experiences reaped a paranoia she’d
do much better without in this case. She didn’t know when but somewhere along
the line in their brief acquaintance she’d grown to trust him.
He smiled warmly as if he could read her thoughts, and the
feeling of security he gave her intensified.
“Well, I better go.” He moved toward the door and opened it.
“Thanks for letting me crash on your couch,” he tossed playfully over his
shoulder.
She snorted then laughed. “Anytime, Tyler, anytime.”
Chapter Six
“Did I just see you get out of Tyler’s car?” Chloe
dive-bombed Mina as soon as she walked into the bookstore for her shift.
Startled by the abrupt question, Mina raised her eyebrow,
then began making her way to the break room to punch in, Chloe in tow. “Hello
to you too. And yes, you did. I had to take my car to the shop this morning and
Tyler offered to follow me out and give me a ride to work. Why?”
“Oh no reason. But the two of you have been spending a lot
of time together lately.” Instead of the normal excitement that would have
followed such a statement, Chloe looked worried.
It was true, though. They had been spending a lot of
time together. Ever since that fateful night he’d given her a ride home from
the gym, she’d either seen or spoken to him on a daily basis. He came in
regularly to have coffee with her on the occasions she didn’t work the same
shift that he was working at the bar. If she didn’t see him, he’d either call
or text her.
In fact, she’d gotten so used to him in the last month or so
that if she didn’t hear from him in some form during the day she got antsy.
“Yeah, we have. So what? Why are you acting so weird?” She
gave Chloe a sideways look while she put her purse in her locker. “I thought
you’d be happy about it.”
“Well, before now I would’ve been happy about it. It’s just—”
She shook her head. “Never mind. It’s none of my business.” She turned to walk
out of the break room and back onto the sales floor.
That gave Mina pause, so she followed her out of the room.
“Just the fact that you told me it was none of your business has me worried.
What’s wrong, Chloe? What aren’t you telling me?”
Chloe sighed as she turned to face Mina and leaned against
the cash register. “Honestly, it’s nothing to be worried about. Tyler’s a great
guy and I’m really glad you two hit it off so well and became such good
friends.”
“Why do I feel like there’s a but in there somewhere?”
“But…I think that’s all you’ll ever be with him, Mina. Just
friends.” Chloe bit her lip.
Mina’s brow furrowed but before she could get anything out
of her mouth Chloe continued. “So I may have pumped Brian for some information
where Tyler’s feelings for you are concerned.”
Oh God. She swallowed hard, not sure she wanted to hear
this. But now that Chloe had brought it up and she got the gist of what was
coming, she’d obsess about it incessantly if she didn’t find out exactly what
was said. “And?”
“He said that Tyler talks about you all the time. To the
point where he thought Tyler had a thing for you but was just taking his time,
you know? So in the way that guys do, and maybe with a little prodding from me,
Brian flat-out asked him what his intentions, so to speak, toward you were.”
Groaning out loud, Mina propped her elbows on the counter
and buried her face in her hands. “And what did he say?” The sound of her voice
was muffled through her hands. She felt as if she were back in middle school
listening to Daisy tell her the latest thing she’d heard about Mina’s crush.
The news had never been good back then either.
“He said that he couldn’t believe how close the two of you
had gotten in such a short period of time. But when Brian asked him how he felt
about you, he said that you were like the sister he never had.”
Yup, it was official. She really hadn’t wanted to
know that.
Everything had been going so
do much better without in this case. She didn’t know when but somewhere along
the line in their brief acquaintance she’d grown to trust him.
He smiled warmly as if he could read her thoughts, and the
feeling of security he gave her intensified.
“Well, I better go.” He moved toward the door and opened it.
“Thanks for letting me crash on your couch,” he tossed playfully over his
shoulder.
She snorted then laughed. “Anytime, Tyler, anytime.”
Chapter Six
“Did I just see you get out of Tyler’s car?” Chloe
dive-bombed Mina as soon as she walked into the bookstore for her shift.
Startled by the abrupt question, Mina raised her eyebrow,
then began making her way to the break room to punch in, Chloe in tow. “Hello
to you too. And yes, you did. I had to take my car to the shop this morning and
Tyler offered to follow me out and give me a ride to work. Why?”
“Oh no reason. But the two of you have been spending a lot
of time together lately.” Instead of the normal excitement that would have
followed such a statement, Chloe looked worried.
It was true, though. They had been spending a lot of
time together. Ever since that fateful night he’d given her a ride home from
the gym, she’d either seen or spoken to him on a daily basis. He came in
regularly to have coffee with her on the occasions she didn’t work the same
shift that he was working at the bar. If she didn’t see him, he’d either call
or text her.
In fact, she’d gotten so used to him in the last month or so
that if she didn’t hear from him in some form during the day she got antsy.
“Yeah, we have. So what? Why are you acting so weird?” She
gave Chloe a sideways look while she put her purse in her locker. “I thought
you’d be happy about it.”
“Well, before now I would’ve been happy about it. It’s just—”
She shook her head. “Never mind. It’s none of my business.” She turned to walk
out of the break room and back onto the sales floor.
That gave Mina pause, so she followed her out of the room.
“Just the fact that you told me it was none of your business has me worried.
What’s wrong, Chloe? What aren’t you telling me?”
Chloe sighed as she turned to face Mina and leaned against
the cash register. “Honestly, it’s nothing to be worried about. Tyler’s a great
guy and I’m really glad you two hit it off so well and became such good
friends.”
“Why do I feel like there’s a but in there somewhere?”
“But…I think that’s all you’ll ever be with him, Mina. Just
friends.” Chloe bit her lip.
Mina’s brow furrowed but before she could get anything out
of her mouth Chloe continued. “So I may have pumped Brian for some information
where Tyler’s feelings for you are concerned.”
Oh God. She swallowed hard, not sure she wanted to hear
this. But now that Chloe had brought it up and she got the gist of what was
coming, she’d obsess about it incessantly if she didn’t find out exactly what
was said. “And?”
“He said that Tyler talks about you all the time. To the
point where he thought Tyler had a thing for you but was just taking his time,
you know? So in the way that guys do, and maybe with a little prodding from me,
Brian flat-out asked him what his intentions, so to speak, toward you were.”
Groaning out loud, Mina propped her elbows on the counter
and buried her face in her hands. “And what did he say?” The sound of her voice
was muffled through her hands. She felt as if she were back in middle school
listening to Daisy tell her the latest thing she’d heard about Mina’s crush.
The news had never been good back then either.
“He said that he couldn’t believe how close the two of you
had gotten in such a short period of time. But when Brian asked him how he felt
about you, he said that you were like the sister he never had.”
Yup, it was official. She really hadn’t wanted to
know that.
Everything had been going so
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