Not Just Friends (Brookfield) (2 page)

Connor
had hoped he could avoid the office today. He’d told Nate last Friday not to
buy the shares he had. Yet as the client just said, he didn’t listen. Connor
had been in and out all weekend that he hadn’t been on top of his game keeping
up with the market. He’d need to get into the office to see what was going on.

“How
about after lunch?”

“Sounds
good. Thanks, man. That’s what I pay you for.”

Connor
hit the
end
button and set his phone down on the counter. He had wanted
to catch up on some gaming today. His friends kept him away from home all
weekend, but the last thing he wanted them to know was he loved role-playing
video games. They’d laugh at him and he’d never hear the end of it.

His
coffee was done in no time. He grabbed the mug and went into his living room, turning
the T.V. on to some morning show for background noise. But his mind wasn’t on
the woman talking. It was on Alyssa. She’d been so adorable the night before,
he couldn’t get over it. She’d gotten flustered about the whole dinner bet and
he wasn’t sure why. He’d been visiting The Reading Corner for two years now.
She was one of those owners who knew all her customers and when a book they
wanted came in, she would put it aside and call them.

Usually
it was only her there, but she did have a young girl who worked part-time. He
assumed that was when Alyssa took a break, since she opened and closed the
place every day. It was very rare to walk into the bookstore and not find her.

Connor
had always had a bit of a crush on her, but she wasn’t like other women. If he
dated Alyssa, it would be serious. And while he was ready for that, he wasn’t
sure Alyssa felt the same way. Aside from books, he didn’t know much more about
her. Hopefully with their upcoming dinner date, that would all change.

* * * *

Alyssa
walked into Luigi’s Pizza and glanced around for Julie Miller. Julie ran a
small ePublishing press and had an author coming into town soon for a visit.
While the author was in Brookfield, Julie wanted to put her up in The Reading
Corner for a signing. Alyssa and Julie were meeting to discuss the details.

Alyssa
had never had a book signing in her store. She was excited to have a real, live
author there—as silly as that sounded. She’d picked up a few of the author’s
titles on her eReader and had really enjoyed them—especially since they were
historical romance and a bit on the naughty side.

Alyssa
spotted Julie in the back of the restaurant with a book. Julie was alone today,
which was rare. She almost always had her daughter Lila with her.

“Hi,
Julie,” Alyssa greeted.

“Hey!
I was getting worried you were going to stand me up.”

“Sorry
I’m late. I was up late last night.” Alyssa took a seat opposite Julie.

A
waitress appeared right away to get her drink order. Even though Luigi made the
best pizza, he also made amazing lasagna and Alyssa went ahead and gave her
order to the waitress.

“Where’s
the little one?” Alyssa asked.

“Home
with Mark. I needed a break. And this is, after all, a business meeting.” Julie
winked.

“My
schedule is open, as you know. I think the back corner will be a good place.
It’s spacious and can be seen when visitors come in, but also quiet enough so
the author can chat with fans.” Alyssa paused a moment before adding, “Do you
think we’ll get many fans with this being Brookfield and all?”

“Certainly.
I’m sure people will come from all over. While Tracey isn’t an overnight
sensation, her sales have been rock-solid and those who’ve read her, love her.”

“I
know I adore her work. I can’t believe she hasn’t made the New York Times list
yet.”

“She
will.” Julie beamed.

“With
you behind her, I have no doubt.”

They
chatted for a few more minutes when the food arrived. By the time they had half
their meal eaten, they had each and every detail planned out. It was going to
be a big success. Alyssa didn’t know much about social media, but the way Julie
went on and on about it, Alyssa was pretty sure the word would spread fast.

This
wasn’t only going to be good for the author, but for her as well. The Reading
Corner, if things went as planned, might have its busiest day ever. If tourists
came into town, that would be just as good for all the small shops. Maybe
Alyssa needed to find more authors to visit.

Taking
the last bite of lasagna, she couldn’t believe she’d finished it all. “That was
good. I’ll never be a size five on Luigi’s food.”

Julie
laughed. “My hips will never be that slender again. And it’s crazy, I want to
have another.”

“Oh,
that’s great.”

“Mark
is thrilled. But, before I get pregnant, I need to probably hire an assistant
to learn to run things as well. It’s hard enough with Lila. I couldn’t imagine
what it would be like with a newborn.”

Alyssa
smiled. It sounded like such a fun job, but she knew it wasn’t in her. She
spent way too much time at her store. She didn’t have much time for anything
else. Though she’d like to make the time for a man, she just hadn’t found one
yet she wanted to make time for—except maybe Connor.

Alyssa
took a sip of her drink. The waitress came with their bill and Alyssa handed
her cash. Once she had her change, she stuffed it into her purse. “This was a
lot of fun.”

“I
hate it’s over.” Julie frowned.

“We
can hang out for a bit. The store is closed today, so I have plenty of time.”

“Have
you started the book I recommended yet?” A familiar male voice sounded behind
her.

Alyssa
took a deep breath and spun around to see Connor. He grinned down at her and
she felt her heart rate speed up. “Connor, hi. What are you doing here?”

“I
stopped in for one of the subs and then I’m heading into the office for a
meeting. I saw you over here, so I thought I’d stop over and say hi.”

“Hi.”
Had she really just said that?
How freaking cheesy!

“Hi,
I’m Connor Phillips,” he said to Julie.

“Julie
Miller. It’s nice to meet you. I think I’ve seen you around.”

“Probably.
Mark has made some custom furniture for me as well. You are
that
Julie
Miller, right?”

“The
one and only.”

Alyssa
tried hard to get her brain and mouth to function, but she was literally
tongue-tied. And then Connor reached out and squeezed her shoulder. A shiver
shot through her. Man, the effect this guy on had on her.

“I
think you deserve a day of fun,” he said. “But after it, you better start that
book. Otherwise, I plan to have you take me to a very expensive place.”

Alyssa’s
mouth still wasn’t working and she was thankful when Julie spoke, “I won’t keep
her out too much. Besides, if she does read this book, what does
she
get?”

Connor
grinned at Alyssa and then Julie. “I take her out.”

“She’ll
get it read. Don’t you worry.”

Connor
laughed. “I’ll be in touch soon.”

Alyssa
nodded and Julie kicked her leg under the table. “Uh, yeah. Sounds good.”

After
Connor left, Alyssa slowly turned back to Julie, knowing her friend was going
to have a few questions. Julie didn’t even have to ask. Alyssa could read the
expression on her face.

“Well.”
Julie arched a brow over the rim of her coffee mug.

“We’re
just friends.”

Julie
clapped her hands together and leaned back against the booth. “Just friends, my
butt.”

“No,
really, it isn’t like that. He’s seeing someone.” Alyssa sighed. “He’s always
seeing someone.”

“Maybe
he wants to be seeing you.”

“Wouldn’t
that ruin our friendship though? His relationships never make it.”

“He
hasn’t found the right one. It could be you.”

“And
if it isn’t?”

Julie
groaned. “You’ll never know if you don’t try. Now let’s go. We’re heading over
to my cousin Ava’s shop.”

Bare
Necessities, the town’s lingerie shop. What in the world did she need there? “I
don’t need anything.”

Julie
stood. “Maybe not yet, but you will. Besides, the sexier the underwear you have
on underneath, the more confident you’ll feel.”

“How
so?”

“Because
only you know what you’re wearing.” Julie took Alyssa’s hand and dragged her
out of Luigi’s. Alyssa had never stepped foot into Bare Necessities, but it
looked like today, she would be.

Chapter Three

The
bell above the door rang, welcoming Alyssa and Julie into Bare Necessities. A
beautiful, dark-haired woman appeared from the back and approached them
quickly, throwing her arms around Julie. Alyssa had only seen Ava a time or
two—since they both seemed to work around the clock at their stores. Ava was
married to the town’s sheriff Seth Hampton. Lucky her. He was quite the catch.

“To
what do I owe this honor?” Ava asked.

“Alyssa
has a date Friday. A first date,” Julie told her.

“
Oooh,
and how much do we like this guy?”

“Uh,
it’s not really a date-date. We’re just friends and it’s a bet,” Alyssa said.

“A
bet?” Ava arched a brow.

“Yeah,
it’s silly and you’ll laugh and realize then how silly it is that I’m here in
the first place.”

Ava
shrugged. “You never know unless you tell me.”

“He
likes a genre—sci-fi—that I don’t read. And he has a book he wants me to read
and I’ve agreed several times and didn’t read it. Well, he’s given me the time
limit of Friday. If I read it, he’s taking me out and if I haven’t, I’m taking
him out. So as you can see, it’s not a date. Just friends,” Alyssa explained.

“Huh.”
Ava scratched her head. “I think it’s an excuse so he can go out with you.”

“So
do I,” Julie chimed in. “And if you’d just seen the way I saw him looking at
her, you’d see why I know it’s more.”

Alyssa
held her hand up. “Okay, let’s not get carried away.” She couldn’t let her mind
go there.

Julie
and Ava laughed before Julie spoke again. “I brought her here to find some sexy
panties for this date.”

“Yes,
sexy panties are a must.” Ava nodded and studied Alyssa. “With your skin tone,
I think we should do some deep purples.”

Ava
took Alyssa’s hand and guided her over to a table, where a variety of lacy panties
lay. Some were boy-cut, some had absolutely no back but a thin string, and some
had a little more to the back than the fine string. Alyssa picked up a pair of
the hipsters They’d sit low and cover her butt at least. But minus a small
piece of fabric in the middle, the whole thing was see through. She’d never
worn anything quite so revealing before.

“Those
are very sexy. We have a matching bra to it as well,” Ava said.

Alyssa
set the panties back down and wondered if it was really worth it. There was no
way her and Connor were going to be hitting the sack—even if it was a real
date. So why go to the trouble?

“Does
it help if I tell you we’re having a sale?” Ava smiled and pointed toward a
sign in the window.

Alyssa
wasn’t sure what would help.

Julie
came up to Ava. “You’ll be glad you got them, I promise. After I had Lila, I
wore frumpy granny panties and sweats all day. Ava convinced me to at least
start wearing pretty stuff underneath. And before long, I wore my usual clothes
everyday and feeling attractive again.”

But
Julie was attractive. Alyssa highly doubted she ever had a bad hair day. Alyssa
didn’t compare to the women she stood here with or the women Connor usually
dated.

“How
about I buy them? My treat,” Julie offered.

“Oh
no, it isn’t that I can’t afford them.”

“I
insist, since I’m the one who dragged you in here. Ava, I want to get her the
matching set as well as the same set in red for me.”

Ava
nodded and asked Alyssa her different sizes. After she gathered the items, she
measured Alyssa to make sure her sizes matched. Then they met her at the
counter, where Ava folded each item and wrapped it in tissue paper before
placing it into a bag. She spritzed it with a floral spray and began to get
Julie’s order together.

After
that, she handed both bags to them. “Enjoy.”

“I
always do,” Julie said.

“Enjoy
your evening Friday, even if it is just two friends,” Ava added.

“Thanks.
I will.” Alyssa stood back as Julie hugged her cousin bye.

After
their little shopping venture, they parted ways. Alyssa knew she needed to get
home and start reading. If it was a book she didn’t like, it was going to take
her all week to get through. How awkward would it be if she hated it? She
wasn’t going to think about that. Connor had great taste. He wouldn’t have
asked her to read something if it was bad.