Rich Groom (The Dirty Thirty Pledge 1)

The anger slips out of me as quickly as it slipped in. It’s not going to change anything. Ducking my head so that no one can see the tears on my face, I go back to sorting books. I’ll just hide back here until I can get myself together.

I don’t even hear anyone enter the aisle until I hear his voice. “Seeing you like this is like taking a step back in time,” he says.

It’s Frankie.

6

Frankie

“It’s done?” I ask Charles.

“All taken care of,” he says. “They usually put up more of a fight too, but I think they were just relieved to have the money.”

Tension eases in my shoulders. “Good. That makes me feel better.”

Charles chuckles, “I’ll bet it does. Anything on Glenn?”

“No,” I say, neglecting to tell him that I punched him in the face, “but I’m working on it.”

“I’ll dig a little deeper, but let me know if you find anything.”

“I will,” I say, spying the place I’m walking to. “I’ve got to go.”

“Bye, boss.”

The bookstore is by the river, on the main drive of Green Hills where the trendy stores are located. When I step inside, it’s nothing like I remember. I wasn’t sure what Anna meant when she said that they’ve turned the bookstore into something, but now I see what she means. When I lived in Green Hills, this store was a little hole in the wall place. Not so anymore. It’s expanded. There’s a small café in the corner that’s serving coffee, tea, and muffins. There’s an area with a few comfy armchairs and what looks like a little stage set-up, and of course, there are rows of bookshelves.

At first glance, I don’t see her anywhere, but the girl at the counter clearly knows who I am, and without saying a word she points towards the back of the store. I give her a smile and a nod, and I walk back into an area that is more familiar to me. And I find Anna in a familiar position, sorting books. She’s on the floor in a corner sorting books from a cart, looking totally lost in her world. I’ve seen her like this before, way back when.

“Seeing you like this is like taking a step back in time,” I say, laughing.

But I think that was the wrong thing to say, because when she looks up she’s not smiling. There are tears running down her cheeks and her eyes are red enough that I know she’s been crying for a while. “Yeah, I guess that’s true. Even if the store is really different.”

“Anna? What’s wrong?” I help her to her feet and kiss her. She lets me, and I feel her relax against my body. I whisper in her ear. “I just meant that I remember you tucked into a corner with books. Nothing more.”

She sighs, her voice thick and unshed tears pooling in her eyes. “After…” She clears her throat. “After we broke up, I came home. I didn’t think it was going to be this long. I didn’t mean to stay working here, but I was comfortable, and it’s hard to find places to play and submit your music when you’re not in the middle of it like Nashville. And I helped make it something beautiful and it’s all going to disappear.”

I thought I was following her train of thought until that last. “What’s going on?”

“The bookstore might close,” she says. “It’s not breaking even. I can’t lose this job,” she says the last barely under her breath.

If I have it my way, she’ll be working as a musician sooner or later, but this place means something to her. I can see that. “I’m sorry,” I say again. “I’ll say it as many times as you need to hear it, for you to know that I really am sorry. If it weren’t for me, you’d be in a very different place.”

She gives me a soft smile and rests her head against my chest. “This place isn’t so bad. I just wish that some things could be different.”

Even as she says it though, I can tell there’s a tinge of regret there. And I’ll have to carry that. More than anything, I need to make sure she gets signed. By driving her away from Nashville, I derailed her career. I’m going to make sure that she gets it back. Absolutely. I’m going to make sure that everything in her life is on track again, and I’ve already started. “Will you go to dinner with me in this place that’s not so bad?”

She sighs. “I don’t know.” I can feel her resistance. Saturday was amazing, but it takes more than a day and some sex to overcome what I put her through. But still, I’m going to try. “There’s a lot to do here at the store. I was actually planning on staying late.”