Page 74 of The Fake Script
This one was made for me. I don’t know this store very well, but aside from Alice, who came here with Deacon before, neither does anyone else. But being a bookseller gives me an advantage. I know how to organize a bookstore, so finding titles shouldn’t be too big of a challenge.
“First quest,” Julio says, reading from his piece of paper, “is a romance book with a single-word cover. Go.”
I scramble off toward the Romance section, which isn’t hard to find thanks to the huge fake-flower display they have next to it. I’m not the only one who ran to this aisle, and I’m constantly bumping shoulders with my opponents as I frantically drag my fingertip along the spines looking for a series of books by McKenna.
I can feel Auston’s presence next to me. I don’t know if it’s his musky cologne or the way my body reacts when he’s around, but I know he’s here.
“Are you trying to cheat?” I murmur, turning around to face him.
“What?” He stares off to the side in an obvious way that tells me I was totally right. “I’m just searching, like you.”
“You do know we can’t bring the same book back, right? You’d have to go back and find another one.”
He scratches his stubble. “Forgot about that.”
Laughing, I bump him with my shoulder. “I’ll help you,” I whisper so that no one else hears us.
“Thank you,” he mouths, sending tingles sparking in my chest as I start searching again.
Hayley exclaims “Ha!” next to me, and I know she found the one I was looking for. Then, it hits me. Alicia Cooper has a popular series with one-word titles too.
“Come with me,” I whisper to Auston, gesturing discreetly. We slip to the Dark Romance section, and I grabAdoreandRelentless.
“Thanks for saving me,” Auston says, leaning his elbow on the bookshelf in a super-sexy way.
What is he doing? I can’t deal with these fluttery feelings right now. We have a game to win.
“No problem,” I whisper, unable to take my eyes off him. I mean, sure, any man would look hot leaning against a bookshelf. I think. But just like with everything else, Auston Buckley takes things to a whole new level.
The scuff of hurried footsteps behind us brings me back to reality, and I look over my shoulder. “We have to go.”
We run back to the game area, and thankfully, several chairs are still empty. Some players had to go back because they chose books that had already been claimed. Finally, the round ends with James being the first one out.
“Now,” Julio says, raising his arm high as if he’s the referee at a Formula One race. “A book set in New York.”
Everyone rushes toward the book aisles. I know exactly where I’m going. There’s a great series by Helena Oughton set in New York. But as I race toward the Romance section, a sign for a new release catches my eye, featuring the Brooklyn Bridge on the cover. I backstep to grab the book, but Auston reaches for it at the same time. Our fingers collide, the contact setting them on fire. My heart quickens, and I’m pretty sure it’s not because of the ten feet I just ran.
“You take it,” he says, offering his usual charming smile as he takes a step back. Definitely not helping with the fire now raging inside me.
I bite my bottom lip. “Are you sure? I can find another one.”
“Everyone’s heading back already,” he says, looking over my shoulder. Then, he brings his gaze back, his brown eyes trapping me. “You have a better chance of actually winning this game than me.”
A smile breaks onto my lips, and I nod. “Thanks.”
We just stand there, staring at each other, and I can’t help but think I really am a lucky girl. I haven’t felt that way in years, but right now, I do. Not because he’s letting me have the book, but because he organized this entire thing for me. And because of the wayhe’s making me feel. Things I never even thought possible.
He’s closer now. I can feel the heat radiating from his body, and I wonder if my cheeks are as flushed as they feel. Deacon rushes past us, muttering something to himself that vaguely resembles “Is this supposed to be hard?” and Auston breaks eye contact.
“Um, you should probably go.”
“Right.” I tap nervously on the book cover. Swallowing hard, I spin around and hurry back, grabbing the last spot in the circle of chairs.
We keep it up until Lola and I are the last ones standing, but she steals the victory—and the bouquet made of origami book-page flowers—right out from under my nose, because I can’t find “a non-fiction book about magic” in time.
We’re now ready for the last game: a book-balancing competition. And it’s a whole other beast. Most of the girls, including me, are out first. Hayley is the only one saving our honor with her strong body and superb balance. Unfortunately, she’s up against a bunch of brawny men, including five professional hockey players whose middle names are “balance.” Auston, Deacon, and Cillian are still in the race, but eventually, they drop too. In that order. With the rest of the competition out of the way, it’s a Raptors game. They’re now at the starting line, each with four 500-page books on their heads.
When Julio shouts “Go!” they start walking. They’re all laser focused, taking it one step at a time. Meanwhile, we watch from the sidelines, eager to see who’ll lose their balance first.