Grumpy Romance (Billionaire Dads Book 1) by Nia Arthurs

Author:Nia Arthurs [Arthurs, Nia]
Language: eng
Format: epub
Published: 2021-12-07T18:30:00+00:00

CHAPTER 13

STOLEN HEARTS

KENYA

The metal shutters roar as we drag them down. The store fades from sight, barricaded behind a stylish white drape with the Belle’s Beauty logo spray-painted on.

“Good work today,” the store manager says, squeezing my arm. She looks absolutely exhausted. Her hair sticks out of her bun, her pudgy cheeks are splotchy and dark bags fall beneath her eyes.

I’m sure I look equally zombie-like.

“You too.” I croak.

She flashes me a genuine smile. Annoyance flowed both ways when I first took on this job. But today, there’s a sense of camaraderie between us.

War can do that to people. Burn the prejudice and assumptions right out of them. Surviving requires working together. And nothing bonds people like shared trauma.

Perhaps I’m exaggerating. The chaos at the Belle’s Beauty location today can’t compare to real soldiers fighting on the frontlines, but it sure felt like a battlefield. A hundred people pressing in at once. Cell phones whirring. Anger singeing the air.

It was anarchy.

I saw the helpless looks from the staff, and I couldn’t stand still. My brain threw all kinds of crazy ideas at me. I picked one and jumped right into the fray with the team.

“What you did today was awesome,” the manager says. Her brown eyes squint at me. “When I first met you, I thought you were one of those ambitious suits who’d do anything to get ahead.”

“Thanks.” My voice is scratchy.

She laughs. “I have a lot of respect for you now.”

Her words would mean a lot more if I wasn’t dead on my feet.

“Get some sleep.” The manager points to her throat. “And rest your voice. Sounds like you rubbed your vocal box raw.”

I sigh in agreement. I’ve been talking to customers all day. It’s a good thing, really. News of our ‘pre-order promotion’ spread far and wide. What was supposed to be damage control turned into a bigger buzz than anyone had anticipated.

When the last customer left Belle’s Beauty, I found that my voice left me too. Now, I’m channeling my inner Ariel from The Little Mermaid. Too bad there aren’t any forks I can twirl around my hair.

I notice a tall figure prowling in the distance.

It’s Alistair. He’s wearing a black coat over a white shirt and a pair of grey, fitted trousers. His stride is so powerful that his coat glides with an invisible wind.

My heart starts breakdancing. I’m too tired to pretend that Grump-Vader isn’t the most attractive man I’ve ever seen.

In my mermaid reenactment, would Alistair be the evil sea sorcerer or the handsome prince?

The store manager stops in her tracks, her eyes glued to Alistair. “Is that…”

“Yeah,” I croak.

Ezekiel scurries ahead, his warm smile lighting on me.

I nod.

He returns the gesture and approaches the clerks who are standing behind us.

“Mr. Alistair sent tea,” Ezekiel says, handing them a cup, “a bonus,” he hands envelopes out next, “and an extra, paid vacation day that can be scheduled in the upcoming month.”

“Yes!” The sales clerks high-five.

I grin, genuinely happy for them. When I used

Download

Copyright Disclaimer:
This site does not store any files on its server. We only index and link to content provided by other sites. Please contact the content providers to delete copyright contents if any and email us, we'll remove relevant links or contents immediately.