Page 13 of The Ruse of Romancing

Dani

There were so many things wrong with my current predicament, starting with the fact that I’d followed a stranger into a dark, confined space without question and ending with the fact that I didn’t hate it.

“Why are we hiding?” I whispered the question as the man released me, and I immediately missed the contact and the zing it sent down my spine, even as I took a step back from him.

He was a stranger, after all. Even if he smelled and looked like the man of my dreams. Honestly, I’d pictured a man like this when writing Petros, though Petros’s hair was longer and darker, and he had a bit of scruff.

“Joyce Campbell.”

I let out an exasperated huff. “You say that name like it means something.”

“That’s because it does mean something.” His voice was deep and earnest. It held a familiar quality that I couldn’t quite place. Maybe he sounded like an audiobook narrator I’d listened to recently or something. “Joyce Campbell is the kind of woman nosy busybody stereotypes are based off of.”

I shrugged, not sure if I should be intimidated or impressed by the woman. “So, she’s a strong flavor. I still don’t understand why that means we have to hide in the bookstore office in the dark.”

“If I can delay your first run in with Joyce Campbell, I’m going to do it. Trust me, the longer you can go without meeting her, the better.”

“While I appreciate your heroics, I think I can handle one opinionated person.”

“Famous last words.” He muttered. “I’ve seen Joyce make grown men cry by just looking at them. Those grown men were her husband and son, but still.”

I snorted a laugh, not sure what to think of the man in front of me.

I could just make out his features thanks to the light coming from under the door and I could tell he had defined cheekbones.

Maybe I needed to reevaluate Petros’s scruff.

There was something to be said for an attractive, clean-shaven man.

“Shh, you don’t want to give away our location,” he hushed, though I was fairly certain his lips were quirked up in a teasing smile with that assertion.

“Sorry, I wouldn’t want to risk bringing down the wrath of Joyce Campbell on us,” I said, getting a bit caught up in this ridiculous game of ours. Why was I playing along? And why was I enjoying it so much?

“Trust me, it’s for the best. She’s genuinely the worst citizen of this town, and I’d hate for her to scare you away when we’re just getting the chance to meet.

” His voice radiated charm, and I fell for it, just a little.

The guy was definitely giving off friendly vibes, though I couldn’t decide if they were of the flirtatious or just nice variety.

But I didn’t hate it. He was the kind of person I’d go out of my way to avoid back home, but I wasn’t home, and part of my reason for this trip was to do things outside of my norm in hopes of finding writing inspiration.

Maybe a romantic interlude with a stranger in a bookstore office could do the trick.

“She can’t be that bad. Currently, my neighbor is my least favorite person in Cascade Harbor,” I said, not thinking before the words escaped.

I clapped a hand over my mouth. I didn’t know the man in front of me.

For all I knew, he and Mason were best friends.

“Sorry, I didn’t mean that. I just...” I trailed off, not sure what to say.

While much of my frustration with Mason had been hanger-fueled, I clearly had some lingering frustrations.

Though, that didn’t mean I had to say as much to the attractive man I was currently trapped with.

The man snorted a laugh. “And what has your neighbor done to earn such disdain?”

I bit my lip, considering what to say before deciding I might as well share it all. We had time to kill, and it wasn’t like I’d have to see this guy again.

“I’m renting out part of a duplex for the next couple weeks, maybe even the rest of the summer, and the guy who lives on the other side,” I paused, shaking my head in frustration as I remembered the make-out session I’d interrupted the night before followed by his attempt to proposition me.

I’d give him grace for the Scooter thing, but I was still unimpressed by the man.

“He’s inconsiderate and a player. I’ve been here less than twenty-four hours, and I’m just not impressed by the bearded man next door.

So, while it’s not impossible for Joyce Campbell to supplant him, I’m also not putting her in the bottom spot just yet. ”