Kyle’s mouth dropped open. “Oh wow. And you didn’t know? You’re right, some bookstore owner you are, Greer.”
I punched him in the chest. “Shut up. I don’t read his genre, so it didn’t click at first. Besides, his looks threw me for a loop.”
“His looks, huh? So the plot thickens.”
I pushed past Kyle and headed back to the kitchen.
“Why do you think he’s in Boggy Creek?” he asked.
“I don’t know,” I said with a slight shake of my head. “Maybe he’s here for research?”
“You think he’s writing a book set in the valley?”
“Could be. He mentioned that his folks brought him here when he was younger.”
Kyle looked intrigued. “What type of books does he write?”
“Um…suspense. Mystery-type novels. He wrote one with James Patterson not that long ago.”
Kyle pulled out his phone.
“What are you doing?”
He looked at me with an expression that said what he was doing should be obvious. “Hello, I’m ordering a book of his off Amazon, so I can get him to sign it.”
I grabbed his phone and smacked him on the side of the arm. “You jerk! You happen to be standing above a bookstore, asshat! I have some of his books in the store right now, and I can also order them for you.”
His cheeks flushed. “That’s right. I forgot.”
“If I was being robbed, I’m pretty sure I’d remember that my brother and father are both cops!”
Kyle huffed and then looked at his watch. “I better get going. Keep me up to date with this Hudson guy. I’ll be curious to see if he comes into the bookstore again. Did he happen to check if you carried his books?”
“I don’t know. I wasn’t paying attention to what he was doing.”
Ugh. That was such a lie. I had been staring at him through that stupid glass window and noticing he had the cutest little frown line between his eyes. And when he looked like he was deep in thought, he chewed on his bottom lip. It was almost a crime for a man to do something so damn sexy and be absolutely unaware he was making women’s panties melt. Well…my panties, at least.
After walking Kyle down to his car, I rushed back up to my place to get ready for the day. It wasn’t lost on me that I was taking extra special care not only with what I wore, but with my hair and makeup as well.
One quick look in the mirror and I let out a breath. “Okay, you don’t look made up, but you don’t look like you just rolled out of bed either.”
My brown hair was pulled into a ponytail with a few wisps framing my neck and face. There wasn’t anything I could do with my boring eyes. They were hazel, and the only cool thing about them were the flecks of gold sprinkled throughout.
I scanned my outfit and smiled. I had on jeans, a nice blue sweater, and black ankle boots.
“Goodness, Greer. He probably won’t even be back in today.”
Deciding not to even think about Mr. McHandsome—also known as Hudson Higgins—I grabbed my stuff and headed down the back stairwell that led straight into Turning Pages. With each step, I vowed I would keep Hudson out of my thoughts.
Greer
When the bell dinged on the door, I looked up. As it had been doing all day, my heart paused for a beat before disappointment rushed through me. This time it was Candace who walked in. She raised a single brow when I let out a long exhale.
“Don’t look so happy to see me.”
I forced a smile. “Of course I’m happy to see you! Why wouldn’t I be happy to see you?”
She walked behind the counter, slipped her purse under it, then grabbed the apron that had the store logo and her name on it. She tapped her finger against her chin. “Let’s see, what would give me that impression.” With a snap of her fingers, she smiled. “I know! It was the hopeful look on your face until the very moment you realized it was me. Then it was utter disappointment.”
“It was not,” I replied with a laugh.
“Oh yes, it was. Who are you waiting for, Greer? And don’t tell me no one.”
Rolling my eyes, I sighed. “Fine. I was hoping it would be Hudson.”
She tilted her head and gave me a smirk. Her warm brown eyes lit up. “Ohhh…Hudson, huh? Well, then, you might be interested in this little piece of gossip I have.”
I nearly jumped on her as I rushed over. “What gossip?”
A look of triumph crossed her face. “You never could resist a good bit of juicy news. It was what first drew me to you in college, you know.”
“Candace, stop talking about college and tell me!” I demanded, grabbing her and giving her a shake.
“He’s at The Coffee Pot eating breakfast right now.”