’ I groan.

But Alex is laughing. ‘Vagician. I like that.’ He doesn’t stand up for me. Doesn’t ask Mike not to badmouth me. Just high-fives him.

How did I not see this before?I’m casually dating a Mike. How the fuck did I letthathappen?

I’m still standing in the doorway when I hear tires screeching around the corner a block up,Tokyo Driftstyle. A little overly dramatic, but I’ll give him a couple points for effort. Will flies to the bookstore, skidding to a stop at the curb, throwing his new fancy-schmancy SUV into park, and jumping from the driver’s seat. I look like I’m hosting a secret service dinner party with these blacked-out SUVs parked along the curb.

‘Are you alright?’ he asks, his hands on my shoulders as he looks me over when he suddenly notices them in my store over my shoulder. ‘Why are you here?’ He practically growls the words at them, charging their way.

Jeesh. I know he mentioned them pulling some triggers against one another but damn, he’s pissed to even see their ugly mugs.

‘Damn it,’ he groans, stopping in his tracks when he spots Alex, a hand now in his hair as he turns towards me, his face scrunched.

Sorry, I mouth, his face softening a little.

Alex throws out his arms. ‘Little Willy finally shows,’ he says. ‘Tell ya the truth, I’m a little tired of seeing you. Why don’t you go take a long walk off a short pier?’

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