Chapter 5: Bookstore
1626 Words
Ava was taken aback. "How do you know my name?"
"Small town, new resident—you're the talk of Oakwood." He extended his hand with that charming smile. "Noah Cross. I'm the brother of your mysterious neighbor across the street."
Cross? Ava's eyes widened. "Oh! You're Liam's brother?"
"The one and only," Noah nodded, that smile never faltering. "Just got into town to visit my beloved big brother. He's been going on and on about the new neighbor who makes amazing brownies."
Ava felt her cheeks warm. Liam had been talking about her to his brother? "He... mentioned me?"
"Oh yeah," Noah winked. "My usually antisocial brother is rarely impressed by new people. You must be pretty special."
Something about Noah's whole approach—too friendly too fast, too familiar—set off Ava's warning bells. His smile was a little too wide, his eyes a little too calculating behind all that displayed warmth.
"So what brought you to our little town? Oakwood doesn't usually attract city transplants," Noah asked casually, like they were old friends catching up.
"Looking for some peace and quiet," Ava answered carefully, not sure how much she wanted to share with this stranger, even if he was her neighbor's brother. "And my best friend Maya is opening a bookstore here."
"Ah, Maya Rodriguez!" Noah nodded enthusiastically. "Haven't met her yet, but from what I hear, she's quite the interesting woman."
"She is," Ava agreed, still wary of Noah's sudden friendliness. "Speaking of which, she's waiting for me at her store right now. So it was nice meeting you, Noah, but I should—"
"Of course! Don't want to keep you." Noah quickly stepped aside. "Give Maya my regards! Maybe I'll swing by her bookstore sometime."
With a polite smile, Ava hurried to the checkout to pay for her groceries, very aware that Noah's eyes followed her the whole way. There was definitely something about the Cross brothers that made her feel... watched. Liam with his awkward intensity, Noah with his over-the-top friendliness that felt more like a gentle interrogation.
As Ava left the store with her bags, she didn't notice the two pairs of eyes—one amber, one green—watching her from inside a car parked across the street.
"What the hell were you doing!" Liam hissed, trying to keep his voice down. "Why did you approach her like that?"
Noah leaned back casually in the driver's seat, completely unbothered by his brother's anger. "Intelligence gathering, remember? Getting to know your girl better."
"By ambushing her in the produce section? That was your brilliant plan?"
"Hey, I got valuable information," Noah held up a finger, starting to count. "One, she moved here looking for peace, which means she might be running from something back in the city—maybe a bad relationship? Two, she likes peaches, which explains part of that scent that's driving you insane. And three, most importantly, she blushed when I mentioned you talking about her."
Liam stopped his ranting. "She did?"
"Yep," Noah smiled smugly. "She's definitely interested in you, my socially awkward brother. Somehow your brooding mystery man thing is working for her."
Liam sat back, processing this information. Ava was interested in him? Was that actually possible?
"And now she's heading to meet Maya at the bookstore," Noah continued, starting the engine. "Which brings us to phase two of our operation."
"What? No!" Liam shook his head firmly. "We are not following her to the bookstore. That definitely crosses into stalking territory."
"It's not stalking if we legitimately need to buy books," Noah winked as he pulled out of the parking spot. "You're a thriller writer, remember? Writers need inspiration from other books."
Liam stared at his brother in disbelief. "You planned all of this, didn't you?"
"Me? Planning?" Noah put his hand over his heart with fake wounded expression. "I'm just here visiting my dear brother who desperately needs help talking to his Luna. Everything else is just... happy coincidences."
Liam could practically smell the lie coming off Noah, but he was too curious about Ava to protest further. If he was being honest, he wanted to see her again—even from a distance.
They parked a few buildings down from Maya's bookstore. From where they sat, Liam could see that Ava had already arrived and was talking with Maya in front of the store. Something about the way Ava laughed—so free and genuine—made his chest warm.
"Look at the way she smiles," Liam murmured without thinking. "Like watching the sunrise."
Noah stared at his brother with wide eyes, then burst out laughing. "Oh my God, you are so far gone! Our stone-cold, all-business Alpha is comparing a woman's smile to sunrise!"
Liam glared at him. "Shut up."
"Not a chance," Noah kept chuckling. "This is too good. Wait until the pack hears about this."
"If you tell the pack, I'll—"
Liam's threat died in his throat when he saw a young guy walking toward Ava and Maya. Justin Miller, son of the local deli owner and the town's biggest player. Something primitive and possessive stirred in Liam's chest as he watched Justin flash Ava his trademark smile and say something that made Maya laugh, though Ava only smiled politely.
A low growl rumbled from Liam's throat without his permission.
"Whoa, whoa!" Noah grabbed his brother's shoulder. "Easy there, Alpha. Your eyes are changing."
Liam blinked hard, taking a deep breath to get control of himself. "He's hitting on Ava," he growled.
"Yes, he's talking to her. Like normal humans do," Noah said lightly. "Nothing to get growly about—"
Noah's words cut off when Justin casually touched Ava's arm in an overly familiar gesture. Liam's growl got louder.
"Okay, this is fascinating," Noah observed with scientific interest. "But we have a problem. If you keep this up, you're going to shift right here in the car, and I just had these leather seats replaced."
"He. Is. Touching. My. Luna," Liam could barely get the words out through his anger.
"And your Luna looks completely uninterested," Noah pointed out. "Look, she just stepped back from him."
Sure enough, Ava looked uncomfortable with Justin's attention, her eyes searching for an escape from the conversation.
"How about this," Noah suggested. "Instead of losing your mind and going furry in downtown Oakwood, what if we head into the bookstore and just happen to run into them? You can mark your territory—figuratively speaking—by standing next to Ava."
Liam looked at his brother, surprised by the actually reasonable suggestion.
"That's... not a terrible idea," he admitted reluctantly, taking a deep breath to calm his wolf. "Better than attacking some guy in broad daylight."
"Exactly. Very Alpha-like behavior," Noah patted Liam's shoulder with satisfaction. "See? I can help you navigate these tricky social situations. Let's just casually walk in, browse some books, and 'accidentally' bump into them."
Liam nodded, though his heart was racing. Just seeing Ava from across the street was hard enough. Actually talking to her in front of other people—including his smart-ass brother—was going to be a whole different level of challenge.
As they got out of the car and started walking toward the bookstore, Liam saw Justin still standing way too close to Ava, and his wolf started getting restless again. He unconsciously picked up his pace.
"Easy there, Mr. Alpha," Noah whispered, having to jog to keep up with his brother's long strides. "We're going in casually, not storming the place like a SWAT team."
"He's still there," Liam muttered, his eyes locked on Justin who was now leaning against the wall next to Ava, clearly trying to impress her.
"And he won't be for much longer," Noah promised. "Trust me."
As they got closer to the bookstore, Noah suddenly pulled out his phone and fired off a quick text. He smiled at the screen with satisfaction, then tucked his phone back in his pocket.
"What are you—" Liam started to ask, but stopped when he saw a middle-aged woman appear in the store's doorway.
"Justin Miller!" the woman called out—Lori Miller, Justin's mom and the deli owner's wife. "Your father needs you at the store right now! Two people called in sick and there's a line out the door!"
Justin's expression quickly shifted from confident to surprised to annoyed. "But Mom—"
"No buts! Get over there now! You can chat with friends later!"
Looking frustrated, Justin said a quick goodbye to Ava and Maya, then jogged off toward his family's deli down the street.
Liam gave Noah a suspicious look. "You did that too?"
Noah shrugged with an innocent expression that fooled no one. "Just another lucky coincidence. Lots of magical things happen in Oakwood."
Before Liam could question him further, they'd reached the bookstore just as Maya was opening the door for Ava.
"Oh!" Maya exclaimed in surprise, seeing two tall men suddenly standing in front of them. Her eyes widened as she recognized Liam, then shifted to Noah with an unreadable expression. "Liam Cross! What a surprise!"
"Hello, Maya," Liam replied stiffly, his eyes automatically finding Ava, who was standing next to Maya with the same surprised look on her face.
"Liam," Ava said softly, and the sound of his name in her voice made Liam's wolf practically purr with satisfaction. "What a coincidence running into you here."
"Quite the coincidence, isn't it?" Noah jumped in with his megawatt smile. "I'm Noah Cross, Liam's brother. We actually met at the grocery store earlier."
"Yes, of course," Ava nodded, her curious eyes moving between the two Cross brothers. "Are you both planning to check out Maya's bookstore too?"
- Writer
