I grin up at him. “You’re going to do calligraphy?”
“I’ve been practicing,” he says. “But I’m going to hope that it’s the thought that counts. When the place cards look like a child wrote them, it will be endearing because it’s a baby shower.”
“That’ll be sweet,” I say. “I’m sure she’ll be happy with whatever you come up with.”
“But I remember something,” Bryce says.
“Oh?”
He nods. “I remember that you’re particularly good with things like this, and if I’m not mistaken, you’ve got some calligraphy skills.”
“I might.”
He deliberately rubs his hands up and down my back. “What do I have to do to bribe you into helping me with this?”
From the back room, Elle yells, “She likes pizza!”
We both startle, because we completely forgot that she was there. And then I laugh. “I do like pizza.”
Bryce raises an eyebrow. “If I buy you a pizza, you’ll help me with the place cards?”
“How about this,” I say. “You start by buying me a pizza, and we’ll see how the night goes.”
“Mmm,” he says. “That’s a bargain I can live with.”
I’m still sore from last night, but right now my body doesn’t give a shit, and I swear I hear Elle laughing as Bryce leans down to kiss me, and we’re interrupted by the bell over the door and the next customer of the day.
6
I’m distracted for the rest of the day, because Bryce stays in the store. He browses, eventually picking a book and settling into one of the stuffed armchairs I keep in the corners of the store so that people can read. “Don’t you need to work?” I ask him at one point.
He just smirks at me and shakes his head. It occurs to me that I don’t even know what he does now. I tried not to know, cause knowing would have just made me more interested.
Elle corners me in the back room when there’s a lull in customers. “Holy shit, Katti,” she whispers. “I don’t give a fuck if he is your father’s best friend, that man is lickable.”
“I know,” I say, “and I’ve wanted him for years. But I don’t know what’s going to happen when my family finds out. It will kill them.”
“Would it really?” she asks. “They wouldn’t be happy that two people they both love found happiness together?”
I consider the possibility, but I can’t erase the gnawing anxiety in my gut. “I don’t think so. First, we slept together last night, and I know we both want each other, but there’s no kind of permanence yet. And second, how would you feel if the man that you’d known since college started fucking the girl he’s known since she was a kid?”
She makes a face. “Yeah, I see your point. But you’re both adults now. You’re both at a very different place in your lives. I think it’s fine.”
“Well, thanks,” I say. “At least one person does.”
“And seriously? If he has any hot British friends? Sign me the fuck up.”
“Unfortunately, most of my friends are American. Some of them are hot though. I’ll keep it in mind,” Bryce says from the door. I think it’s the first time that I’ve ever seen Elle blush. But she does, and I whip around. “You’re sneaky,” I say. “I didn’t hear you at all.”
He smiles. “I thought I might go pick up dinner for the two of us so we can eat while we work.”
“That would be nice.”
“Asian or Italian?”
“Asian.”
He leans forward and pulls me in for a kiss. “Done. Will we be working here or at your house?”
“Here,” I say. “We have room back here with the tables that I don’t at home.”
“Then I’ll be back soon.”
I bite my lip. “Okay.”
Bryce disappears, and I glare at Elle. “Thank you, for that.”
“I mean, he said that he’d keep it in mind,” she says, grinning. “But point taken.”
Glancing at my watch, I realize that it’s late. “Wow, that day went by fast.”
“No,” Elle laughs. “That day went by distracted. And do you mind if I head out? You inspired me, and I actually have a date tonight.”
“Absolutely.” I practically shove her out of the back room. “You stayed late last night and I didn’t even have a chance to tell you how good the store looked when I came in this morning. By all means, fuck off and go get some.”
“I would say the same to you,” she says, sticking out her tongue. “But I’m absolutely sure that’s going to happen. Just try not to have sex on the actual books?”
“Goodbye, Elle.”
She waves and grabs her bag, and I hear the bell over the door ring. I tidy up things, and check out a couple more customers before the store officially closes. I balance the register and make some notes about things that I need to order tomorrow before I hear a small knock and look up to see Bryce at the door brandishing a couple bags of take-out boxes.