Page 53 of Crazy in Love

“If this is your way of asking me out,” she said, “your technique could use some work.”

He rolled his eyes. “I just want to be sure we know the ground rules. That way no one gets hurt.”

“I’ll be fine, Nick. What about you?”

“I’ll be fine too. So, unless you said yes to Denver, do you wanna grab dinner tomorrow? Tess is off doing her campout thing. Plus, it’s really the only time I have before surgery.”

“So pragmatic,” she said. “I can totally tell you and Tess are related.”

“Is that a yes?”

Before she could give it much thought, the answer was already leaving her mouth. “Yes.” Hopefully, this wouldn’t turn into one of those things she jumped into without thinking and regretted later.

“Cool.” He bought a stack of books and left.

Thirty minutes later, Ruby showed up for work, and Faith had a second awkward conversation about “borrowing” from the till. Ruby broke down in tears, instantly contrite, telling Faith there were extenuating circumstances, and it had only happened once. She claimed to have paid it back the next week, and Faith believed her. If that made her a gullible fool, so be it.

She spent the rest of the day in her office, making plans. It was only September, but the holiday gift-buying season was quickly approaching, and she was already thinking ahead.

The summer tourists had departed, taking a sizable chunk of revenue with them, but the lull was temporary. The next big rush was late fall when people came for the autumn leaves. That was followed by Christmastime when they came to vacation in a cozy cabin in the snowy woods. Faith saw the break as the perfect opportunity to change things up.

Each night after closing, she’d sneak around like a Christmas elf to rearrange bookshelves, stock new merchandise, and set up displays of new products.

That evening, after Ruby left, Faith hauled out the totes of seasonal décor she’d found in the break room to swap out the summer motif for oranges, reds, and browns. With Tiger’s help, she decorated the reading space in the front corner with fall garlands, apple cider-scented candles, and a variety of fake pumpkins. Finally, she stacked fall-themed books on the center table.

“Ta-da,” she said when finished. “Looks perfect.”

Tiger showed his agreement by leaping onto one of the chairs, curling up, and promptly falling asleep.

“You’ll let me know if you change your mind and want to come home with me, right?”

Tiger didn’t budge.

“I take it tonight’s not that night.”

She packed up her stuff and headed home, returning late. The empty pizza box on the counter told her Hope had talked her dad into ordering in. At least they’d figured out dinner on their own. It wasn’t great for her dad’s heart issues, but for now, she’d count it as progress.

CHAPTER EIGHTEEN

Nick’s daily routine was thwarted when it finally rained. Walking to the coffee shop and reading in the park lost its allure in a cold downpour. He sulked restlessly around Tess’s house. His surgery was the next day, and even though it hurt like hell to walk, he’d really wanted one last day of mobility before being bedridden again.

And, as much as he hated to admit it, he’d grown accustomed to running into Faith in town. Sure, she was kind of a nut job, but she was also pretty and fun to be around.

He’d first pegged her as unserious, perhaps even not-too-bright, but having gotten to know her a little, had come to realize she was responsible when it mattered.

She cared for her dad, looked after her little sister, and, after nursing her mother all year, managed a store she didn’t really want or know much about. Even dealing with all that, she remained so cheerful and optimistic.

When Faith confronted him at the watch party, her forthcoming honesty had surprised him. Most women he dated played games. Whether it was “guess how I feel” or “figure out what I want,” he was never any good at them and hadn’t won one yet. It was refreshing to have a woman just say what she thought. And with an opponent like that, maybe he stood a chance at winning for once.

Asking her out yesterday had been half spur-of-the-moment, half I-can’t-get-her-out-of-my-head-might-as-well-just-do-it. Heck, they’d already made out. How could a datemess things up any more? Tess would kill him, but when the cat’s away…

He’d already packed most of his stuff. After the surgery, he was moving back to his parents’ home. The procedure would be minimally invasive—the doctor planned to micro-target the piece of bone—but he’d still need extra help for a few days.

He called his boss, intending to leave a message about the setback. It was Sunday, but he wasn’t surprised when the Special Agent in Charge picked up.

“Workin’ on a Sunday, sir?”

“Saw it was you, and wanted to find out how you’re doing,” SAC Mathison said.

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