Awakening His Shy Cinderella by Sophie Pembroke

Author:Sophie Pembroke
Language: eng
Format: epub
Publisher: Harlequin
Published: 2020-09-06T21:37:30+00:00

* * *

It hadn’t even been a full week since Rachel started work at Cressingham Arcade, but already the place was starting to feel like home.

Changing her shifts at Hartbury’s had given her plenty of free afternoons—and evenings—to spend at the arcade, figuring out what made the place tick, why it was special, and getting new ideas for how she could communicate that to Londoners at large. She’d spent time with each of the shopkeepers individually, looking through their stock, discussing display ideas, taking photos with her heavy Canon camera, and then spending hours looking through them on her laptop screen in Damon’s office after the arcade was closed.

Yes, Damon’s office. Her cheeks felt warm just thinking about how many evenings she’d spent sitting opposite him in that tiny room, each working on their own laptops on opposite sides of the small desk, as if they were partners, or a pair—

Rachel pulled herself up sharply. Four nights. Less, really, since tonight was only halfway done, and she wasn’t even in his office. Three and a half, then, since they’d returned to the arcade after the Victorian market and got to work. That was definitely not enough nights to start getting moony about.

Although...

As much as she was trying to be reasonable and rational about it all, and remember Celeste’s warnings—not to mention her own common sense—she had to admit, Damon had seemed...different, this week. Before the fake New Year’s Eve party their interactions had been limited at best. They were friendly, of course, but she wouldn’t have really called them friends.

Now... Now he knew how she liked her hot chocolate—with as many toppings as possible—and would bring her one from the coffee shop just outside the arcade whenever she was working late. He’d pore over images with her, deciding which ones best represented the shops, even when she was trying to decide between two almost identical photos. He’d listen to her ideas and smile and nod and he didn’t talk over her or try to change the subject.

And yes, she knew that all of those things were work related—well, apart from the hot chocolate, perhaps, although for all she knew he was only providing that because he felt guilty about her working late. She knew she should keep reminding herself that this was a working relationship. That Damon had never shown any sign of returning her crush in the ten years she’d known him, apart from that one misguided kiss at fake midnight.

But still...it felt different. And Rachel wasn’t at all sure what that meant, or what to do about it.

Which was why she was hiding out in the large bay window of the first shop in the arcade—the new stationery and invitation shop, owned by Penelope—fiddling with the first of her displays. Penelope had long since disappeared with her boyfriend, Zach, a huge Viking of a guy with the most besotted smile Rachel had ever seen on a man, leaving Rachel in peace and quiet to create. Or, as she was doing now, procrastinate.

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