Page 15 of With Stars in Her Eyes

Thea

The bell rang above my head as I walked into Menagerie Books on my lunch break for my third visit in three days. Nothing weird or stalkerish about that behavior. Nope.

Although this time, the blonde with the pixie cut and big green eyes was nowhere to be found.

The handsy ferret was also gone. I went back to the romance section and sifted through the bargain bin, comparing covers.

Nothing was exactly what I was looking for, but I picked the one that had the best colors.

I headed to the checkout desk. As far as I could tell, there were no unexpected animals running amok around the desk. There were, however, four guinea pigs in a large cage on the far side of the desk, with a decorative label indicating they were named Dorothy, Rose, Blanche, and Sophia.

All eight beady eyes stared at me. It was as if they knew my nonchalance was an act.

“You four broads stay well away from my titties, alrighty?” As if to emphasize the point, I smacked a book down on the counter just like I had yesterday.

Courtney walked out from the hallway that led to the office. “Have books wronged you in some way?”

I stifled my fluttery reaction to seeing Courtney and offered her my most charming smile. “No, why?”

Courtney’s answering grin made me want to do that little yes motion preteen boys with braces do in movies when the cool girl inexplicably agrees to a date. “You smack them down on the counter like you’re spanking them.”

“Well, knowing what was in that book”—I pointed to the counter display that held another copy of the book I bought yesterday—“… a little low-key dominance is on brand.”

“ Spoilers. Warn me next time. I haven’t read that one yet.” Courtney’s scowl was teasing. “Are you saying you didn’t like the book?”

“Loved it. Finished that one too.”

“Already?”

I nodded.

“Wow.”

“All those books in the back bin are a dollar, right?” I pointed toward the romance section.

“Yep.”

“Good.” I sighed. “I’ve never thought of reading as an expensive hobby, but I was looking at the store’s inventory online, adding shit to my cart before I remembered I don’t have spending money since I’ve already mortgaged my soul.”

“To the devil?”

“If the devil’s name is Sallie Mae.” I shook my head.

“The name is just quirky enough to make you forget about the interest rates.”

“Ain’t that the truth.” I flipped through the book. “Since my bread is currently mostly buttering the federal loan service agencies, dollar bins are going to have to be my jam for now.”

“Funny.” Courtney’s eyes narrowed with amusement. “The library nearby has a pretty good romance section too. I think there are a few more books in that series.” She nodded at the book.

“I definitely would have gotten a library card sooner if I knew it came with light kink.”

“Just wait until I tell you about the millions of free fanfics available online.”

I gave Courtney a look that could probably be described as I have no damn clue what the hell you’re talking about before yanking my phone out. I scanned the search results for a few minutes, reading down the page. “So is alpha-to-omega fiction like a religious thing because I’m not really into—”

“ No ,” Courtney said at the same time Samantha popped her head out of the children’s section, saying the same word just as intensely.

I nodded slowly. “Curious… and curiouser… Oh—speaking of which, there was a sticker that got stuck into my book I bought yesterday. Wasn’t sure if it was supposed to be there.”

Courtney grinned. Did her cheeks get a little bit pinker? “Not an accident. Just seemed appropriate. Thought you would like it.”

“I did.”

Samantha walked behind the counter. “What sticker did you give her?”

“The WE’RE ALL MAD HERE one. Figured she deserved an apology because of the ferret’s—er—antics. And the dragon. And the snowstorm with the piglet, come to think of it.”

“I’m glad you don’t want it back because I already put it on my water bottle.”

Samantha coughed once.

“Coming down with something, Sam?” Exasperation tinged Courtney’s question.

“Nah, I’m good. Why? Do you feel feverish today?” Samantha looked at her friend and then back at me.

“My temperature is completely normal. Thank you so much for your concern.” Courtney’s lips pulled tight in an expression too silly to be a full grimace, but it was close to one.

I’m definitely missing something here.

“Did you want to buy that book, Thea?” Courtney tapped the cover and picked up the book.

“Yeah, but I also wanted to ask where the gay ones are?”

Courtney dropped the book right onto the take-a-penny jar, scattering spare change in every direction.

Samantha waved me off and stooped to the ground. “I can clean this up. Courtney, do you want to show her the section she wants?” She cleared her throat. “Where the gay ones are, I mean?”

“Of course I can show her.” Courtney’s teeth gritted together.

Courtney led me to the used romance shelves. “Not many queer books make it to the dollar bin, but…” She dragged her nimble fingers over the spines, worn and lined from multiple readings. “Here’s one. And… this one.”

“Whoa, these covers are a trip. So much subtle longing.”

“They had to be more subtle then.”

“Not going to lie, I was hoping for gay covers like these.” I pulled out a cover with a ripped, shirtless man holding the waist of a windswept woman in an off-the-shoulder purple gown. “But with twice the breasts and no bulges. Bulges are fine, but I really liked the book I read last night.”

“You like the clinch covers. They’re definitely a classic for a reason.”

“The what covers?” My brain tried to process the sentence, but it was difficult to understand the words coming out of Courtney’s mouth while processing the mortification of having just uttered the phrase twice the breasts in public.

“Clinch. Like—um…” Courtney’s hand reached toward my waist, but it stopped centimeters away. “Sorry.”

I nodded at Courtney’s hand with an inviting smile.

“So yeah… like this.” Courtney pressed her palm to my back, her fingers tangling in my long, wild hair.

With a splayed grip on my hipbone, she pulled my body tight to hers at an angle.

My hand reflexively rested on the space right beneath Courtney’s collarbone as if we were about to dance.

“C-l-i-n-c-h-e-d. Like clinched together.”

“ Clinch. Oh… I thought that was what you said, but then my mind thought maybe it was clench, which doesn’t really make sense. I got it now.” My head dipped for a second before realizing exactly where that put my eyes.

My face snapped back up to Courtney’s, and her mouth was so much closer than I expected it to be. The smallest movements would turn this moment into a kiss.

Seconds of silence passed, and Courtney’s lips parted.

I was half a breath away from leaning forward. But the words too much too soon echoed in my head. The jingling of the bell above the bookstore door startled me enough that I took two long steps out of her arms, immediately regretting it.

When I looked back at Courtney, there was nothing in her expression that acknowledged how close we had been to a kiss. Maybe to Courtney it just seemed like I was deliberately being an idiot about the word in order to get her to hold me like she’d just saved me from being ravished or something.

Unfortunately, the idea of having Courtney ravish me occupied every last one of my brain cells at the moment.

I fiddled with a loose earring while trying to form a coherent thought.

“I seriously don’t know why I thought you meant something about the way the fabric was in the dresses, sort of clenched—or scrunched—in his hand.

Or if it was a jaw thing. This makes a lot more sense.

Thanks for the explanation.” All those words came out way too quickly.

It wasn’t like me to be as ruffled as the gauzy fabric on the covers.

“It’s just some niche romance lingo.”

“I should probably just get a glossary rather than make my friendly neighborhood bookseller be the Fabio to my swooning debutante.” I placed the back of my hand on my forehead and tipped backward dramatically.

Courtney’s mouth quirked to the side. “Are you saying I wasn’t as good at clinching as Fabio?”

“No. Of course not.”

“It’s the pixie cut, right? I’d need to grow out the luscious locks again.” Courtney swept a swath of imaginary hair over her shoulder. “It used to be down to my waist before I chopped it off this winter if you can believe that.”

“ No . Your hair’s great as a pixie. Really hot actually. It’s not…” I squinted at her. “You’re just fucking with me, aren’t you?”

“Yep.”

I grabbed the books from Courtney and clutched (not clinched) them to my chest to protect myself from saying anything else dumb.

I would wish for a gag, but after reading that book last night, I probably didn’t need to give myself any ideas that might make me hornier while standing this close to Courtney.

Courtney’s quiet, raspy voice seemed to drag over my skin even in the memories of our conversations.

I headed to the register and dropped the stack on the counter.

After Courtney scanned the books, she loaded them into a bag.

“You know… I have some gay romance books I can loan you. Some even have clinch covers to rival Fabio’s finest. Sam used to send me books when I was touring, and I kept my favorites.

Probably wouldn’t shock you that the gay ones were my favorites… ”

I slipped the bag onto my arm and leaned forward on the counter. “Isn’t loaning me books a conflict of interest to being a bookseller?”

“I think between the bookshop snowstorm sleepover, the groping animal encounters, and the impromptu clinching, you can… you can just call me a friend at least at this point.” Courtney’s teeth sank into her bottom lip.

My gaze homed in on the tiny movement before shifting back to meet Courtney’s eyes.

“If you’re in the market.” She didn’t look away. “For a friend, that is.”

I nodded. “I definitely am.”

“Oh… this might be an overstepping question…” Courtney trailed off, focus on the corner again.

“You just said animal groping plus clinching in the stacks equals friendship. You can ask whatever.”

“I guess I did.” She shifted her weight. “Was everything okay with Marshall and you yesterday? There was a moment where he… and you seemed a little worried, maybe?”

“Oh… yeah.” My shoulders slumped. “I think he’ll be okay.

Just a lot going on right now.” Marshall still wouldn’t explain what was happening beyond he was in a fight with his dad.

I was pretty sure he got let go from the practice squad too, but I hadn’t brought that up to him either. “You’re sweet for asking about him.”

“Good he’s got a friend around for whatever he’s going through.”

“I hope so…” Last time Marshall got dropped from a team, it happened very unexpectedly during the season. He was in a funk for months before getting his shit together. Maybe having me here would help.

“I know when my life’s a mess… it’s nice to have Sam nearby. And Ms. Jeannie.”

“Speaking of Samantha… what was the deal with the fever stuff? Are you sick?”

“No.” Courtney rolled her eyes. “She’s just giving me crap.”

Another customer asked Courtney a question, so I stepped away. It was later than I realized, and I told Marshall I would pick up dinner on the way home. Since Courtney was still locked in a conversation, I waved from the door, and she waved back politely.

When I was a few strides down the sidewalk, someone called my name.

Courtney .

She smiled. “Is it okay if I get a bag of books together and bring them to you at Squid this week?”

“Oh—actually, I’m going out of town for a couple days for a thing for my mom.”

“Oh…”

“I’ll be back Tuesday though…”

“Tuesday it is.” Courtney rubbed the back of her neck under her sweater. “See you then.”

Feeling a little lighter than I had during the conversation about Marshall, I turned to walk back to Squid. I might have added a little extra swagger just in case Courtney was watching.

And I was decently certain that she was.