Page 56 of Hit the Ground
I liked to think I was a smart woman, but when it came to Caleb, I was a drooling, simpering dolt.
“Hey.” He leaned his elbow on my desk and grinned down at me. “Seems like your last customer was giving you a hard time.”
“Nothing I can’t handle.” I stood up. It didn’t put us on an even playing field, but we were closer. “Mrs. Taylor takes her steamy romance very seriously. She doesn’t want to waste any time onbooks where the author closes the door when things start to heat up.”
His brows popped. “You have that kind of book here?”
“Oh yeah.” I propped my hip beside my keyboard and smirked. “Why do you think the library’s so popular?”
“Well, hell...” He raked his fingers through the side of his hair. “I think I’ve been looking in the wrong section.”
A laugh spilled out of me. “Are you regretting readingShadow of the Isle?”
“Not at all.” He rapped his knuckles on my desk. “In fact, that’s part of the reason I’m here. I’m ready for book two. Do you have it for me?”
“I do.” I reached down and grabbed the hardback I’d set aside for him. “Here it is.Wing of the Sea.”
He put the little plant he’d brought on the counter. “Let’s trade. I’ll take the book, you take this.”
The plant was a succulent, with adorable, round, plump leaves, tucked in a very small pot that looked hand painted. But I…didn’t know why he’d brought it here.
I blinked at it. “What’s this for?”
“Your desk,” he said simply, like that explained everything. It absolutely did not. “I thought it could use some color and life. And when I saw this little guy, I thought of you.”
My fingers hovered near the pot, not quite touching it. I’d been given gifts plenty of times. In my position, I was on many Christmas cookie lists, and children loved to draw me special pictures. But I’d never been given something like this. Something small and charming Caleb had seen and thought, “That’s Alice.”
I didn’t know what to do with the warmth that pooled in my chest, or the unbearable ache that came right after.
“Caleb, you didn’t have to—”
“I know.” His eyes softened, and I had to glance down at the succulent before I drowned in them. “I wanted to. You spend a lot of time here. You deserve something pretty to look at.”
“Well, thank you. I hope I can keep it alive.”
He chuckled. “Is the last one I gave you still green?”
“So far, so good. But it’s only been a couple weeks.”
The corners of his eyes crinkled. “I have faith in you, Allie. You can do it.”
“That makes one of us. I guess time will tell.” I busied myself with shuffling the papers on my desk, giving it my fullest attention.
He took the book from the counter, tucking it under his arm. “When are you starting back at Joy’s?”
“Wednesday night,” I stated, making the neatest stack of papers in the history of stacks.
“You’re sure you’re ready?”
I finally looked up. “I am, Caleb.”
“Good.” He nodded once. “I’m glad you’re feeling confident. That’s good.”
“Yeah,” I whispered, though confident was the last thing I felt. I would have said discombobulated. Confused. A little angry. Not confident.
He cocked his head, oblivious to the storm brewing within me. “I hope you’ll have time to read with me. Does tonight look good?”
I truly couldn’t keep carrying on like this. Clearly, it wasn’t good for me. One day, if Caleb wanted to be friends, I might’ve been able to, but not now. I hadn’t been able to shake these feelings off, and I wouldn’t, not with him around every corner and in my ear each night.
