Page 15

15

JULIET

Close to lunchtime, the bell above the door sounded and I glanced up from my spot at the nonfiction display to see two women accompanied by two huge men enter. For a second, my heart leapt thinking one of the men was Romeo, but of course I was imagining things. Something about how they held themselves reminded me of him, though. Both men were tall and muscular with tan skin. One had his dark hair up in a bun, and the other had his close-cropped.

The first woman who walked in looked to be in her twenties. She was stunningly beautiful with long, dark hair tied up in one of those ponytails that looked so freaking cool it made me jealous. Whenever I wore a ponytail, I looked more like a colonial boy apprentice heading off to his first day of work. Her skin was golden and her outfit screamed luxury. The second woman was a gorgeous pregnant blonde in a wheelchair. The man with the bun held the door open for her as she maneuvered inside, a golden retriever at her side. I had to stop myself from bouncing up and down. I loved dogs. But this one was wearing a winter-themed vest indicating he was a service dog, so I would restrain myself.

“Good boy, Noodle,” the woman said, placing her hand over her belly. The dog looked very proud of himself.

“Welcome,” I said. “Let me know if you need help finding anything.”

“Is this your bookstore?” Ponytail Girl asked.

“I’m the manager,” I responded. “My name’s Juliet.”

The woman beamed. “I’m Sienna and this is Sofiya, Dante, Angelo, and Noodle. It’s our first time here and we’re hoping to get some romance books.”

“That’s great. We’ve got two romance tables here”—I gestured at the tables near the entrance—“for our bestselling romance books. And then that shelf over there has even more. I’m also happy to give recommendations if you tell me what you like.”

Sofiya, Noodle, and Sienna moved over to one of my curated display tables while the two men stayed close by, half-heartedly picking up some books. Were they the women’s boyfriends? Husbands? Neither of the men wore rings.

“How long have you worked here?” Sofiya asked, looking over the table. I was pretty proud of it. These displays had increased our sales by a lot, and I’d arranged the books by the colors of the covers and darkness of the content.

“A couple of years now.”

“Well, the shop looks great,” Sienna said, picking up a book with a bright pink cover.

“If you end up liking that book, we’re actually having an event coming up with the author.” It was the first event I’d organized and I was scared shitless, but I knew it was something that needed to be done. At least I didn’t have to leave the shop, so I would be in my safe zone.

“Oh!” Sofiya said. “Really? I loved that book. That’s the one I was telling you about, Sienna. We’ll definitely come to the event.”

I had to work to keep my cool. They were being so friendly, and it had been a long time since I’d had any female friends. We talked for a few more minutes until I had to help another customer. The girls ended up buying ten books between them, and one of the scary men bought two sci-fi books. They left with a flyer for the upcoming signing with promises of their attendance.

Romeo

How’s my Juliet doing?

My smile was ridiculously giddy reading my Juliet . My obsession with Romeo grew every time we spoke.

Juliet

Good day today :) had some new customers and they want to come to an event I’m having next month

Romeo

That’s amazing. What’s the event?

Juliet

My first author signing in the store. I’m nervous about it.

Romeo

I’m sure you have nothing to worry about. When is it?

Juliet

December 14th at 7pm

Romeo

I’ll be there if I can

Juliet

You don’t have to do that. It’s a romance author

Romeo

Are you saying my romance skills are already so good I don’t need to learn anything?

My cheeks heated. He had to be flirting.

Juliet

Always room for growth

Romeo

Challenge accepted, angel