Rain poured steadily, like the tears of the book shop cascading down the windows.  Emily could relate to the shop, bored to tears herself by the quietness of the day.  She had been working for the past six hours, and there were still two hours left of her shift.  No one had come into the store.  The phone hadn’t once made a peep.

She was beginning to feel claustrophobic.

What’s worse, she’d searched every place she could think of and she still hadn’t been able to find her missing book.  It hadn’t fallen under the counter, it wasn’t stuffed in her back pack, and no one had seen it in days.  Stranger still, she hadn’t been able to locate another copy.  She’d called other book stores in the area, searched the internet, and even called up some friends, and no one else had heard of the book she’d been reading.  It was as if it hadn’t ever existed.

She was baffled, and now she was bored.

The mysterious man had been slightly creepy, but she had been intrigued nonetheless.  It was impossible that he was the man in her book, she knew that.  But the similarities were too strange for her to ignore.  She’d planned on investigating further when he’d left, but now her book was missing.  Frustrating.

Emily let out an exasperated sigh, settling her head on the counter and closing her eyes.  A little cat-nap wouldn’t hurt, especially since no one would know.  She was the only one working, which was usually the case, and she was her own boss, too.   Emily had inherited the book shop from her grandfather when he’d passed a year ago.  She’d grown up in this shop, fading into the bookshelves and staying there for hours.  Gramps had decided she was the only family member worthy of honoring his life’s work.  So, as a college student, Emily owned her own book store.  An accomplishment she was very proud of.

Something in the atmosphere around her changed, and she sat up with a start, blearily looking around the room.  She jumped and yelped as her eyes crashed into the blue orbs that had been haunting her thoughts for the past few days.

“Hey,” his grin was easy this time, his eyes sparkling with mischief and something else she couldn’t place.  “Sorry to interrupt your nap.”

Emily patted down her hair, hoping she didn’t have creases on her face from her sleeves.  “Oh, no.  You’re fine.”  She could feel the color rising to her cheeks.  This man must think she’s crazy.  “Can I help you find something?”

He leaned his elbows on the counter, bringing his face closer to hers.  She could smell the spicy sent of his cologne, and for moment she felt dizzy.  “Actually, I have something for you.”  He reached toward his back pocket, producing a book and setting it before her.  Emily’s eyes widened.

“My book.”  She picked it up, feeling the softness of the worn cover beneath her fingers.  “Where did you find it?”

His eyes were smiling as she looked back at him.  “I think you accidentally put it in my bag with the books I purchased.  I found it there when I got home.”  He grinned lazily, sending a strange heat through Emily’s limbs.  She flushed again, feeling like an idiot.

“Well, thanks.  Sorry about that.”

Again, his grin warmed her skin.  “No worries.  It gave me a reason to come see you again.”  He leaned a little closer, the spicy sent of him intoxicating the air between them.  Emily had to stop herself from taking a long, slow breath.  “I thought you might like that back, too.  It looks rare.”

Emily’s eyes wandered back to the book, almost forgetting it was there.  “Oh, I don’t know.  It belonged to my grandfather and he gave it to me right before he died.  I guess I just feel attached to it.”  She ran her fingers over the cover again, seemingly lost in her thoughts.  She remembered the day she’d stumbled across her Gramps, thumbing through the care-worn pages, mumbling about changing pages and lost contact.  It was near the end of his illness, and he was prone to strange utterances.  It had broken Emily’s heart to watch him deteriorate, but right before he’d died, in a moment of clarity, he’d asked her to keep the book and make sure it was safe.  He’d made her promise, and Emily couldn’t bear to go back on her word.  Not now, not when he couldn’t come back to her.

“Have I lost you?”  Emily jumped, startled by the voice invading her thoughts.  The smirk on the stranger’s face was small, but it was obvious he enjoyed her reaction.  “Sorry.  Didn’t mean to scare you.”

Emily forced a shaky smile, running her hands through her tangled locks and taking a deep breath.  The scent of him again invaded her senses and the dizziness returned for a moment.  “It’s okay.  I think I might be coming down with a cold or something.  I feel a little light headed.”

Subtly, he stepped back from the counter, widening the distance between them by fractions.  Emily tried not to notice the fact that she was feeling clearer, but she did.  Of course, she reminded herself, one can’t have anything to do with the other.

“So…Miss Bookkeeper.  Do you have a name?” 

Emily’s eyes found his icy blues, and she mentally chided herself for being so rude.  “I’m sorry.  My name is Emily.”  She outstretched her hand, not ready for the shock of actually touching his skin.  He was warm, incredibly so, and the dizziness returned ten-fold as his larger hand encompassed her own.

“Justin,” was his reply, and as he moved his hand from her the lightheadedness left with the swiftness it had come.  “You’re looking a little pale, maybe you should sit down.”

Emily stepped back from the counter; completely unsure of what was happening to her.  A fairly attractive man walks into her store and she’s instantly reduced to a puddle of goo.  What was wrong with her?  Her eyes flickered around the shop, noting the still driving rain and the lack of customers.  Boldness overtook her, and she stood squarely, meeting Justin’s worried gaze with her determined stare.

“Would you like to get some coffee with me?  I think I just need to put some food in my stomach.”  His thoughts were unreadable as he pondered her offer, but a grin slid easily over his features, lighting up his face. 

“Are you sure you can leave?”  He, too, glanced around the empty store.

Emily waved him off.  “I should lock up anyway.  You’re the first customer I’ve had all day.”  She started to gather her things, picking up the book and hesitating.  She thought on it a moment, unsure of what to do, and then she shook her head at her silliness.  “It’s just a book.”  She mumbled, stuffing it into her purse so she could continue reading when she returned home.

Justin’s eyes followed the book, too, but he kept silent as she finished packing her things.  “Ready?”  He asked, offering her his arm and leading her to the door.  “Wait a second,” he said, reaching over to grab an umbrella that Emily hadn’t seen until now.  “It’s still pouring out there.”  He smiled down at her, his eyes flashing with something that made Emily’s stomach dip toward her toes. 

This was going to be interesting, she could just tell.