Page 39 of The Ruse of Romancing
“What have you got for me?” Spencer’s question pulled me from my thoughts, and I quickly pulled out my tablet, tapping on the screen to open the trio of sketches I’d created with the bookstore’s children section in mind.
“You talked about wanting to bring the magic of reading to life, so I wanted to do something fun but also bold.” I’d been playing with the idea after our meeting on Sunday, but after spending the day with Dani yesterday, the sketches had taken on new life, quickly becoming one of my favorite projects to date.
Spencer nodded thoughtfully, making the occasional comment as I talked him through each sketch and my vision for the pieces he’d commissioned. As I finished, Spencer settled back into his chair, his hands behind his head, a pensive expression on his face.
“You hate it, don’t you?” I asked, my stomach sinking. I’d been so excited about the concept, I hadn’t even stopped to think through alternatives if Spencer wasn’t a fan.
“No, no.” Spencer sat up quickly, waving his hands in a placating gesture. “I love it. I think it’ll be perfect for the children’s area. It’s just, something seems different about you today and I can’t quite put my finger on what.”
“What do you mean?” My forehead scrunched in confusion as I waited for his response.
“If I didn’t know any better, I’d say you’re acting like you’ve met someone. Almost like when you first met R—” He broke off and gave me a sheepish smile. “I’m reading too much into things. You’re probably just jazzed about a fantastic idea, which you should be! I’m going to have moms asking me where I got my artwork and looking to buy prints to hang on their kids’ bedroom walls at home.”
I knew what Spencer was thinking and whose name he’d been about to say. But a woman had nothing to do with my mood. I was making strides in my career and loving life on the Oregon coast. That was all there was to it.
“I’d be happy to sell copies here in the store like we do with the other prints, if you think people would be interested,” I said, taking the easy out Spencer offered. “We could probably make a series of bookmarks with these prints too.”
My mind reeled with the possibilities.
“Bookmarks would be amazing!”
Spencer continued to ramble as I half listened to him talking about pricing and contracts. My thoughts were stuck on what Spencer had said earlier. I’d only met Dani two days ago. Was that really enough time for my behavior to change? And if so, should I be worried about her ability to get under my skin so quickly?
Deciding I needed a more powerful distraction than children’s art prints and bookmarks, I turned the conversation to something guaranteed to take a large amount of brain power: Spencer’s love life.
“Have you given any more thought to my offer to help with your dating prospects?” It hadn’t really been much of an offer, but there was no time like the present to show up as a better, more supportive friend.
Spencer blinked at me owlishly for a moment, trying to track my change of topic, his glasses sliding slightly down his nose.
“No,” he said slowly, watching me like I was a few colors short of a full crayon box as he pushed his frames back up. “I’m looking for something more serious than you typically go for. Besides, you said you wouldn’t help me win Danielle Baldwin and she’s the only woman who’s truly caught my attention lately.”
“What about Maisie?” I asked, thinking of the tattooed thrift store owner next door who was an expert at ruffling Spencer’s feathers.
“Maisie?” He sputtered, appalled. “What on earth would make you think I was interested in Maisie? That woman exists to get on my nerves and to steal my parking spots.”
While the strip mall where both the thrift store and bookstore were located had a decent-sized parking lot, Spencer and Maisie were constantly feuding over what they termed the “best” parking stalls, with both of them claiming the other’s customers hogged the prime parking. If they’d asked me, I’d point out that the cars most often in those spots looked an awful lot like the vehicles that belonged to the Gossip Gang who liked to frequent Ed’s Barbershop. Up until now, I’d kept my nose out of the argument, content to sit back and watch them clash.
“Okay, so not Maisie, but surely there’s got to be someone else besides Danielle Baldwin. She was giving some pretty strong uninterested signals the other day.” That and if I could lead Spencer away from Dani, I’d definitely feel less guilty over what I was doing.
Not that I was pursuing her for romantic purposes, but still. I had to remind myself of my own intentions since the handholding from yesterday and my constant thoughts of her had muddied the water.
Spencer shrugged, leaning back in his chair and propping his feet up on the desk.
“No one’s caught my interest. But who knows, maybe a tourist will wander in and—”
As if on cue, the chime above the door rang, indicating Spencer had a customer. Taking his feet off the desk, he stood and started walking to the front of the shop.
“Give me just a second to see who this is and if they need help.”
“Take your time,” I called. Pulling out my phone, I glanced at the time. It was late enough in the day that I could probably text Dani without seeming too eager right? I was going to wait until tomorrow, but all this thinking about her had me wanting to type out a message.
I could hear Spencer greeting his customer. When she responded, I froze with my finger poised above my phone screen to type.
It was Dani. Dani was in the store, and I was currently sitting in Spencer’s office with the door wide open for anyone to glance in and see me.
Looking around, I considered my options. I could try to escape the bookstore without Dani noticing, which seemed like the most dramatic option. Or I could close the office door and hope Dani would leave quickly. Seeing as I hadn’t said goodbye to Spencer, this seemed like my best option. Just as I was reaching for the doorknob to close the office door, Spencer’s words registered.
“I can’t believe you haven’t chatted with Mason about his art. You guys are next door neighbors. How is that even possible?”
