Page 30 of Booked on a Feeling

“Don’t worry about it. I’ll just go grab my toolbox.” Jack placed the bell by the cash register and headed for the door.

“Hey, are you sure you have time to do this now?” Lizzy followed him, worrying on her lower lip. He was right. She was a list bully. “You must have work to do at the brewery.”

“It won’t take me long.” He leaned close and said in her ear, “And you’re dying to check it off the list.”

A shiver ran down her spine. She wasn’t sure if it was his hot breath against her sensitive skin or the anticipation of checking the bell off the list. “Well, if you’re sure.”

“Be back in ten.” He grinned and tapped her on the nose, and she… blushed. Why was she blushing?

She watched him walk away, then continued to stare at the door after it shut behind him. If she didn’t know better, she would think she was counting the seconds until he returned.

“Oh, I printed out that to-do list for you,” Shannon said, startling Lizzy out of her stupor.

“That’s great.” Lizzy walked back over to her. “Thank you.”

Shannon reached behind the counter and handed her the list. It was three pages long. With a happy sigh, Lizzy hugged it to her chest.

“Do you sell journals?” she asked, struck by inspiration. She needed to organize the hell out of this list.

“We sure do.” Her friend pointed to a floating shelf on the wall behind the cash register. It held a tightly packed row of what she assumed were journals.

“Um… can I go behind the register to browse through them?”

“Absolutely,” Shannon said with a wry smile.

Lizzy pulled out this journal and that, pleasantly surprised at how cute and unique they all were. It was a shame they weren’t displayed more prominently.

“By the way,” Shannon said after a few minutes, “look about halfway down page two of the list.”

“Find a new place for the journals,” Lizzy read out loud. “That’s a very good idea because these are too adorable to keep hidden back here.”

“I wanted you to know that I wasn’t totally incompetent. Just overwhelmed.”

“We’ll have this all figured out soon.” She folded Shannon into a tight hug, then stepped back. If she was serious about helping her friend, it was time to get down to business. “I’ll take that llama journal and a pack of colored pens. I need them to reorganize the list and color coordinate the tasks based on how important they are and how fast we could get them done. Prioritization and maximum efficiency are key to getting shit done. I swear to you we’ll complete this to-do list before I leave for LA.”

“I’m so excited.” Shannon’s smile held a hint of a grimace. “Maybe a little intimidated, but mostly excited.”

“Who’s intimidated?” Jack walked in at that moment, carrying a professional-looking toolbox and a short stepladder.

“No one is intimidated,” Lizzy said quickly, shooting Shannon an apologetic look. She couldn’t have Jack thinking he was right about her being a list bully. Besides, she hadn’t walked all over her friend. She’d merely suggested some color coordination and prioritizing. “It’s just that we have a three-page to-do list to go through, and it’s a little intimidating.”

“Oh, crap. Elliot has a half day today.” Shannon looked up from her watch. “I need to go pick him up. Do you mind watching the store for fifteen minutes?”

“Not at all. Don’t worry about a thing.” As soon as the words left her mouth, Lizzy realized that she had no idea how to use the cash register.Shit.Fortunately—or unfortunately—she hadn’t seen many paying customers at the store when she’d visited.

“Thank you so much.” After grabbing her purse from behind the counter, Shannon rushed out the door.

Lizzy and Jack suddenly found themselves alone, and an awkward silence descended between them. They never had awkward silences. She frowned, and he cleared his throat. What the hell?

“I guess I’ll get started on the bell,” he said, scratching the back of his head.

“Yes. Of course.” She nodded repeatedly like a bobblehead. She made herself stop and planted her hands on her hips.Hmm.She shifted her weight from one foot to the other, trying to settle into the position, but it didn’t feel right. So she crossed her arms instead. Then she dropped them to her sides. God, she had no idea what to do with her hands. Before she could start swinging them around in the air, she blurted, “Do you want me to hold the ladder for you?”

“It only has three steps.” Jack’s eyebrows burrowed down in confusion.

“Well, it could still wobble,” she insisted, fighting an embarrassed blush. Why was she acting so weird?

“That’s okay,” he said with a crooked smile. “I’ll be fine.”

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