Page 40 of The Ruse of Romancing
“After our few exchanges, trust me, it’s no surprise his career hasn’t come up.” This came from Dani and my heart gave a small twinge at her dry tone of voice. Hopefully, she felt differently about Allen.
I still gagged a little bit thinking about that name, but desperate times had called for desperate measures.
“Well, he’s in my office right now. He just showed me an incredible batch of prints he’s working on for the store, and maybe he can tell you more about that print you were admiring.”
Spencer was bringing Dani back to the office to meetme.Hiding was no longer an option. Moving quickly, I dropped down to all fours and crawled as fast as I could from the office to behind the cash register. I didn’t know why I was crawling but apparently I didn’t make the best decisions when I was panicking as evidenced by the choice of “Allen” for my fake identity.
Peeking around the corner, I made sure the coast was clear before pushing to my feet and bolting around one of the bookshelves as their voices drew closer. James Bond, I was not, but I could dodge and hide when needed.
Ducking around one more bookshelf, I sank to the floor in an effort to stay even more out of sight, my heart pounding in my chest.
“That’s odd. He was just here.” I heard Spencer say, his voice carrying through the quiet shop. “Maybe he stepped away and will be right back.”
Silently cursing Spencer and his persistence, I pulled out my phone and quickly typed out a text to Spencer. I needed them to move away from the office if I was going to get out of the bookstore without being spotted. While there was a back door near the office, it was alarmed, and I really didn’t need to draw added attention my way.
Mason:
Grandparents needed help with a small emergency. Sorry to duck out early!
Hopefully, Spencer would be satisfied with that lame excuse and send Dani on her way. A short moment later I heard a chime on Spencer’s phone.
“Looks like he had to help his grandparents with something.”
“Well, that’s too bad,” Dani said, though her voice sounded anything but disappointed.
“You know, I’m glad you stopped by, Dani. I’ve been wanting to,” Spencer’s voice cracked, and he cleared it, making his next words come out even deeper, “to ask you something.”
“Oh?” Dani didn’t sound excited about Spencer’s pending question, and I couldn’t really blame her. It didn’t take a rocket scientist to guess what was about to happen next. I only felt a little bit bad about witnessing it.
Though maybe I could save Spencer some of the impending pain.
Thinking quickly, I pulled up a text message to Dani and typed:
Allen:
I had a great time yesterday. Can’t wait to see you tomorrow! Would it be okay if I picked you up?
I’d navigate any anxieties about Dani connecting Allen’s car with Mason later. Maybe I could borrow a car from one of my buddies or just make sure she never saw Mason’s car when she was at the duplex.
Dani’s phone chimed and Spencer stopped his rambling build up to a question that would only end in pain.
“Sorry, Spencer. I need to respond to this. It’s my date for tomorrow solidifying plans.”
“Oh, uh, date? I didn’t know you were,” Spencer’s voice cracked again, “seeing anyone.”
“It’s a recent thing. I don’t know if you’d technically say we’re ‘seeing’ each other, but I’m interested in seeing where things go.”
I silently pumped a fist in the air, congratulating myself on saving Spencer from a seriously painful interaction. There was no way he’d continue his line of questioning now, not if he hadany self-respect. Now if he could just finish helping Dani with her reason for coming to the store, I could make my getaway while they were both distracted.
Their voices faded until I could no longer make out what they were saying. Assuming the coast was clear, I pushed to my feet and sneaked around the shelves, making sure no one was in sight as I rounded each corner. Finally, I reached the front door and made my exit, only cursing the chime above the door a little bit as it signaled my escape. I just hoped Dani and Spencer were too busy talking to notice.
Chapter 22
Dani
Afterworkinginthebakery for another hour, I needed a change of scenery and to go somewhere that didn’t include Joane giving me knowing looks from behind the cash register every few minutes. Maybe I’d take a quick writing break or try writing somewhere else like the bookstore or the bench with a view of the ocean.
Packing up my laptop, I stopped at Retro Rendezvous. After my success at the thrift stores a couple of towns over, I was curious to see what this local shop had to offer. Walking inside, I already loved the vibe as I took in carefully organized bins of vinyl and an entire clothing section that looked like it had come straight from the 1950s and 1960s.
