Page 32 of Booked on a Feeling

A flush crept up her neck and stained her cheeks red. “Stop apologizing. It’s not a big deal.”

“Sorry,” he croaked, and immediately wanted to smack his head.

Before he could apologize again for apologizing, he shot to his feet and slid more nonfictions off the shelf. When she said it wasn’t a big deal, was she referring to him accidentallygrabbing her hand or to whatever the hell happened before that? And what exactly happened? He would’ve kissed her if the bell hadn’t rung. Holy shit. He would’ve kissed her. Jack inhaled deeply through his nose and exhaled a slow, furtive breath through his mouth. But he didn’t actually kiss her, so arguably, nothing had happened. They were literally saved by the bell. Regret and relief warred inside him and tied his stomach into intricate sailing knots.

He’d kept his real feelings for her a secret for so long that the thought of being caught red-handed with hearts in his eyes made him feel a little naked and a lot vulnerable. Had she figured out he’d been hopelessly in love with her for two decades? Then a horrifying thought occurred to him. What if she was grossed out? He could almost hear her,You’re like a brother to me, and the thought of you thinking of me that way makes me feel—how do I put this delicately?—pukey.

He might’ve dumped the next stack of books a bit forcefully into the box. Her startled eyes shot to him, then quickly skittered away. He made some apologetic noise. Had he blown it? Goddamn it. He would’ve had his feelings under control by the time she left for Los Angeles. He didn’t want to lose her. Having some of her was better than not having her at all.

“Do you guys need help back there?” Shannon asked from one end of the aisle.

“No, thanks,” Lizzy said with a forced smile—her eyes didn’t quite crinkle enough. “We’ve got it. Go do your stuff.”

“Thank you so much, guys. I hope you know how much this means to me.” Shannon choked up and fanned her hands in front of her eyes. “Okay. I’m going to the back room before I start blubbering in earnest. Thank you again.”

She stumbled away before he could say,You’re welcome.Heturned in time to catch a genuine smile on Lizzy’s face. “You’re doing a good thing.”

“You know as well as I do that it’s for purely selfish reasons,” she said, closing the top of a full box.

“Yes, you’re diabolical,” he agreed dryly.

She laughed as though she was delighted to have her sinister ways acknowledged. Chuckling under his breath, Jack hefted the finished box off the floor and carried it to the back corner of the store. Their shared laughter eased some of the tension that lingered between them.

When he came back, Lizzy stood with her hands on her hips, biting her poor bottom lip. The hint of a furrow between her eyebrows meant her mind was whirring. His heart seized up again. Was she brooding over their near kiss?

“With both of us working, do you think we could finish this task by tonight?” she asked.

He nearly sagged with relief. She was just obsessing over the to-do list.Thathe knew how to deal with. “Sorry to burst your bubble, but you don’t get to boss me around all night long. That wasn’t part of this undercover gig.”

“Whaaat?” A splash of pink streaked her cheeks and the bridge of her nose. “Who said anything about all night long? I wasn’t thinking anything like… that.”

“I just meant that I have to go into work around five.” Did he embarrass her by calling her bossy? Maybe she was still peeved about him accusing her of walking all over Shannon. “You know, because of my real job?”

“Oh.” She turned a shade pinker. “Right. The brewery. I can’t believe I forgot about that. I’m an asshole. Sorry.”

“Hey, it’s no big deal.” He tugged on his earlobe. He felt bad for making her feel bad. “You’re just so caught up on finishingthe list that you’ve developed tunnel vision. Maybe you should slow down a little. This is your vacation after all.”

“You know what? You’re right.” Even as she agreed with him, she returned her attention to boxing up the books. He followed her unspoken suggestion—work while you talk—with a wry smile. “I should enjoy the process more. I mean, it’s a dream come true to help Shannon with her bookstore. I shouldn’t make this all about ticking off the boxes.”

“Now that you mention it, wasn’t becoming a bookstore owner your dream once?” He knelt to close up another full box.

“Yes, it was,” she whispered with a faraway look in her eyes. “I’ve always felt so at home in bookstores, especially the small, cozy ones.”

“When you used to come to stay with us over the summer, you made all of us play bookstore with you.” He smiled fondly at the memory.

“Oh, my gosh. I did, didn’t I?” She covered her cheeks with her hands, giving an embarrassed shake of her head. “Even Alex used to join us because of my genuine enthusiasm.”

“You mean because of your relentless insistence,” he corrected her rose-colored recollection. “I guess you grew out of that dream when you became an attorney.”

“Maybe, yeah.” Something in her tone made him turn to her, but she shook her head again and grinned. “And you wanted to be an astronaut. You were a math whiz even back then.”

It was his turn to feel a shade melancholy. “I guess I kind of veered off course when I became Weldon Brewery’s bookkeeper.”

“Bookkeeper? Is this some kind of false modesty?” Indignation tinged his best friend’s voice. “You’re the business mind behind the brewery. I know how hard you worked to help growWeldon Brewery into what it is today. Your family is proud of you. And so am I.”

Is that what she really thought of him? Could she possibly see him as her equal in their respective careers? Even if he ended up staying in Weldon, maybe he could still make something out of himself—be worthy of her. Impatience slashed through him. His life goals weren’t about being good enough for Lizzy.

Talk about developing tunnel vision. Having her in Weldon was making him think that his world revolved around her. Well, that had to stop. Moving to Los Angeles and starting a new career as a business analyst was about finding himself and realizing his highest potential. He had to do it for himself and no one else. And he shouldn’t lose sight of the goal right in front of him, which was to get over her.

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