Love Between the Lines ✔️ DRAFT 1 COMPLETE

Chapter 10

Tension only built between me and Fionn over the next few days. He stopped bringing me coffee; I stopped asking him to help me prep the shop. It wasn't like I needed him to help me, but it was nice when I didn't have to do it alone.

When I opened the door to go downstairs on the third morning, a note fluttered out from where it had been wedged in. I stopped to pick it up, recognizing Fionn's messy handwriting.

Miss Taylor,

Taking Catriona to the airport. You can handle the shop while I'm out. Back later but have things to do.

Mr. MacLeod

I scoffed. This was his way of being professional? Calling us by our last names? It was childish! I crumpled up the note and threw it with great force toward the center of the room. Of course, being a lightweight piece of paper it didn't land that far away, tumbling to a stop on the floor a few feet away.

Not very satisfying.

With a huff, I pulled the door closed and stomped down the stairs to get the shop up and running for the day.

If he wanted me to run the shop alone, I was going to run it in the most obnoxious way possible. We had a list of authors who wanted to be featured for signings at the shop, so after a quick breakfast—I had stopped off at the store yesterday to buy some muffins—I started calling from the list and booking the shop for the foreseeable future.

Just as I was finishing up the last call, my phone pinged with a text. I let out a sigh of relief when I saw it was from Catriona, but my heart sank at the words.

Talk to him, Em. He's miserable.

I locked my phone without even responding. I didn't need this. The night we spent stargazing was the most fun I'd had in a long time. Kyle never once did anything like that. To be honest, Kyle always completely disregarded the fact that stargazing was a big part of my past as I had told Fionn.

I groaned. Why had I told Fionn? I told him about Kyle. I told him about my dad. There must've been a reason. He made me want to trust him, but he also made me want to scream.

My phone pinged again: call if you need anything and I can be back in a matter of hours.

I smiled. Cat was a good friend. I logged into the shop's computer and began inputting new information into the calendar. After a few minutes, our schedule for the next month was booked solid.

That should teach him, I thought to myself before the sheer panic set in. This was going to come back to bite me, I just knew it.

There was a slow and steady flow of customers through the shop, which gave me plenty of time to catch up on my freelancing. Every time the bell above the door chimed, I glanced up hoping it would be Fionn. He finally arrived back from the airport after I'd closed for lunch.

"We don't close midday." The front door slammed shut and I looked up to see Fionn with his arms crossed over my chest.

"I had no choice." I closed my laptop and hopped off the stool behind the desk. "You left me to run the shop by myself."

"I had to take—"

"No, you decided to take Cat to the airport when you knew she had other transportation."

Fionn scoffed, running a hand through his hair. "Lachlan is not 'other transportation'. He's a family friend. Not meant to be used to cart around others."

"He's a chauffeur, Fionn! Taking people places is kinda in the job description." My voice raised several octaves.

We stood face to face. Anger pulsated off of his body and he shoved his phone in my face.