My eyes narrow at Eric. Why is he still hanging around in the bookstore? Surely he must have better things to do than hang around all day here. Besides, I saw his Rolex watch when he looked at the time earlier. He’s rich. And a doctor. Surely he’s got patients or basically anything else to do but bug me.

“Is there anything else you wanted?” I ask. “If you’re done, I should probably get to work.” I want him to go...but I feel that odd tinge in my stomach where I kinda also want him to stay. Ugh!

His eyebrows go up. “Well, actually, there were a few things. But you’re late anyway, so I don’t want to keep you.”

God, he keeps going on about that!

He smiles politely, but I can see the mirth in his eyes. I grind my teeth in annoyance.

“It doesn’t happen all the time.”

“Is it a rare thing? How often are you late in a month?”

“Hardly at all.” I don’t give him an exact figure. I haven’t got a clue what that figure is, in all honesty. To save face, I blurt out, “And if you’ll excuse me, I have things to do.”

He opens his mouth to say something, but I walk away quickly.

I dart around the store. It’s quiet, which is nothing new. Eric finds something to distract himself, and I use the opportunity to walk to the back and call Ryan. I’m going to find out what’s going on. He never told me about a new owner.

I pull out my phone and dial, putting the phone to my ear when I hear it start to ring. “Ryan. It’s me, Elia,” I whisper as I continue to watch Eric like a hawk.

“Hi,” says Ryan, and he sounds flustered.

I decide to get to the point instead of beating around the bush.

“I just spoke to this...doctor named Eric, and he says that he’s buying the store.”

Ryan clears his throat. “That’s right. I’m not too sure about it, in all honesty, Elia. You know as well as I do that the store’s in trouble. Big trouble. Maybe if you spoke to him you could figure it all out. I just can’t work out what to do next.”

“What do you mean?” Ryan has leaned on me before, because I’m not always a super late loser who flirts with strange men, I swear! But Ryan’s nerves have me suspicious of this whole deal. More suspicious than I already was.

He laughs nervously. “There’s no hiding the fact that the store’s in trouble. I don’t know what to do with it. That’s why I always talk to you, Elia. I know you care. And this guy wants to buy the store, but not for what it’s worth.”

“Maybe he hasn’t seen the books,” I mumble, but I didn’t mean to say it out loud. It just came out that way. I can’t decide if I’ve just been super rude to the current owner and the new owner in one blow, or made a good point -- maybe both -- because I hear Ryan perk up.

“Exactly! And he doesn’t want to see them. He just wants to buy the place sight practically unseen, though obviously he came in today. There’s something not right, Elia, and let’s face it. The store’s in trouble. But I’m feeling a bit sentimental about it all. My parents owned this place and they passed it on to me. Even though selling probably makes sense, and it isn’t an unfair offer, I just don’t know if I can sell my parents’ dream.”

I know the full story about his parents’ dream for the place. They died before they could really do everything they wanted to with the store. The store was different back then. Back before there were Kindle devices and digital readers. That’s what Ryan claims is the reason for the store’s downfall: the rise of the Internet booksellers and digital reading.

There are other bookstores in the area that aren’t suffering the same way ours is. Okay, so not ours. I just work here. When I show up on time. Ryan is the current owner and every time I suggest something to him, he claims that it’s too much work.

The truth is that Ryan doesn’t know how to run a business, but I have a feeling that a man like Eric does. That’s why he wants it so badly. He knows exactly what to do with it so that it makes him money, and I’m guessing it won’t involve keeping it a bookstore.

I know that I’m not an option here, but I wish my ideas for making the bookstore were acted on by Ryan, ever! I just want to save this place…and saving it from Eric if he’s planning to gut it doesn’t seem like it is going to make much of a difference compared to Ryan keeping the store and continually ignoring every idea that I’ve ever had to improve it.

“I’ve made a mess of it!” Ryan cries.

A wave of guilt washes over me. Ryan wants my help...but he doesn’t actually plan to improve the store. He’s a nice guy, but he wants to make excuses. Eric is not a nice guy and he wants to make money.

Guess that makes me the only person who wants to help the bookstore.

I figure my best chance is to help Ryan. Besides, he asked for my help anyway.

“Eric Vanderville wants to buy the store and the only thing that’s making me hold on to it is sentiments. I need to let go, but I would only sell if I know that he wants to keep it as a bookstore. Otherwise, I couldn’t live with myself. I’ve taken out a loan on my apartment but I’d rather be homeless than give it to him if he wants to do something else to it.”

Eric Vanderville. I’ve heard that full name before, but I don’t know where.

I inhale and press my lips together, trying to think of what to say, what to do. “Ryan, please stop worrying. Leave it with me. I’ll talk to him. Just don’t worry about it right now because neither of us knows anything concrete yet.” I chew my lip, hoping that will assuage Ryan’s concerns at least for now so that I can get to the bottom of this.

I hear Ryan swallow. “I shouldn’t put so much pressure on you.” He sounds worried, but this time that I might be brushing him off, or like he’s not sure that I should be doing this. Maybe Ryan remembers that he is the owner and I’m just an employee, but I have to make him remember how much I care about the future of the store.

“It’s fine, really!” I hope that I don’t sound off-puttingly eager. I feel so off balance today.

I rub my forehead and just then I catch a glimpse of Eric walking towards me.

Shoot! I need to get off the phone and fast. His eyes are focused on me and he has a book in his hand.

“Ryan, I need to go!” I feel bad for this, but I don’t wait for Ryan to reply and I hang up on him.

Eric stands in front of me. “Did you have a nice talk?” His eyes have a mischievous glint that my traitorous body responds to immediately.

I narrow my eyes at him, pushing down those thoughts and thinking again about where I’ve heard his name before. “Eric Vanderville,” I say aloud, trying to keep my voice even. I’m not getting frustrated with him. Not flirting. Just talking. I need to forget all the insta-lust and get on with my mission. But I open my mouth again and I can’t form any words.

His eyes slide down my body, then back up. I know he’s flirting again, and I don’t know how to respond to it.

Well, how to respond appropriately. Because a small part of me is like, girl, flirt back! I have to ignore the inner ho. I don’t need her screwing me out of a job. Yeah, I know what I did there! Mr. Fancy Rich Doctor probably doesn’t care about anyone but himself, and he thinks that he can just stroll in here and get whatever he wants.

Now, I’m starting to feel a different kind of fire inside, and it helps me find words. “I was talking to Ryan, the owner.” I don’t say any more because there’s something in the way that Eric is looking at me now.

Like he’s amused.

Ugh!

He reaches out and grabs a book behind me, but for the couple of seconds before his hand connects to the book, I think he’s about to touch my face. I actually thought he was going to brush my hair behind my ear or something...like he was going to kiss me.

I feel stuck in time and I just don’t know how to process any of this. I take a deep breath, because my heart is racing at just the idea of him touching me.

Eric looks over the paperback in his hands, but seems to be looking over it and at me. I think he must know what kind of an effect he has on me, judging by that smug smirk on his face.

I inhale again and turn my head to the side.“Do you mind if we start again?”

“Start again?” Eric asks with that bewildering amusement that makes him both incredibly handsome, all devilish charm in an extremely well-fitting suit, and incredibly annoying. But I’m a girl on a mission here. I want to figure out what he’s up to and save this poor bookstore from going under, if I can help it. Even if it would be a merciful death.

“Yes. Instead of you picking on me, Eric Vanderville, why don’t we sit and talk about your plans like adults.” I chew the inside of my lip, realizing that I probably sound ridiculous. I just work here. He doesn’t owe me any explanation. Frankly, I don’t know why we’re talking again, or why we talked so much earlier.

He clears his throat and says, “Yes. We can do that at dinner.”

“What?” I ask. I snap my mouth shut so that I’m not staring at him stupidly. He didn’t deny picking on me. Eric didn’t dismiss me or say this was none of my business.

Eric grins at me.“What time do you finish here?” His words seem to hit my ears slowly and I feel stunned.

I answer him. “Six.” I feel like the words came out of me without me even trying to respond.

“It’s a date.” Eric winks at me. He waves the paperback at me. It’s that new Alexis Angel book, Cindersmellya.

I read that one as soon as it came out and I think I’m actually blushing, imagining him reading the lap dance scene. “My driver, Carl, will pick you up at six.” He pulls out a hundred dollar bill and hands it to me.

Ella, in Cindersmellya, would have slid this in the side of her thong or something. I’m supposed to make change.

I open my mouth to say that, but nothing comes out as I’m watching Eric’s perfect ass walk away.