Page 2 of Summer Sweethearts
“Yeah,” I respond.
“Perfect. I’ll stop here, grab you, and we can go get Aiden together,” he tells me as he pushes the door open and leaves.
LORETTA
“That will be $34.12. Do you want me to put the receipt in the bag with the books?” I ask the gentlemen standing in front of me.
“No, I’ll take it. Thank you,” he replies as I hand him his receipt and bag.
“Thank you! I hope to see you again soon,” I reply automatically as he turns to leave the store. I love this job, and it is by far the best place I’ve ever worked, but sometimes the monotony of doing the same things day-in-and-day-out drives me crazy. I need there to be more to my life than just work. Having Garnett stay with me before she got her own place was amazing. I want someone to share my life with, so it’s not just work and sleep. I’m thirty-two, for Christ’s sake. Why am I still alone?
I’ll tell you why; because this town is small, and while I love it and have no intentions of leaving, the pickings are slim. I’ve dated a few men and even some women from the surrounding area, but no one has been worth dating longer than a few months. Even more pathetic is the fact that I haven’t had an orgasm that I didn’t give myself in over two years.
Are they not teaching men where the G-spot is? Or even better, the clit? And don’t get me started on the women. You have a vagina! Shouldn’t you know how to pleasure one?! But the answer is a resounding no. Otherwise, I wouldn’t be left living the real-life version of that Pink songIt’s just you and your hand tonight.I’m not sure if that’s even the title, but it’s the title of my life right now, so we’re going with it.
The dinging of the bell above the door snaps me from my pity party, table for one. I see it’s Aiden coming back from his lunch with Cain. He’s wearing a beaming smile and is almost floating toward me. “That good of a lunch, huh?” I tease him with a wink.
“You’re funny, Loretta. We just went to the café down the street and finished addressing the wedding invites. Speaking of, here is yours,” he tells me as he hands me a cream-colored envelope with a light blue accent of some sort on it.
I take it from him and slide it into my purse under the counter. When I look back at him, I notice he has a brow raised at me. “Not even going to open it? Shit, Loretta, you are coming, aren’t you?”
“Of course, I’m coming! I just want to open it at home so I can put it on my fridge right away,” I tell him. He narrows his eyes at me but doesn’t say anything else. We hear a crash coming from the kitchen and Dwight cussing up a storm. Aiden sighs and rolls his eyes before walking past me and heading into the kitchen to deal with our overgrown man-child of a pastry chef.
I busy myself with wiping tables, straightening some shelves, and doing some restocking. A few hours pass while I’m lost in my work, and when the door chimes, I step out from between the shelves to greet the guest. I stop short when I see it’s Cain and Jessica. I tuck myself back between the shelves and watch as Cain heads straight to the kitchen, where he knows his fiancé usually is. Jessica though, she’s slowly trailing behind him, her head swiveling back and forth like she is looking for something or maybe someone.I can only hope.
Jessica runs and now owns the boutique down the street. She comes in here almost daily to get a drink and a muffin. Her attendance has only increased since she became close with Cain. Aiden, the meddler that he is, insists Jessica flirts with me every time she comes in, but I know he’s just delusional. He may have been spot-on with Cara, Walker, and Waylon, but he is way off the mark on this one.
Jessica is gorgeous, her tan skin emphasizing her hazel eyes and dark, curly hair. She’s average height and has curves in all the right places. While I’m not an ugly duckling by any means, there is no way she’d be into me. Not to mention, she’s a goodsevenyears younger than me.
“Loretta, what are you doing?” Dwight comes up behind me, startling me and causing me to jump out of my hiding spot.
“Shh,” I hiss, not wanting anyone to notice I’m back here lurking like a fucking creeper.
He rolls his eyes at me and ignores my hushing. “Okay, well, the kitchen is good to go for tomorrow. So, I’m going to head out. Have a good night,” he says, leaving me alone once more. I turn back to watch Jessica again, but I don’t see her.Where did she go?
“Who are we hiding from?” a sultry voice whispers against the shell of my ear. Goose flesh pebbles on my body as I shiver.Jessica.
“Hiding? No, I was just putting some books away. I must have just gotten caught up in the moment, sorry,” I quickly lie. She gives me a disbelieving look, and I give her a small smile in return. I’m full of shit, and she knows it. But that sounds better than,Oh, I saw you come in, and I was watching you from the shadows like that guy in that Netflix stalker show.
“Well, I just swung in to pick up Aiden with Cain, but while I wait for them, I was wondering if I could preorder a book? It’s set to come out later in the year, and I was hoping to order a copy now, so I can get it as soon as it releases,” she tells me.
“Ummm, sure, we can do that. Let’s go to the computer, and I’ll ring you out,” I respond while making my way to the counter.
“So, what book are you wanting?” I ask as I log into our ordering system.
“We are Destinyby Alisha Williams,” she responds, her voice low, just an octave above a whisper. I look up and our gazes lock. She’s smiling at me, but the look in her eyes is almost lustful.That can’t be right, can it?
“Ooh, I lovedWe Are Worthy. Did you read that one? It isn’t necessary to read it to enjoyWe Are Destiny,but it will definitely enhance the reading experience. It’s about Tia, who is the older sister of the MMC inDestiny,” I rattle off.
A huge smile takes over her face. “Yeah, I’ve read it. Also, you’re adorable when you’re rambling.”
“Th-th-thank you,” I murmur. Quickly, I compose myself and get back to business. I can dissect whatever the hell is going on later. “Okay, so it will be here September sixteenth, and the total is $21.98.”
She pulls her cross-body bag to the front of her body and dips her hand inside, retrieving her wallet. Opening it, she pulls out two bills and hands them to me. As I take them from her, our fingers brush each other, and a thrill runs through me. Jerking my hand back, I quickly punch the amount into the register and give her the change. “Here is the receipt and the preorder ticket, just bring both back in September, and we’ll get you your book.”
She tosses me a wink before grabbing the papers. “I’ve been wanting to as—”
“Jessica, are you ready to go? Aiden is finally done counting the sugar granules, and we can still make it to the theater in time,” Cain jests as he exits the kitchen.
