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“Can we talk?” His gaze flew around the book-lined walls. “Like—not here.”
Alice nudged her glasses up her nose. “I can’t leave the shop. Mum’s away on a buying trip. It’s only me here until closing time.”
“In the storeroom then.”
“Seriously?”
“I just need a couple of minutes,” he hissed.
Alice cast a glance around. There was a lull in customers. If she left the storeroom door open, she could still see if someone came up to the desk. “Okay, if you insist.” Her heart was hammering as they squeezed into the tiny room behind the counter. The smell of musty paper and old leather was so familiar Alice barely noticed it anymore, but now all her senses seemed oddly elevated. She crammed her back against the counter that held the kettle and microwave and her elbow sent a mug flying.
Luckily, Aaron didn’t seem to notice. He was dragging agitated fingers through his hair.
“I got the job,” he blurted.
“Oh, Aaron, that’s wonderful.” Any other time she would have hugged him, but in this cramped space a hug suddenly felt too intimate. She reached out and tapped his bicep instead.
“I heard this afternoon.” His gaze landed on her heavily and for some reason Alice felt her cheeks heating. “There’s another issue; kind of related.”
She cocked her head in inquiry.
“I need your help with something.”
Alice gave a groan. “Oh no, what now?”
“I need you to be my girlfriend.”
For a very long moment she stared at him wide-eyed. A pulse hammered madly in her neck. Her mouth went dry. Little stars formed in her vision. So, it was true, your bodydiddo strange and wonderful things when the words you’d dreamed of hearing forever were suddenly real.
“I… oh—” she stammered. Her cheeks must be neon by now.
Aaron’s face broke into an embarrassed smirk. “That came out wrong. I meant I need you topretendto be my girlfriend.”
It was like a movie clip had come to a grinding halt with Alice freeze-framed, her jaw hanging open and a stupid adoring look on her face.
Another hideously long moment passed before she managed to scoff, “Well that’s a huge relief. I’d have had to turn you down.”
Aaron broke into a grin. The dimple appeared on his left cheek. “I know, kind of weird, huh?”
Weird. Of course. Silly me.
“The problem is, I sort of stuck my foot in it with the partners. They were asking about my personal life, whether I had a relationship, and—”
“Oh.”
“Yeah. They were really turning the screws, said it was neck and neck between me and one other candidate.” Aaron stepped back against a pile of journals and nearly lost his footing. He glared down at the mess at his feet. “Jesus, where does Rowena find all this stuff?”
“Back copies ofNational Geographic. Very sought-after. Go on.” Alice tried for a smooth tone even though her heart had shrivelled to the size of a pinto bean. Here they were again; Aaron in a fix, her finding a solution. Sensible, practical Alice. Same old, same old. Her brief fantasy lay smashed at her feet, along with that pile of musty old magazines.
“Okay, well I told them I had a steady girlfriend. Namely—um—you.”
This one really took the cake.
“Why on earth would you say that?”
“I know, I know. It was seriously dumb of me. I panicked. The words were out of my mouth before I thought it through. I just needed to present a solid, dependable image and—”
“I was the most solid, dependable girl you know. I see.” Could he tell her molars were at risk of snapping? “And how long exactly do you envisage this arrangement lasting?”
