Page 11 of The Enemy Plot
“Sure thing.”
I knew it. Looks like I’m not that clueless after all. I turn on the TV, and they all sit back to watch the game.
After a while, two more of their friends pop in, followed by Marissa and Beth from the coffee shop and Hayley from next door. Hayley sits on the curly haired guy’s lap, bending down for a kiss. That’s where I know him from. I’ve seen him walk by before on the way to the bookstore.
The night wears on, and my bar has never been this packed. The group orders drink after drink, and more of their friends pour in. Even in Sycamore Springs, I never had this many people in my bar at once.
“Hey, Max. Isn’t that your sister?” says a guy with blue eyes and an undercut hairstyle, nodding outside.
Drying a glass, I follow his gaze, and my eyes fall on Alice walking past.
Max, the curly-haired guy, nods, then looks at Hayley, who murmurs something to him before getting up and heading outside to talk to her friend.
“Well, I have to get going anyway,” Max says, standing up.
“Same,” the other guys respond, and a rumble of chairs scraping the floor follows.
“Thanks, man,” Max says to me, ambling to the counter. “Glad you opened this place up here. It’s not too far from the arena and my girlfriend’s and sister’s store.”
I nod. “Sure. You’re welcome here anytime. You’re hockey fans, then?”
“We are.” He smiles. “And players. We play for the Raptors. Maxime Beaumont,” he says, offering his hand.
“Nice to meet you. Deacon Collier.”
“This is Caleb Hawthorne,” he adds, turning around, and the black-haired guy with a beard waves at me. “Next to him, with the backward cap, is Aaron Miles, and the guy with that awful undercut is James Adler,” he jokes, to which Adler flips him the bird.
“Well, I’ll make sure to show your games.” I dip my head.
“Thanks.” He places three hundred-dollar bills on the counter. “Keep the change.”
My eyes widen slightly. “Thanks. Have a good night.”
“Oh, by the way,” Maxime says, stopping in the doorframe. “We’d appreciate it if you didn’t tell anyone we’re hanging out here. I know it’s probably tempting, sinceyour business is just starting, but it’s a relief for us to have a cool spot to hang, and it would quickly get out of hand if fans knew we were here.”
I nod. “No problem. We may not know each other, but I’m not that kind of guy. I won’t say a word.”
“Thanks, man. See you around.”
Well, it turns out setting up shop on this street might not have been such a bad idea after all. I watch the players exit, and my gaze falls on Alice and Hayley, who are still talking outside. Alice looks defeated, and I wonder if she’s returning from another date.
Since the day I moved here, I’ve only ever seen her getting all dolled up and excited, only to come back deflated. She’s probably one of those hopeless romantics, judging by the bookstore she’s running. Even if her over-happy persona grates on my nerves, I hate seeing that beautiful smile wiped from her face even more.
6
Indelible Mark
Alice
Today is a rainy day—AKA, perfect reading weather—and the three of us are making the most of it. Emz is in the reading nook, Hayley is in her room, and I’m in mine. The store opens at eleven on Sundays, which means we get to catch up on some precious reading time. I’m startingRegency Loveby Rachel Droke, an advanced copy I scored, and I’m eager to get into the story. Grabbing my reading planner, I start setting the page for this new book. I love my planner. It has a bunch of lists like “QuoteCollections,” “To Be Read,” and “Favorite Authors,” but also a monthly reading log, book review pages, challenges, and series trackers. The best thing is that, since the base file is digital, I can print out however many pages I want and keep adding to it. Once everything is ready, I hit play and start coloring my new book.
The narrative starts with a prologue from the male POV, and Deacon’s face immediately appears in front of my eyes.No, no, no. That’s not going to work. I’m a very visual reader. Settings and characters come to me as I read, helping to immerse me in the story. Usually, the characters are embodied by celebrities, not my grouchy neighbor.This is not happening.I’ve never even been a fan of that trope. Why would anyone like a person who’s grumpy? Everyone prefers happy people. Well, Emma falls into that category, and she’s one of my best friends, but that’s different. She’s a friendly grump—likable. Deacon is just . . .mean.
Unfortunately, I have absolutely no control over my brain, and the more the character speaks in his husky voice, the more clearly I picture Deacon. Only it’s a nicer version of him that would fit this cinnamon-roll character. Far from the reality of Captain Cranky next door.
Easing off my headphones, I attentively listen for noise from the wall we share, but there’s nothing. I wonderif he’s out, or if he finally learned a thing or two about acceptable neighborly conduct.
Shaking my head into focus, I put my headphones back on and concentrate on the story, trying to chase Deacon out of my head. The only problem is, the book starts with a fade-to-black scene, and the flirty one-liners this character is throwing at me are landing like a slap in the face.