Love and Lattes (6 page)

Chapter Six

Chase sat in one of the oversized leather chairs in the reading corner. He loved the feel of the supple leather surrounding him. No wonder these chairs were almost always occupied with customers browsing books and sipping coffees. The buzz of happy chatter around him was welcome. He'd hoped the noise would distract him from his thoughts of Julia. She was interesting, unusual, and so enticing it was hard to stop thinking about her.

Hitting on her was a bad idea, but he couldn't help but feel like something real was going on between them. Every little look and touch they shared made him believe she was feeling the same things he was. He couldn't change the fact that they worked together, nor could he change the fact that he'd developed some kind of feelings for her before she'd started working for him. There must be an exception to the "don't date your employees" rule if they technically met before either knew of their working situation, right?

Wrong. As long as she wore a
Bloom's Books
shirt, he couldn't pursue her, even if he really wanted to.

He could still talk to her though, at least about work related things. Maybe he'd go find her now and see how her first day was going. Was he hoping her day was good or bad? Good would mean she was happy, which would make him happy to hear. Bad would mean she was unhappy but would maybe seek alternate employment, which ultimately would make him ecstatic.

He pulled himself out of the big reading chair and went in search of her. As he rounded the corner, he caught sight of the front checkout. Rebecca was leaning across the counter, and the look on her face was all too familiar. As he moved toward Rebecca, a hand on his arm stopped him. He glanced up to see Cynthia Bleaker smiling at him.

"Where're you trying to escape to? I just got here, silly." She sidled up beside him, forcing him to stop.

"I've got work to do. If you'll excuse me." He tried to get around her without being rude, but she made leaving difficult. He didn't want to piss off his customers, but he really wasn't in the mood to be propositioned by Cynthia again either.

She stepped in front of him, her eyes heavy-lidded as they peered into his. She took a step closer to him, and walked her fingers up his chest until they rested on his shoulders as if the two of them were about to start dancing.

"Cynthia, I don't have time for this today." He looked over her shoulder and saw Rebecca whisper something into Julia's ear. Not again. Not her. He had to stop Rebecca before she did any permanent damage.

Cynthia ran her hand along his jaw and forced his gaze back to hers. "Why do you fight me like this, Chase? Are you just trying to live up to your name? You like having me
chase
you?" she stood on her tiptoes, whispering in his ear. Her breath smelled of coffee spiked with liquor. "I like to play games, but I'm getting tired of chasing you. I can think of a few other games I'd rather play."

He put his hands on her shoulders and gently guided her back down until she stood flatfooted again. "I don't want to play games with you. I'm not interested in you that way anymore." He focused on trying to say the words with enough conviction she might actually hear them and understand their meaning for a change. "I'm pretty sure Ralph would have a problem with this if he knew what you were offering."

Her mouth was set in a hard line. Chase was sure she would have worn an expression of disgust if not for the Botox filling every invisible nook and cranny in her face. "Ralph was a mistake. I'm willing to leave him if you want me back. Just say the words."

"You're something else." He shook his head and groaned. "What we had together was one time, forever ago. We've been over for years. My answer is still, and always will be, no."

His gaze wandered back to the front counter in time to see Julia, looking a little shell-shocked. What had Rebecca said this time?

"I have to go." He brushed past Cynthia. He only heard a snippet of the conversation between the girls, but what he heard had been enough as he watched Julia follow Rebecca toward the back of the store. Time for another talk.

"Can I get your help for a second, boss?" Jessie asked from the register.

He sighed. Rebecca would get another minute's reprieve while he helped Jessie. He just hoped Rebecca wouldn't have time to do too much damage in the meantime.

* * * *

"I think you've had enough restocking for one day." Rebecca pushed open the door to the back stockroom. "I have some cleaning that needs to be done."

Julia's spirit dragged on the floor as she followed Rebecca into the back.
Cleaning. Awesome.
Just how she'd always imagined spending her day—scrubbing some grimy stock room. They stopped in front of two large piles of dark wooden shelves.
Please don't tell me I have to build those. I can't even build IKEA furniture and they include instructions with pictures.

"You'll need to polish all of these shelves so they can be assembled and put out for the new displays we're doing tomorrow. Then I'll need you to bring those shelves out front and assemble them."

Julia took the rags and aerosol can of furniture polish from Rebecca's hands and stared at the piles. Everything would be fine. She'd find a way to do this. No problem.

"Have fun," Rebecca called over her shoulder as she walked back through the door.

Sighing, Julia got down on her knees and pulled the first long shelf off the top of the pile and moved it onto the floor. She held down the nozzle of the can and white foam shot onto the wood, filling the air with the smell of Christmas. As she started rubbing the polish into the wood, she couldn't help but feel like Cinderella, complete with evil stepsister—um, manager. The only thing missing was a glass slipper and her Prince Charming.

* * * *

Chase could barely hold his temper as Rebecca sauntered back to the front counter, a smug grin on her face. She'd gone too far. He wasn't going to let her get away with treating the other employees like crap. This time was her final warning.

"I need a word with you." He motioned for Rebecca to follow him. "Jessie, cover the front for a minute, would ya?"

"Sure, no prob, boss," Jessie replied, glancing up from the box she was in the middle of unpacking and moving around behind the counter.

"What can I do for you, Chasey?"

His insides twisted at the sound of her annoying pet name. "For the last time, don't call me Chasey. How many times do I have to ask you?"

"I'm sorry. I know you only like it when I call you that in private. I'll try to remember."

"No. I don't like you calling me by nicknames ever. Just stop, okay?"

Rebecca stuck out her bottom lip. He ignored her and rubbed his temple with two fingers. He hated dealing with her, but he didn't really have a good enough reason to make it worth the effort of firing her since she was damn good at her job—most of the time, when she wasn't harassing the female employees.

"Listen," he started. "I saw the way you were treating the new girl and I'm not happy. She didn't do anything wrong. You and I both know that."

"She took forever stocking those books," she fired back, interrupting him. "She would have taken all day to empty the returns cart. If she can't even do that
job, I have to find some work for her to do."

"What did you do?"

She looked at her feet, not meeting his gaze. "I just sent her to the back room to work on the shelves. Those need to be done for tomorrow."

"Yeah, my buddies are coming to help me with those tonight. You knew that. It's not her job to put those shelves together, and you're going to go tell her she doesn't have to. I'm not going to let you keep doing this, Rebecca. You can't keep treating all the female customers and employees like second-class citizens. You need to be a fair manager, or you won't be a manager anymore."

Her chin quivered as she sucked in a hitched breath. "I'm just looking out for you, Chase. She's no good for your business. I'm only trying to run a good store for you. I'm sorry if I didn't do my job well enough."

She was trying to manipulate him again by twisting the situation to get out of trouble, but he'd been down this road so many times before, he didn't know if he had the strength to deal with her again. If only he hadn't known Rebecca his entire life, dealing with her as if she was any other employee would be so much easier.

"Becca, listen." He hated to use the pet name she loved, but it was the only way he could think of to make her listen. "I know you want the best for me and the store, but you can't bully people because you don't like them. I'm trying my best to keep you on staff here, but I'm not going to let you do this again. Leave Julia alone or I'll have no choice but to fire you."

He could see the tears pooling in her eyes and a knife twisted in his gut. He hated when he had to be a boss to her. She always took everything he said to heart, even when he tried to be gentle.

"I'm sorry. I won't let it happen again."

"Thank you. I know you mean well." He took her hand and squeezed it. "But please, you've got to stop treating the female employees and customers like this. Can you do that for me?"

"I would do anything for you," she said quietly before walking back toward the stockroom. The scent of her vanilla perfume lingered in her wake. She'd worn that same perfume every day since he'd once made the mistake of commenting on how much he liked the smell of vanilla. After so many years, he found the aroma slightly nauseating.

He watched her go, knowing the truth of what she'd said. She would do anything for him. Except the one thing he wanted most—for her to let him go.

Chapter Seven

Chase wanted to go directly to the back room to make sure Julia was okay after dealing with his jealous manager. He started to follow Rebecca, dreading having to watch the two girls interact and wishing for a way to keep them apart.

"Chase, can you help me with this return?" Jessie stood behind the counter, glaring at the cash register, her brow furrowed into creases.

He sighed. The last thing he wanted was to be pulled away by work, but he was the boss, regardless of the drama unfolding in his life. "Sure thing." He put his hand on Rebecca's shoulder to stop her for a moment before he went to Jessie. "You're going to be nice when you talk to her, right?"

Rebecca nodded. "Yeah. I promise I'll be on my best manager behavior." She turned and walked toward the back room again, her shoulders hunched.

"Thanks," he called after her, then turned his attention to Jessie.

He walked behind the counter and took the book from Jessie's hand. "What's the problem with the return?"

He listened as she explained the problem, but his mind was elsewhere—his thoughts were with Julia.

Sadly, Julia wasn't the first girl Rebecca had decided to frighten away. Since having Julia around the store felt strangely comforting, he hoped Rebecca hadn't scared her off. If Julia did in fact quit at some point, he didn't want her walking out of his store at the hands of Rebecca.

Chase finished the return for Jessie and said goodbye to his customer before leaving the front register back in Jessie's care. He was fairly certain after his conversation with Rebecca, Julia would be back out of the floor restocking books and not still stuck in the back room. If he wandered around enough, he figured he run into her and then he could make sure she was okay. He glanced into the different rooms as he passed, finally spotting her standing in front of a shelf reading the back of a paperback novel.

He took a deep breath and sauntered toward her before his mind protested and gave his body a reason to stop. He was nervous. Every time he looked at Julia he couldn't stop himself from remembering how she looked the other night. Images of her smiling and laughing—flirting easily with him. Images of her with heavy-lidded eyes as she straddled his lap and kissed him in ways he'd never been kissed before.

Why did this girl have to be the one he actually wanted to date more than once but couldn't?

He grabbed a random book off the shelf and opened it as if he were engrossed in the words filling the page. He brushed his shoulder gently against hers as he passed her, trying not to throw her off balance. He wanted her to notice him, not think he was a complete jerk who was oblivious to the world around him.

"Oh, hey. I was actually hoping I'd run into you," he said.
Pathetic line.

Her eyes left the book she held and her gaze met his. He saw myriad emotions in her eyes. After what seemed like long enough to read
War and Peace
in its entirety, her expression settled on something resembling pleasantly surprised. The corners of her lips turned up just slightly, as if she internally fought not to smile.

"That's okay. I guess you were too involved in your book to see me."

Julia took the novel from his hand and turned it over so she could see the cover—a glossy photo of a woman with wind-swept hair draped across the arms of a very muscular, bare-chested man. "Interesting choice. You read romances?"

He peeked up at the sign above the row of books and cringed. How had he not realized they were in the romance section when he knew this store inside and out? Was he really so distracted by thoughts of Julia that he could get lost in his own store?

Glancing at the book in question, he realized he should have paid closer attention to the book he'd picked off the shelf. This was embarrassing, but he decided there was only one thing he could say—the truth.

"I've never read a romance novel in my life," he admitted. "I grabbed this one off the shelf without looking at the title on my way over here to talk to you."

"So you didn't bump into me again accidentally? 'Cause I really started to think there must be some weird vortex in this store making us continually run into each other. Now I know you were just plotting."

"Yep. You caught me." He held up his hands like a man cornered by the police. "Now the question is, what are you going to do with me?"

She nodded and slowly stroked her fingers along her jaw before starting to laugh. "I don't know. I'm not sure your offense is punishable. I think I might have to let you off with a warning this time."

Chase leaned against the bookshelf and laid his unneeded novel across the tops of the other books where he'd easily find it again later to restock it properly. Right now, he was too busy with other things, like Julia, to worry about one out-of-place novel. "So, do you like romance novels, or are you just being very methodical while you restock?" He motioned to the book she'd tucked under her arm instead of into the shelf with the others.

Her face blanched before she answered. "You know, I wanted to put this one back, but it just wouldn't go. I think it really wants to come home with me, so I might have to keep it."

"The novel gave you the puppy dog eyes, didn't it?"
She has a sense of humor.
That was a nice change from the usual humorless women he dated. "If they're that good, maybe I should try one out. Any favorites you want to recommend?"

"Um, no." She tucked her hair behind her ear and laughed. "I'm pretty sure you have no need to read about romance." She bit her lip and peeked at him through her lashes, looking at him innocently. "So, why'd you go to the trouble of tracking me down?"

"I hoped we could talk for a few minutes—about work stuff."

"Sure, what's up? Is it the shopping while working thing? 'Cause I swear I didn't mean to do that—again."

He laughed at her. She was so sweet. How would he ever get over her?

"I promise it's not about the shopping. And honestly, I don't care if you pick out books for yourself while you're at work, as long as you're still actually working."

"Understood." She nodded once.

His pulse quickened at her smile, amazed at her ability to make him feel more alive than he ever had before. He cleared his throat and leaned into the bookshelf more, trying to channel his inner James Dean. He didn't know why he felt the need to try and impress her, but he just couldn't seem to help himself.

"Can I treat you to a coffee upstairs while we talk?"

She stopped smiling, as if she'd just realized he was actually being serious.

"Coffee, tea, water? You must drink something," he trailed off, waiting for her to reply.

"Isn't having coffee together against the rules or something?" Her eyes darted around them as if she were afraid of someone—probably Rebecca—overhearing them. "The boss really shouldn't be having coffee with the staff. I don't want anyone to get upset or have the wrong idea." Her cheeks turned pink.

"Coffee might be a tiny bit against the rules, but I figure we've already broken more than our share of them, so what's one more? Besides, since I'm the boss, I can make or break the rules without answering to anyone but myself, and I'm pretty sure I'm going to say it's okay."

An idea came to mind that could justify them having a simple coffee together. "And, since you're new around here, I figure it's my duty to be the one nice person you meet. What better way to prove that, than by taking you for a coffee date to celebrate your first day of work? I know how the people in the Meadow are, and I can't imagine life's been much fun for you here."

"I have to admit it's been a bit tough being the new girl, but I'm getting used to it. So, you said this is a date. Like a work date, right? Not a—a real date like the other night? 'Cause I'm pretty sure
that's
not allowed."

"What do you want it to be?" he asked, eager for her answer.

"I think that's a trick question designed to get us both in a heap of trouble. I really don't want to be on Rebecca's radar again." Julia laughed, but sounded a little nervous.

Annoyance for Rebecca shot through him, and he was more determined than ever not to let Rebecca change the course of how his life would play out. She'd meddled where she didn't belong for long enough.

"Well, I really do need to speak to you about work, so let's just call this a work date and go from there. God knows I wish it were more." He mumbled the last bit quietly without thinking.

His breath caught in his throat, hoping Julia wouldn't take his words the wrong way. As much as he'd love to take her to bed again, he also did want to spend time with her, getting to know her and making sure she was okay after everything that had happened with Rebecca.

"I do too." She whispered the words almost too quietly for him to hear, but the meaning behind them was as clear as if she'd said them into a megaphone. Her cheeks turned scarlet as his suggestion and her own confession hung in the air between them.

There was something really sweet about a girl who blushed. He always managed to find the girls who were jaded and vengeful over the last guy who'd hurt them. Thankfully, that didn't seem to be the case with Julia.

"Okay," Julia finally replied, "but if Rebecca comes looking for me, I'm totally blaming you for my hiatus from restocking books."