Chapter Twenty-One

Dillan

Dazed and Confused in Italian

Dillan walked into the bookstore hoping to decompress from another day at Newcastle High. He rubbed his arm through his sweater sleeve when the cold air from the overkill AC hit him. Two women stood by the romance section. But other than that, the place seemed empty. Did no one read in this hick town?

His gaze eventually landed on the girl he loved to hate but couldn’t seem to anymore. Her expression when he sat down at their table for lunch was priceless. Thoughts of teasing her into agitation pulled his lips up mischievously. Nothing like seeing Selena pissed to make his afternoon better.

She stood behind the counter with her back to the door, feather duster in hand. The words Divine Comedy in gold script stretched over the spine of the book she held in the other. He smirked, approaching the counter.

“Lasciate ogne speranza, voi ch’intrate,” he said.

“I’m sorry?” She whipped around then froze when she recognized him. Her beautiful eyes squinted. He would have paid a million dollars to know what she was thinking right then.

He gestured at the book, “It’s from Divine Comedy. ‘Abandon all hope, ye who enter here.’”

It took three seconds for her to digest. Ah, he loved the wrinkles on her brow when he annoyed her.

“So, does quoting Dante in…” She flicked the feather duster at him.

“Italian,” he supplied.

“In Italian get you the girls?”

“Nope. I go to Shakespeare for pick-up lines.” He raised his eyebrow a notch, knowing the action coaxed out his favorite expression of all from her. “When I’m facing the gates of hell, I quote Dante.”

She scowled. He liked it when she scowled. Maybe a little too much, because her nose scrunched up and the tops of her cheeks tinted pink. She clutched the handle of the feather duster so hard its feathers quivered. Her lips contorted. Whatever promises he’d made himself about avoiding her went unfulfilled. Something about her always pulled him in. Why fight it? If getting to know Selena better cracked the nut of Newcastle’s mystery, then who was he to say no?

“Okay, you’ve moved from mildly annoyed to eye-gouging angry.” He raised both hands, stifling a chuckle by pressing his lips together. “This is a public place, Selena. I like reading, remember?”

She gingerly slid Dante’s Inferno back into its place then pointed at the door. “The supermarket’s that way.”

“Good one.” It always warmed him every time she bit back. He placed both hands flat on the counter and leaned in. He wondered more than ever what those petulant lips tasted like. “You’re getting better at this.”

Just when he had her on the run, one of the women came to pay. Selena hid the feather duster under the counter and plastered a strained smile on her face.

“Excuse me,” the woman said. She flicked an interested gaze his way, which turned the warmth in his chest into icicles of dread.

“Be my guest.” He moved aside.

“Don’t you have other things to do?” Selena hissed while she fumbled with the cash register. She was too cute when pissed.

“I beg your pardon?” the woman asked.

“Oh, no. I’m sorry, ma’am.” Her face burned stoplight red. “I meant him.”

“I’m here to read.” He nodded once then sauntered toward the shelves. “Ciao.”

“I’d like a piece of him,” he heard the woman say. He tried not to cringe. Or run. Cougars were known to give chase.

“Thank you very much for your purchase,” Selena replied cheerfully through her teeth. “We hope to see you again soon.”

“If he’s here every day, then you definitely will.”

The woman let out a hum of appreciation. Dillan’s stomach dropped. Jesus. Did all women in Newcastle hunt? He didn’t want to go there, instead focusing on which book he’d read for the afternoon. Just as he slipped between shelves and got about six steps in, a thump stopped him in his tracks. He turned in time to see Selena limping behind the counter, muttering under her breath. He bit the inside of his cheek to keep from busting at the seams. Oh, this was so good. He moved to tease her when the bell at the door rang.

“Ouch! That must hurt,” Bowen said when he entered the bookstore.

He moved toward the counter before he spotted the lounge chair opposite where he stood. It was near enough for him to hear their conversation. Without looking at the shelf, he pulled out a book and positioned himself on the chair. He pretended to read The History of Root Vegetables while he reached out with his hearing toward the counter. Once in a while, he flicked his gaze Selena’s way. If he kept still they wouldn’t notice him. At least, he hoped so. Why the hell was he spying on them? It wasn’t like anything they had to say to each other interested him, yet he couldn’t move from where he sat.

“Haven’t you ever stubbed a toe before?” Selena continued pacing.

“Not in such a hilarious way, no.” Bowen covered his laughter with a fist. Okay, Dillan knew all too well he would have laughed, too, but he realized he couldn’t take anyone else laughing at Selena besides him. The jerk snorted when he placed his hands on the countertop exactly where Dillan’s hands were earlier. For some reason, his hackles went up at that. “What’s gotten you so riled up today?”

She didn’t meet his gaze. “Dealing with Dillan being a jerk can mess up any saint on a good day. And you know I’m no saint.”

One side of his mouth twitched up. She had sported the exact same scowl all throughout lunch today. Definitely his favorite expression of hers. It brought out the blue in her aqua eyes.

“The new guy? The one at your table?”

“Uh…” She cleared her throat. “Yeah.”

Bowen grunted. “I don’t like him.”

“Well, I don’t, either.”

He did his best to ignore the pinch her words caused. So what if she didn’t like him? Yeah, keep telling yourself that, a voice in his head said. Stupid conscience!

The tightness of the troll’s jaw eased. He reached out to touch her cheek, but stopped midway. Dillan’s fingers curled tight around the book. The guy didn’t smell right. He couldn’t put his thumb on it exactly. The chlorine and cologne he wore muddled his true scent. Thankfully, his hand returned to the counter.

“So, what are you doing here, Bowen?” Selena shifted her weight.

“Is that what you’ll ask me every time I see you from now on?”

She didn’t say anything. The hesitation in her expression was almost enough to pull Dillan to her side. It took all the strength he had to stay put. If the guy so much as twitched the wrong way at her, he was losing a hand.

Bowen sighed when it became clear Selena wasn’t going to break the silence that was quickly becoming awkward. “Anyway, the Fall Festival’s this weekend.” He took her hand. Dillan saw red.

“Already?” She sounded nervous.

His nostrils flared from the deep breaths he inhaled to stay calm. Well, relatively calm. He pushed up from the chair then froze. He checked himself. He’d been about to start a fight. For what? He slumped back into his seat. The leather creaked, so he pretended to cross his legs, but neither Selena nor the troll glanced his way.

“And I thought I was busy,” Bowen continued. “How could you miss it? The radio announcements? The posters everywhere? Surely Grams told you about it.”

“She might have mentioned something,” she replied. “And yeah, I heard about it on the radio.”

“So…go with me?”

For the several seconds it took her to respond, Dillan stopped breathing. Was she actually considering going with him?

Finally, she said, “I don’t think that’s a good idea.”

Using the book to muffle the sound, he puffed out the breath he’d been holding. For a second there, he really thought she would say yes.

“Come on, Selena,” Bowen urged. “Just as friends. Kyle and Penny will be there.”

Her brow furrowed. “They’re okay with this?”

He shrugged one shoulder. “It’s for old time’s sake.”

“Bowen.”

“Look, I’m not leaving here until you say yes.”

For a split second, he caught Selena give a quick glance in his direction. At first, he thought she’d seen him. But from her non-reaction, he’d been wrong. All she had to do was say the word, and he’d kick him out. He’d take great pleasure in it. Instead, she let out a long sigh and nodded.

“Pick you up?”

“Meet you there.” She pulled her hand out of his grasp.

“Is Grams still banned from the pie competition?”

“Ever since the lovely people of Newcastle realized no one would win first prize if she entered.”

They shared a laugh. Selena’s sounded more strained than what he was used to. He eased his fingers, smoothing out the creases he’d made on the book. He may have to buy it now, but what would he do with the history of root crops? Maybe he could hide it among other books, and no one would notice.

“See you there,” said the troll.

An awkward smile formed on Selena’s lips when she nodded. Bowen turned to leave then stopped. He leaned over the counter and gave her a peck before walking out of the store. She put a shaking hand on the cheek he’d kissed and stared at the front door. The bell still rang from his exit. Anger overtook Dillan’s common sense, launching him off the chair, the creased book forgotten on the cushion.

Not thinking of the consequences, he walked back to the counter and clapped slowly. “Very touching, Selena. Bravo.”

She slapped the countertop. “Spying on me now?”

“You like that big football troll?”

“Swimming.”

“Excuse me?”

“He’s a swimmer, not a football player.” She crossed her arms and widened her stance.

His eyebrow arched. “I never pegged you to fall for the big and dumb types.”

“And just what type do you peg me for, Mr. Rock-Star-National-Geographic?”

“One thing’s for sure, the guy you’re supposed to be with shouldn’t look at you like something he can possess,” he murmured loud enough for her to hear. He marched out of the store before he said, or worse, did something stupid.