Page 28 of Realm of Dreams & Shadows

“This is St. Augustine,” he says, as if that explains everything. Considering what the guide said during orientation, I guess it kind of does. “Any questions so far?”

“Not yet, but I will say you’ve got some pretty cool books in your inventory.”

“Oh, I definitely do.” He grins, almost like he’s keeping a secret. “Come on. There’s more to see.”

The next hour passes in a blur of instruction, and by five-fifteen, I’m alone at the counter, organizing a stack of new releases.

The bell above the door jingles, and I look up, my customer service smile freezing when I see who’s walking in.

Chase.

I duck behind the counter like the lead in a really bad sitcom, my heart racing. Is he following me? How would he even know I work here?

Then my rational side smacks me in the face. He’s not following you, dummy. He’s a customer. And why the hell are you hiding, anyway?

Honestly, I didn’t know if it was because I was attracted to him and feared it wasn’t mutual after all, or if I was too weirded out by the fact that he had a starring role in my dreams. Either way, hiding had seemed the best option. Best being a relative term.

After a few moments, I peek over the counter, and when he disappears into the occult section, my curiosity wins. I slip out to follow him, positioning myself one aisle over and looking through a gap between books so I can play spy without being seen.

As I watch, he runs his fingers along the spines, stopping at a thick volume bound in faded red leather. I can’t see the title, but it’s clearly what he came for, as he’s flipping the pages with focused intensity.

“Checking inventory?”

I nearly jump out of my skin. Mr. Griffin has materialized beside me, his voice pitched low.

“I—I was just—familiarizing myself with the stock.”

“Mm-hmm. Why don’t you go help our customer instead of watching him?”

Busted. I straighten my shoulders and step around the bookshelf, approaching Chase with a professionalism I don’t feel.

“Can I help you find something?”

He looks up, then flashes a smile that seems to radiate pleasure. “Cora,” he says. “Griff told me you were coming to work here.”

“Oh. Why?”

Chase lifts a shoulder in a casual shrug. “I guess he thought that was something I’d find interesting.” A warm sizzle races through me as he meets my eyes. “The guy knows me well.”

This, I know, is flirting. But since I suck at flirting, my response is an extremely lame smile and an even lamer, “Oh.”

He grins but says nothing else. Since I’m starting to think that we both suck at the whole social thing, I lift a hand to indicate the shelves. “Um, so, do you need help finding anything?”

The corner of his mouth twitches. “You’ve worked here less than a day. I’ve been popping in almost daily for years. Do you want me to give you the tour? Or pretend to be a confused customer so you can help me out?”

Honestly, I should probably say yes. Instead, I shake my head. “That’s okay. There’s a cart of books I need to start shelving. But I appreciate the offer for on-the-job training.”

His grin lights his eyes in an adorable way that has my whole body tingling.

“Right,” I say. “Well, I’ll let you get to it.” And then, before I can somehow sound even more tongue-tied and geeky, I zip off to the break room and the stack of invoices and purchase orders that tops my list of things to organize.

Mr. Griffin is at the worktable when I enter, and there’s a definite twinkle in his eye when he looks up. “You know our Mr. Chasen?”

“Only a little,” I say.

Mr. Griffin nods, as if that makes perfect sense. “He’s a hard nut to crack. That kind holds a heavy burden.”

I frown, something in his tone making my stomach twist, like I’ve brushed too close to something dangerous.