Page 22 of A Class of Her Own

“Hmm. Well, at least while you’re engaged in battle the view is pretty.” She pinched my upper arm. “Because that man is easy to look at.”

“Easy to look at might be a stretch,” I replied.

Willow gave me a knowing look. “Mer, he may not be textbook handsome, but there’s something really appealing about him.”

“I’m ignoring you,” I said. She laughed and left to go help more customers.

I got to work sorting the clothing items in front of me. The image of Brooks standing there with his little half-smile didn’t want to dissipate. If I really concentrated I could still smell that spicy scent he’d brought with him. His eyes were a little too hooded for my taste, his brow strong. And if one felt like being unkind, they could mention that he had thick eyebrows that were in danger of unifying at some point. But, yeah, his build was okay, and his height was, you know, not terrible. He could consider doing something about the curly hair on his head that wasn’t ever totally tamed. I’d also really like to stop wondering what his two tattoos were of and why he’d chosen to get them.

A few minutes later a flurry of activity caught my attention as Lizzie and Aryn arrived.

“Willow said Brooks was here,” Lizzie said, grabbing my arm and tugging me in for a hug. “What did he want?”

I allowed her to hug me because Lizzie always thought hugs were the answer before gently pulling back. “He said he was shopping for Christmas gifts.”

“Do you believe him? Or is he stalking you to get more ammo for your next HOA meeting?” Lizzie asked.

For the first time that morning, my face split into a full smile. “I love, love, love that you went dark like that.”

Aryn cracked up too. “We have reason to be suspicious.”

I turned back to the clothes that needed to be hung. “True, but I believe him. It is Black Friday, after all, and he had no idea I’d be here.”

“Was he a jerk?” Lizzie asked.

“He must have been nice, Liz, considering Willow was floating a bit out there,” Aryn piped in.

I swallowed hard, an unfamiliar tingle starting in my chest. “Do you think Willow liked him, liked him?” I asked.

Aryn tipped her head back and forth. “Hard to say. Does she giggle a lot?”

My family was not known for its giggling. “No. Not really.”

Her face grew speculative. “At the very least, she found him interesting.”

“And cute,” Lizzie added. “She mentioned he was cute. What does he look like?”

“He’s cute,” Aryn confirmed, and the tingling in my chest changed to a rock in my stomach. “It catches you by surprise. Like, if you passed him on the street you’d maybe not look twice, but when you have a few minutes to look at him you start to think, ‘Hey, this guy’s kind of . . .’” She trailed off as she looked down at me.

“No, please go on telling me how cute you think my enemy is,” I grumped, accidentally dropping the garment from the hanger I was holding.

Aryn’s expression was pensive, and she patted me on the shoulder. I didn’t like the way she looked like she was unlocking a mystery, so I spun away to pick up the dropped item.

“Anyhooooow . . .” Lizzie jumped in. “Does Willow have any of those kid jumpers left? I want to get Sally something for Christmas,” she said, referring to her soon-to-be stepdaughter. Lizzie was getting married to her secret high school crush in less than a month.

I nodded. “Yeah. I saw some by the front window.”

Lizzie zipped out. “I gotta get them before they sell out.”

“You okay?” Aryn asked as Lizzie’s honey blonde curls bounced out of sight.

I shook my head, clearing the haze that hadn’t lifted since Brooks’s appearance. “Yeah. Just . . . feels like my two worlds collided, and suddenly everyone is on Team Brooks, and I’m struggling to catch up.” She offered a sympathetic smile. “He tried to choke me with a scarf, you know.”

Her eyebrows rose. “Total truth or embellishment?”

“Embellishment.”

“So, what are you going to do about it?”

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