Four

Jill

Lunching the Enemy

Jack wasn’t fooling me with his congeniality. Somehow, he’d sussed out I’d arrange for the snow mountains in his yard. He knew I’d snow bombed him.

Still, if he wanted to help me work out my computing woes, who was I to turn him down? I was his pissed off and still smarting ex, that’s who. Could I trust him to help me with a website? Knowing my luck, I’d end up with a landing page that popped up a loop of Ned from Jurassic Park laughing at people for coming to my cyberspace home. I didn’t believe Jack would let the snow thing slide without payback, but deep down, I trusted he wouldn’t sabotage my business. He’d also help me for free. And free was the biggest selling point here—I’d just watch him like a hawk.

The store’s phone was ringing as I unlocked the front door, and I ran to answer the extension behind the counter.

“Hello,” I panted into the receiver, out of breath from the dash.

“Jill,” Beya gasped. “I’m…so sorry. I’m not… I can’t come in. I… I think I have the flu.”

“Oh, no. Yeah, keep that at home. Do you need me to bring you anything at lunchtime? Soup or anything?” Beya was far more than an employee. She was like a sister, and I’d help her however she needed.

“No. Zain’s staying…here. God, this is awful. I’m sorry—”

She hung up, but I could guess why, and I sure didn’t want to hear that. Shaking my head, I went over to relock the front door since I wouldn’t open the shop for an hour yet. Then I headed into the back to switched on the Christmas playlist that would play through the overhead sound system all day, a festive backdrop for shoppers. Wasting no time since I was flying solo today, I grabbed a cart of the books to be shelved in the historical romance section then wheeled it back out front.

And nearly jumped out of my skin when a tap-tap-tap sounded on the front window. Turning, I saw Jack standing there with two cups from Brewly Yours in his hands.

My brow furrowed, my lips twisting to the side as I stared at him. What on earth…?

There was no way I find out other than to open the door.

“What’s up?” I asked after I let him inside.

“Brought you coffee. I know Beya usually brings it, but Carlos told me that Zain was home with her today because she’s sick, so I figured…” He held a cup out to me.

I eyed it as if it were an asp from one of the Egyptian romances I’d been about to shelve.

“If you want, you can have the other one. They’re both the same.”

“No, it’s fine,” I conceded. “All else aside, I doubt you’d poison me.”

“Not this week.”

“Ha. Ha.” Taking the cup he’d originally offered, I sipped the frothy foam and got a flavor orgasm of a caramel br?lée latte, rich and buttery with just a trace of the cinnamon he’d had added for me. I groaned. Only Jack knew exactly my favorite drink, and I kind of hated that for me.

“Good?”

“Yes. Thank you. This was nice of you.” It was, and it killed me to say it. Jack had always been thoughtful which was the main reason I’d been so blindsided and gutted by him cheating on me.

“I know you don’t believe me, but I’d do anything for you, Jill.”

I huffed a sigh. “Jack—”

“I’ll see you at noon with lunch,” he interrupted then disappeared back out the door, jauntily striding toward his store. I blinked back the stupid emotions burning my eyes at seeing him go. This building used to be our store.

Honestly, we’d been outgrowing the space, and we’d been looking at either buying the store next door or looking elsewhere in town. Then right about the time we split, the unit on the end of the block had opened up, and we’d been talking about leasing it. We’d had so many ideas for it…

Shaking away the thoughts, I returned to my work and headed back to the section where I’d setup a gilded age theme with a couple chairs that appeared to be from that time period and a side table with a lacy tablecloth. I’d displayed a silver tea service on it, a great find from the thrift store. Honestly, I could sit right here and get lost in a book given the chance.

Once I finished stocking those books, I moved over to the sci-fi and paranormal section. Each part of the store had it’s only little world created for it, moving patrons from the past and to the stars, from cozy mysteries and suspense to big-city contemporary romances.

By the time I unlocked the front door again, everything was ready for the day and I’d set aside a few titles I’d find on the online bookstore for reading on my tablet. Deciding to continue my special from yesterday, I placed the signboard back on the sidewalk with high hopes of luring in lots of foot traffic.

The morning was slow, however, and I almost welcomed Jack’s arrival at lunchtime. Almost. Okay, my pulse raced with anticipation, but my head… My head wasn’t there yet.

“Ready for lunch? I brought the special from Nan’s Diner ,” he said, holding up a white plastic bag holding a couple to-go containers. “Sadie said to tell you hi, by the way.”

“You told her you were coming here? Lunching with the enemy?” I asked in horror.

“Well, I was getting food for two. You know how rumors fly. If I didn’t tell her, there would soon be a story about my mystery woman.”

“So now there will be gossip about us, instead.”

He shrugged.

“Could be worse. Believe me, I know,” he grumbled.

So did I. No one knew why we’d broken up, and as was true, nature and small towns abhorred a vacuum, so something soon filled the available space. None of the wild rumors were true.

“Besides,” he started.

“Besides what?” My hackles lifted, and I held my breath for what he might say.

“Maybe, I should wait on that.” His dark eyes bored into me, and I knew what he wasn’t saying. It was the same thing I hadn’t let him say for a year, even though I knew what he wanted. Me. He wanted me back.

“The computer’s still in the same place. In the office—in my office,” I blurted, sidetracking from the dangerous path we’d been treading.

“Okay, lead the way. Let’s see what we’re working with.”

“Nothing. We’re working with nothing,” I admitted.

“Fine. Let’s get a start on fixing that. I have all afternoon. There’s a storm coming over the lake, so I closed early. Weathergirl over at Woods Resort says we’ll get close to a foot, so I doubt there will be any more customers today.”

“Great,” I said, dejection heavy in the word. I really had to get my website running for online orders and win the holiday display contest.

“Almost everyone in town is shutting down early. I’m surprised Deputy Blieler hasn’t been in to talk to you.”

“No, I haven’t seen Hans today.”

“ Hans? You see him often?” Jack asked, less than nonchalant in his demanding inquiry. His lips pressed together after the question, the tension turning his shoulders to cement.

He was jealous? He was jealous? After I’d seen him with someone else?

“Occasionally,” I hedged. The cop happened to like reading alien romances.

Jack’s growl as he spun away toward the office wasn’t in my imagination, and I fought a triumphant smile as he marched toward the office we used to share. Interesting. Very interesting.