After his meteoric rise to superstardom, Jim O'Brien is no longer a small-town boy who plays in bars and dreams of success. His handsome face is plastered on the covers of celebrity gossip magazines, and his voice alone is enough to make girls swoon...
Oops! This image does not follow our content guidelines. To continue publishing, please remove it or upload a different image.
My afternoon shift at the bookstore was busier than I expected. I could barely make a pause between giving book recommendations to customers. Being an avid reader quickly made me people’s go-to person. Luckily, I got a respite from my duties when the evening rolled in.
Checking my phone was the first thing I did. Disappointment filled me at the sight of zero texts from Jim. I was positive he would text or call, but the hours went by, and although I did send him a message, I got nothing in response.
I didn’t want to seem clingy. I knew he was busy, but doubts accosted me, regardless. Could he have seen how inexperienced I was? What if he regretted what happened between us?
Sighing deeply, I shoved the hardback I was holding between two other books on the shelf and surveyed my surroundings. My eyes widened at the sight of Ivy walking toward me, a broad smile pasted on her face.
“Hey there,” she greeted me and kissed my cheek. “How’s the most competent employee in the city?”
“Stop it!” I laughed. “I’m okay. I didn’t expect to see you here.”
Ivy winked at me and reached into her oversized purse. Having fished out a folded piece of paper, she handed it to me. “I need those. Do you have them?”
I scanned the list of books about design printed on the page. “Sure. Follow me.”
Ivy trailed behind me as I made my way through the maze of bookshelves.
“That’s the one,” she said when I grabbed a heavy book with the photo of a luxurious apartment adorning the cover, followed by two other paperbacks. “By the way, when are you done?”
I glanced at my watch and raised my brows when I realized my shift was almost over. “Fifteen minutes. Why?”
Ivy took the books from my hands. “I am meeting the girls. Isla was going to text you, but since I was going to stop by the store anyway, I told her not to. Are you game?”
“I’m not dressed for going out,” I said. “Maybe I should stop by my house first.”
Ivy shook her head. “No time for that. We’re going to have a cup of something hot, and that’s it. Nobody’s going clubbing.”
“Thank God,” I muttered. “I don’t exactly have the energy for that."
Wiggling her brows, Ivy nudged my shoulder with hers. “Had a hot date last night? You can tell me; the viper’s not here.”
“The viper? Jeez, what do you have against Tasha?”
Ivy pursed her gloss-covered lips. “I’m telling shit as it is. She’s a snake. And I’m watching her.”
“Do you know something you’re not telling me?”
“No,” Ivy objected. “It just rubbed me the wrong way when she spoke to you and about you that way. You and Isla are two freaking saints. If it were up to me, I would have kicked her out of our group already.”
