Page 1 of He Loves Me Knot
ChapterOne
Two Years Ago
“Bollocks!”
Lydia Winnick startled to a stop on the sidewalk, nearly slamming into the back of the swearing man in front of her.
Oh crap. Poor guy.
He had one foot in a puddle, and water clearly seeped into his sock and dress shoe.
“Bloody—”
A few feet away, a woman leaving the Notting Hill Bookshop gave the man a sharp, disapproving look.
The man probably hadn’t meant to scandalize the exiting woman. Actually, he’d only stepped into the puddle to allow her to pass.
Which worked out for me.Liddy was just inches from the puddle, and she hadn’t noticed it either.
But as the offended woman continued her scowl, the man laughed. “Shite weather we’re having, am I right?” He pushed past her into the bookshop and let the door swing shut behind him.
Liddy snickered to herself, then ducked her chin as the lady’s withering look transferred to her. If only she could come up with something as clever. Instead, she hurried into the bookstore, happy to get away from the irritated lady.
She shook out her rain jacket by the door, wishing she’d brought an umbrella. When she’d packed her apartment in Nashville to move to London, she’d accidentally shipped her umbrella instead of packing it in her suitcase. Four days after arriving, her mistake was glaring.
And that carry-on full of books isn’t doing me much good in this weather.
On the other hand, books were nice to have in her empty apartment.
Books had always been one of her comforts, no matter where she went or what life threw at her. When she’d been in grade school, there had been few problems she couldn’t solve—or avoid—by turning to a book.
This was why, when the CEO of Camden Enterprises, Aiden Camden, had told her they’d be holding her “welcome” dinner in Notting Hill, she’d left extra early to visit the bookstore she’d heard about in the movies. Whether it was a tourist trap.
The smell of books was comforting—a perfume that reminded her of home.
Heading for the nonfiction section, she heard her stomach growl as she passed the cookbooks, the glossy photos of delicious food a reminder that she hadn’t eaten all day. She’d spent most of the day filling out forms online for her new job. After she’d gotten her master’s degree in the spring, she’d applied for a job at Camden Enterprises without telling her sister Elle or her future brother-in-law, Quinn. Quinn’s family company specialized in defense contracting, and it was a perfect fit.
And more importantly, the company was in London, where she could get a fresh start.
Her surgery five years ago was supposed to be her fresh start, then college.
But somehow, neither had been.
But maybe moving across the Atlantic will be.
As she drew closer to the section that held travel guides, she caught sight of the man she’d seen outside. He faced the bookshelf and was on his phone.
“And I don’t really care what she thinks. You wouldn’t be asking me to be there if it were anyone else. She wants to impress me? Then she can start by proving she deserves to be there.”
Liddy stepped back. She shouldn’t eavesdrop on his conversation, but he stood in the way of the books she wanted to look at.
“As a matter of fact, I had plans . . .” The man’s voice dropped. “No, not Natalie. I saw her two nights ago. Vivienne.” The man glanced over his shoulder, then noticed Liddy, his eyes locking with hers for a moment.Whoa, hottie.He had short, wavy dark hair and unique ice-blue eyes. A shadow of stubble was on that sexy jawline, and the finely tailored suit he wore couldn’t hide his broad shoulders.
No wonder he has so many dates lined up.
He lowered his voice even further and stepped closer to the books.
She almost turned in a circle and did another lap around the bookstore.