Page 15 of The Bookworm Who Stole Christmas
Her shoulders visibly relax. “It’s good. I’m thinking I might have to take on a weekend employee to help. I feel like I don’t get a day off.” She laughs lightly, and I chuckle with her.
“I’m sure my daughter would love to apply. That girl is obsessed with books.” I roll my eyes, earning me another chuckle.
God, I could listen to that all day.
“Sounds like someone I could get along with,” she murmurs.
“You don’t get along with most people?” I ask. Maddie strikes me as someone who holds everything close to her chest and doesn’t open up all that often.
She scoffs. “Erm, that would be a no. Most people take one look at me and say I’m ‘scary’ or ‘unapproachable.’ I just don’t have a lot to say.” She shrugs her shoulders and glances out the window.
I follow her gaze, staring out into the night where the snow flutters down in small flurries. The whole town is painted in white, and with the glow from surrounding shop windows, it looks like it should be in a fairy-tale book.
Turning back to Maddie, I say, “You don’t look scary or unapproachable to me. Maybe ‘misunderstood’ might be the better term?”
Her head whips to mine, and I feel like I’ve hit the nail on the head. People don’t understand this woman, but I do. I see her.
Maddie bites her bottom lip, and I’m captivated by it. There’s something about her I can’t seem to stay away from, and after what happened in the rec center, I don’t want to. The cold shower I had to take when I got home didn’t help either. The phantom feel of her supple curves against my hard edges has been the starring role in my dreams for the last five days.
“So what do you do when you're not chasing around bookstore owners, Parker Grayson?” she asks, a smirk on her perfect lips.
“I’m a mechanic,” I reply, reclining back in my seat. “I work at the auto shop in town.”
“Have you always wanted to do that?”
I nod. “Pretty much, yeah. I used to play around with my dad's car when I was younger. There was something so satisfying about taking an engine apart and putting it back together again.”
Maddie looks amused as I explain the ins and outs of an engine, how this piece fits into that piece. By the end of it, I’m pretty sure I’ve bored the shit out of her.
Feeling like an awkward asshole, I rub the back of my neck. “Sorry, I, uh, get a bit carried away sometimes.”
“It’s cute.” She laughs, watching me.
My dick hardens in my jeans, and I have to shift in my seat.
Now isnotthe time, asshole.
Maddie glances out of the window again beforerising from her chair. “I'd better get going. The plumber’s just left.”
“Of course,” I reply, grabbing our trash from the table. “Want me to walk you home?”
Maddie smiles softly at me and brushes a stray hair behind her ear. “Thank you, but I live just across the road, remember? I’ll be fine.”
“Oh yeah, sorry.”Why am I such an idiot around this woman? Get it together, Parker. “I knew that, but I’ll be seeing you soon, Maddison Coleman. I still have fifteen days to change your mind.”
Maddie stops, her hand on the door as she looks back at me, a smirk tugging at her lips. “Keep dreaming.”
Ducking her head, she walks out of the coffee shop and into the night while I’m left half in love with the bookworm who hates Christmas.
Chapter Ten
MADDIE
After having coffee with Parker, I took some time to reflect on how it went—the whole opening myself up thing. I really enjoyed spending time with him. It’s so unusual, but I don’t hate it.I think. He seems like a genuine person, the kind of guy who works hard and loves harder. But do you really ever know someone? Am I just setting myself up for another fall?
Looking at the inventory for the week, I heave a sigh. I’ve had so many people asking for Christmas books for their children and grandchildren that I’ve looked at stocking them.
I’m losing my damn mind.
