Total pages in book: 86
Estimated words: 83216 (not accurate)
Estimated Reading Time in minutes: 416(@200wpm)___ 333(@250wpm)___ 277(@300wpm)
Estimated words: 83216 (not accurate)
Estimated Reading Time in minutes: 416(@200wpm)___ 333(@250wpm)___ 277(@300wpm)
“Are you fucking kidding me? Is that thing made of pure gold or something?”
I swatted his arm. “No, dummy. It’s a Jade Jopler design. She’s all the rage.”
He rolled his eyes and proceeded to test the furniture. He fell into an armchair…too short, a sofa…too hard, and finally stretched his long legs on the chaise of the sectional, folding his hands behind his head…just right. I couldn’t help but chuckle.
“Ah, this is the life.” Pierce sighed, whistling for the dog to join him. “C’mere, boy.”
“Benson knows better than to jump on the furniture,” I scolded, checking my watch.
“I was talking to you,” he countered slyly.
I flipped him off. “End of tour. I need to finish up in the storeroom so I can go home.”
Pierce opened a coffee-table book, studied a painting, fingered the fringe on a pillow, then followed me. He perched his ass on a table stacked with candles, picked one up, read the label, sniffed, set it down, and reached for another one.
“Smells good.”
“Mmhmm.” I couldn’t read his expression, but it was as if he were trying too hard to act normal, carefree. “Are you okay?”
“Of course. Why wouldn’t I be?” Pierce flashed a crooked, more convincing smile as he pushed away from the candles and dropped to his knees to pet the dog. “So…is Benson the store mascot?”
I nodded. “He belongs to the owner, Bran, and his husband, Jake.”
“Your friends.”
“Yes.”
“Hmm. It’s nice to meet him in person. I’ve seen your photos on Instagram, buddy. You’re such a good boy, aren’t you?”
I frowned. “What do you mean you’ve seen his photo?”
“I’ve been stalking you on social media,” he replied matter-of-factly.
“Really?”
“Yep.” He grinned as he straightened, glancing around the storage room and fixating on the mess on the table. “What’s with all the candles?”
“I’m doing inventory.”
“Ah…in-vent-ory.” He drew the word out like notes from a song. “In-ven-tory with Lo-ren-zo.”
I rolled my eyes. “Just when I start to like you…”
“You like me. You lust me, too.” Pierce planted a sloppy kiss on my mouth, snickering when I pushed him away.
“You’re okay,” I conceded. “I have to finish up here. I won’t be too much longer.”
“Let me help. Inventory is just counting stuff, right? I can count.”
I shot a dubious once-over his way. “Okay. You can check off candles by fragrances. Not brand, but fragrance. Someone ordered too many gardenia-scented candles and if another one somehow makes the shelf, I’m gonna lose it, so be careful.”
“In a twist, I know how to read too.” He kicked the chair next to his. “Park your cute ass, Lo. Tell me about this place.”
I parked my cute ass and told him about Bran and Jake and their baby, Andrew. And my favorite coworkers, Lizzy, Allison, and Connor.
“Lizzy’s worked here with me the longest. She got married a couple of years ago. I’m sure they’re planning a family soon. Allison and Connor are younger than us…still in their twenties. Everything with them is labeled by generation. Apparently, I’m very much a millennial and they’re very Gen Z. They’re also wannabe actors. They’ve done commercials and have had minor guest spots on popular shows. They would absolutely freak if they knew you were here.”
“Doing their job for them, no less,” he quipped.
I snickered. “The irony.”
“So…you like working here.”
“I do. This wasn’t my original career choice, but I love it now. These people are like family to me. I don’t talk to my own family much, so…I’m grateful to have this place.”
“What did you want to do?” he asked, reading the label on the candle box.
“I wanted to be on Broadway,” I admitted bashfully. “I took dance for years and I was in every school program through high school. I even got parts in a couple of regional shows. I was one of the dancers in Fiddler on the Roof and Annie Get Your Gun. I love the theater. Broadway was the ultimate goal, but it never panned out.”
“Why not?”
“My grandmother was frail, and I didn’t want to leave her.”
“Oh, that sucks.”
I frowned. “Okay, that’s not the whole truth. I was scared. New York is far away and expensive and I didn’t know anyone and…I lost my nerve. I kept putting it in my ‘someday’ box, but it never happened.”
“Do you regret not giving it a shot?” he asked thoughtfully.
Did I?
“Maybe at first, but…not anymore. I don’t like cold weather, and my jazz and ballet days are over. And how could I ever give up retail life?” I threw my arms open wide. “It’s so glamorous.”
Pierce smiled indulgently. “You seem to like it.”
“The hours suck and I’m on my feet all damn day, but I do like it. I’m happy playing with fabrics and talking to customers. I’ve been doing this in some form or other since I was sixteen, so I’ve had years of practice. I worked at Express, Gap, Banana Republic. They were meant to be temporary jobs, but I took on oodles of hours to save for New York. I ended up using it all to buy a house with my ex. And yes, Tony is the other reason I stayed. What an idiot, right?”