Total pages in book: 34
Estimated words: 32760 (not accurate)
Estimated Reading Time in minutes: 164(@200wpm)___ 131(@250wpm)___ 109(@300wpm)
Estimated words: 32760 (not accurate)
Estimated Reading Time in minutes: 164(@200wpm)___ 131(@250wpm)___ 109(@300wpm)
“This is your fault. Not mine,” he replies.
The doors start to close, and I notice the places he stretched my dress out while he was yanking on it.
“You owe me a dress!”
6
MARLON
FIVE YEARS AGO…
I promised myself I’d never be that guy. The one who walks around the bookstore, holding the book he’s going to buy in one hand while he checks out the cute girl perusing the shelves.
But here I am, peeking over the top of the sci-fi section into the mystery and thriller area, where she is standing, her back to me, thumbing through the third book in the Skeleton Leaves series.
There’s no reason for me to be nervous going over to her, but for some reason I am. I must have wasted ten minutes pretending to be checking out other possible books I might buy–picking them up and putting them back down.
But now that she looks like she’s about to go up to the register, I go around the side of the shelf and step up behind her.
“Book four,” I say, causing her to turn and look at me. Her eyes sparkle like diamonds. I glance down at the book in her hand. “I’m on book four. Great series. You’ll love that one if you buy it.”
“Well that’s good to hear.” She smiles back. “The first two were fantastic. So suspenseful. I had to stop reading them before I went to bed. I just couldn’t fall asleep after!”
She giggles. Her laugh sounds like something out of a movie.
“So you’re a mystery novel reader? Or is this your first series?”
“Oh I love mysteries.” She nods with enthusiasm. “You should see my bookcase at home. Completely overflowing! I’m going to need to start boxing them up or donating them soon!”
“Not an e-book reader?” I ask.
“No.” She shakes her head. “I was, but I just love the feel of a real book in my hand. And the smell too, you know? Nothing beats the smell of a brand-new book.”
“Nothing?” I grin.
“Well…maybe a few things.” She smiles.
“Like coffee for example?” I ask.
“Coffee is good.”
Her hair falls across her face as she nods. She brushes it back, and I see she’s starting to blush.
“How about I buy you one?” I ask. “There’s a great little shop down the block. Way better than the sludge they serve here. Let me pick that book up for you too.”
I reach out and take the book from her and start walking toward the register. She follows me, and a bubbly girl with blue hair greets us.
“Oooh, Skeleton Leaves. I love this series! Do you have a frequent buyer rewards card with us?”
“I don’t,” I reply, turning to the girl beside me. “But she may.”
“I do! Can you look it up by my name? Jennifer Everly?”
The girl behind the counter enters a few strokes on her keyboard, then nods and smiles. “There you are! I’ll add this to your account.”
I hand the girl my card and let her give Jennifer the receipt, then hold the door for her as we step outside.
“Well?” she asks as we turn left and start walking down the sidewalk.
“Well what?”
“Aren’t you going to tell me your name? Now that you know mine and all?”
I chuckle. “Of course. My name’s Marlon. Marlon Carnell.”
“And what do you do, Marlon Carnell?”
“Why don’t we wait until we reach the coffee shop for that discussion?” I ask. “It requires a bit of a long explanation.”
Jennifer tilts her head down and looks up at me through her eyebrows.
“Oooh, a mystery man already! I like it.”
Three months later…
“A three-month anniversary?” Jennifer looks up at me, her eyes filled with confusion but also tenderness and joy. She’s right on the verge of tears as I hand her the dozen pink roses and the card.
“I’ve never…people do those?” she asks.
I shrug. “I felt like doing one, so I got you these.”
“But I didn’t get you anything!” she whines, causing me to chuckle. “And what–I didn’t even know we had an official day we started being a thing!”
“It’s okay you didn’t get me anything,” I reply. “And I based it on the day we met. Remember? In the bookstore?”
She nods enthusiastically. “Of course. You bought me the third book of Skeleton Leaves.”
“That’s right! Do you like your flowers, baby?”
“I love them!” she replies as the tears start to fall. “But I feel awful that I didn’t get you anything!”
“Don’t feel awful,” I laugh. “This was meant to be a surprise. I just wanted to make you feel good. I wanted to show you how much I love you.”
“I feel guilty…”
“Don’t feel guilty, Jennifer!” I say, kissing her. “Then you’ll ruin the whole thing!”
She instantly perks up and wipes her tears with the back of her hand. “Sorry! I’m sorry! You’re right. I just–you’re right. These are gorgeous roses, Marlon. And you’re so sweet for doing this for me.”