Page 24 of Bear In A Bookstore
He thought about the paper with Kora’s name on it that he’d found in the storage room, and the strange scent he hadn’t been able to place.
“Do you mind if I look at the storage room again? I noticed something when I was here the other night.”
The bell chimed above the door as a handful of customers came in. Ben waved Beck to the counter, wiped his hands on his apron and motioned Desi to come around back. They walked together to the room. Desi moved boxes out of the way and crouched in the corner where he’d found the paper.
“What’s going on, Des?”
Ben crouched next to him.
“I thought I saw something strange here the other day.” Moving his hands around on the tiled floor, he felt the smooth wells of grout between the large tiles. A trickle of cold air seeped from between the tiles. Frowning, he kept feeling until his fingers found a rough line where the grout appeared to have been carefully broken. Taking out his cellphone, he turned on the flashlight app and surveyed the spot.
“Holy shit.”
Looking around for something flat, he found a small toolbox and fished out a flathead screwdriver. It took little effort to lift six tiles, creating a gaping hole in the floor. The underfloor had been chipped away, the pieces likely at the bottom of the hole.
“What the hell is that?”
“You have a good flashlight?”
Desi had no sooner asked than Ben appeared with a handheld flood light. He clicked it on and both men gasped.
A set of rickety steps led to a tunnel beneath Allie’s bakery.
Chapter Nine
Friends.Theycouldbefriends.
It wasn’t strange for a single woman to be friends with a super-hot, sexy, intelligent, caring, single, alpha bear shifter, right? She might be more confident about that if the look on Desi’s face hadn’t been so blatantly disappointed when she’d informed him that she wasn’t staying in Estes Park. She’d be lying if she dismissed feeling excited and interested when she was with him. Those feelings hit fast. It was scary, honestly, but also flattering that he seemed to feel the same things.
Something had sparked between them, but she’d doused it. She had to. Getting her life back had been a series of fits and starts, pauses and setbacks. She needed more time to ensure she was consistently in a good place before she committed to anything personal.
Now if only she could get rid of the strange noises coming from the lower level of the bookstore. It wasn’t unusual to hear occasional creaking from the building as it settled, but this was different. More of a swishing sound. Rustling, maybe. Something scurrying? She shivered. Whatever it was sounded like it was taking up a lot of space down there.
Her cell phone felt ridiculously heavy in her back pocket, probably because she kept thinking about calling Desi to come check out the sound. It wasn’t fair to call him twice in one day for help. He’d already saved her delicates from Frank.
Something squeaked from behind the door.
Kora jumped, then pressed a hand to her forehead. She was going to have to go down there and check it out. The lighting in the lower floor wasn’t the best. The plans Mitchell Construction had drawn for her were to renovate the lower level, including the secret room, into a large reading space for customers to use while drinking coffee and enjoying books they’d purchased. There was a children’s space where parents could bring their kids to play and read, even if they didn’t purchase anything from the store. She figured most parents would grab a coffee and a magazine before taking their little one downstairs to play or read in one of the cushy chaise loungers.
There was a lot of work to do before it got to that point. It was probably too auspicious of a project given her somewhat tight two-year deadline. There was too much to do and no time for creepy crawlies to be squeaking behind the door!
What if she had rats? Her stomach bottomed out. She’d never get approval from the Board of Health for a coffee and snack bar if her building was infested with rats. The inspector hadn’t found any sign of critter infestation during the pre-purchase appraisal, but something could have moved in since then.
She nibbled on her thumbnail and pondered what to do. There was only one thingtodo.
She’d have to go down there. With a shaking sigh, she retrieved a large flashlight from behind her desk. It was made from heavy, black metal that felt more weapon than light source. Good. Just in case.
Kora gripped the light in one hand and stared at the door. Her brain-body connection failed as her legs refused to move. Her throat tightened and her hairline tingled. Worrying her thumbnail between her teeth, she zoned out on the door, her mind wandering away from what she knew she needed to do, while managing to hyper-focus on it at the same time.
Panic began a slow unfurl, like a fiddlehead fern unraveling and opening into broad leaves that took up all available space inside her, filling her with anxiety as they bloomed. The familiar sensation grew by increments, paralyzing her a little more with each passing second.
Closing her eyes, she breathed through her nose.Calm breath, calm spirit. Five… four… three… two… one.
Calm.
Calm breath.
Calm spirit . . .
