Chapter 1
1146 Words
RILEY
I stepped off the bus into the new town.
The woman at the booth of the bus station said this place was worth seeing, with beautiful scenery, and the town had its own history.
The breeze hits my face; the smell of the forest. The town is small with a few stores, but the bus stop is right in the middle of the town. The bus leaves; I place my bag on my shoulder and look both ways to cross the road. There is so much to see. But my eyes fall on the one place I love, a bookstore.
I open the door, and the bell rings. I looked around the store; a fantastic selection from the classics to modern ones. It is small but has many shelves; you can't see where the store ended. I move closer to the middle, where I spot an older woman behind the counter looking up at me and smiling. I know the old lady has been watching me with a blank expression on her face.
"May I help you find something?" she asks suddenly as I pick up a book to look at on the nearby table.
I smiled. "Do you know of any B&BS around here? I want to stay for a while," I said, but looked at her. "I arrived, and I love little towns like this."
She looks at me and smiles. "How long are you staying for?" she asks me. "I know the B&B is full up for another three months, but I have an apartment upstairs that you could use."
I started at the woman, stunned, but quickly recovered.
"That would be lovely as I don't know how long I want to stay," I said. "Also, by any chance, do you know of any jobs? I will need to make some money as I am running low." I wasn't hopeful and knew I wasn't that lucky to get two for two.
The woman looks at me, and she searches my face. Trying to figure out my motives, but she smiles. "Well, you are in luck; I'm looking for someone to look after the store for me as it has been getting too much lately. My grandson thinks I need someone to be here helping me out," she says.
I cannot believe my luck; I have not only got somewhere to stay but also a job, not even an hour after arriving in the town. That's a new record for me.
"I will take it," I said, making her laugh.
"You haven't even seen the apartment yet," she says.
I shook my head. "I don't care. I have stayed in some gruesome places over the years," I said. "It will be a big improvement, trust me."
She smiles and looks at me. "Well then, let me show you to the apartment, and once you have settled in, I will show you around the store," she says.
She looks at the one bag I have. "Is that all you have, dear?" she says.
I nodded. "Yeah, this is my life, all in one bag. I have never stayed in one place long enough to settle down," I said to her. She gives me a sad look but then softens slightly. "Maybe this might be the place you will call home."
I wouldn't mind that, but I didn't want to get my hopes up. I usually change my mind when bored and move on to the adventure.
"Well, let's show you around; my grandson will be here soon to have some tea," she says. "By the way, my name is Margret. What's yours?"
I smiled at her. "My name is Riley, Riley Thomas."
She smiles at me and leads the way to a side entrance. We walked up the stairs to my apartment, which is the first door on the right.
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ONE WEEK LATER
I have been working at Margaret's book store for over a week now, and I love it. Everyone here is very friendly, and I must admit everyone here looks extremely good-looking, even the older generation. I mean, anyone could be a supermodel around here.
After traveling for almost a year to find the right place to call home, I settled in the small town of Forest Valley and am convinced that this is where I can see myself living. The town has everything you could want. The scenery is fantastic with the forest all around. When I got here, I found a path from the back entrance of the bookstore leading to a beautiful lake when the sun was out.
Margret owns the bookstore, and she is the only one who works there besides me. After she helped me settle in, she showed me some sights around town—the best place to get your coffee, to the thrift store to get some excellent second-hand clothes.
I start my day with a coffee, standing outside the back of the bookstore while the delivery guy drops off the delivery of books for the store inside.
Once I have the boxes in the middle of the room, I open the boxes Margret ordered and display the books on the shelves, ready for sale.
As I worked closer to the window, something outside caught me off guard; standing on the opposite side of the road, staring right into the window and straight at me, was Logan.
Logan Peters.
The guy is hot; I mean, every time I see him, my panties soak right through, and that's just by looking at him. God help if I ever get to speak, let alone touch him.
He is handsome with the most amazing piercing blue eyes with short black hair. He has muscles and some tattoos and dresses well too.
He comes into the shop every day to see Margret. He's her grandson. Every time he comes in, he sits in the chair opposite Margret, who would face me. I sometimes feel like he stares at me while Margret tells him what has happened in the store and outside.
I feel like he wants to devour me right on the spot when I catch him staring at me; his eyes go dark, and he even licks his lips while his eyes roam over my body. He makes my mouth dry, and I would let him devour me instantly if I am being honest. His cologne drives me wild and sends me into a wet mess.
I'm still staring at him.
I need to focus on work. So I shook my head and returned to stocking the shelves with the new books beside me.
I get back to work and forget all about him for a few moments, but suddenly the bell rings, letting me know someone is in the store.
I don't have to turn around to know who it is; his cologne hits me.
Logan.
- Writer
