How Snowball Stole Christmas by Kristen McKanagh

Author:Kristen McKanagh [McKanagh, Kristen]
Language: eng
Format: epub
Publisher: Kensington Books
Published: 2022-06-23T00:00:00+00:00

Chapter 10

Peter walked into the bookstore through the alleyway door they accessed from where they parked behind the store and where deliveries came through. Which meant he walked right into his mother’s slightly plump figure bent over a series of boxes. She seemed to be transferring books around, filling several empty boxes, and muttering to herself as she worked.

Nothing new. They were always moving inventory around back here depending on how things were moving on the shelves, the change of seasons, and the weekly deliveries of new releases. And the muttering was just part of who she was.

“Morning, Mom,” he said.

He made to pass by, headed to the office with every intention of burying himself in the computer, running reports on last month’s figures. His favorite thing to do for the bookstore. He would focus on that and not on how soft Lara’s lips had looked or the ridiculous urge to search up ice cream recipes for her. Easier ones, or faster at least, than what she had been doing last night, for sure.

Though . . . with his mother working back here, he should probably be up front with his father helping with customers.

Peter grimaced, keeping his back to his mom to hide it. A people person he really was not. He had to talk himself into working up there every time. He’d been hoping that he’d get used to it sooner or later. Later seemed to be the way things were going.

“Oh, Peter.” His mother stopped him. “I just got off the phone with Lara, who is so nice by the way. . . .”

Peter frowned at the shelf of boxes in front of him. Lara had called? Wait. Called his mother? Or the bookstore? Either way, why?

He turned. “Was she looking for me?”

Maybe she needed help with Ben again. Mr. Muir was tutoring him for schoolwork, but no doubt that didn’t take all day.

Not your problem, he told the guilt that wanted to make him rush over and try to help. Fixer was part of who he was. A doer. That was all, and he should ignore it. The trouble was, the guilt could just as well be eagerness. The tightening in his belly could go either way. Hell, he shouldn’t have almost kissed her like that. It had muddled his thinking.

“You?” his mother asked, slightly perplexed. “No, she called to thank me for helping watch Ben and to offer a favor in return.”

A favor? Darn it. She went over my head.

The familiar burn of irritation crawled up his neck. He’d told her to back off. Maybe not in those words, but he thought he’d been clear enough with her last night. She didn’t need to return any favors. “I told her she didn’t need to—”

“Actually, her suggestion was lovely, and I think we should take her up on it.”

His mother liked Lara’s suggestion? Which one? The workshop thing? More than that, there was a light in her eyes that looked more than generally pleased. It was downright satisfied with a hint at motherly machinations.

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