“God, I feel so sore,” Regina moans as she pushes away.“You’re going to be sporting some lovely bruises when you get up tomorrow, I’m sure.” I shut the door and walk with her to the front door. “Just rest as much as you can. Don’t do anything stupid, and you’ll be back to normal soon.”“Does that mean I get out of doing homework?”“Sadly, no. I’ll let you off for the first few days, but you must get it done.”Regina pouts.“Dad! How can I work when my writing hand is broken?”“We’ll talk to your teachers about it tomorrow. I’m sure we can work things out.” I open the front door. “In you go. I’m sure Grandma has something ready for you to eat.”“I still feel sick.”“You need to have something to eat.” I kiss her head. “In you go.”For a moment, I think that Regina’s going to complain, but she sighs heavily and goes inside. I know Mom is going to look after her. It will delay her going back home, but when I spoke to her on the phone earlier, she was adamant about helping with her grand

“Stop calling him a hot single dad. It’s driving me crazy.”“Well, he is hot, and his daughter said he was single, didn’t she? It’s clear you’re into him.”I wish she would drop it. Sure, Micheal is handsome, but he’s maddening. I’m not about to think about anything regarding him. That would just be asking for trouble.At least Helen’s not talking about Nate. That would drive me insane. I’m still angry that he was at the resort.“Just no more, please? I just want to get inside and decompress before tomorrow.”“Okay, whatever you say.”Helen reaches out and squeezes my hand. “I’m sorry about what happened, but I’m glad you came. It was good to be up on the slopes.”“I won’t argue with that,” I say and manage a smile at her. “You’ll hear from me tomorrow.”“Bye.”As Helen drives away, I jump out and head to the door next to my store. I’m glad that I’m back now. After the ups and downs of the weekend, which turned into a more dramatic occasion than I anticipated, I just want to lie on the

Why the hell is she giving me an erection just looking like a damn librarian?“Get five for now. I’m the one who will be carrying them,” I add as Regina protests. “So I think I have a say in what you can buy.”“Fine,”Regina huffs and turns away. “I’m going to explore.”“Take your time, Regina,” Lucia calls after her as Regina disappears between the shelves. She gives me a shy smile. “It’s a bit quiet right now. Everyone comes in during the lunch rush, so you’ve caught me twiddling my thumbs.”“Is it normally busy in here?” I ask, clearing my throat when I start croaking. What the hell is wrong with me?“Depends on the occasion. If there’s a special event or an occasion on the calendar, I get plenty of people in.” She gestures at a notice on the window. “I also have a special hour, as I call it, on Saturday, where you can buy a bag for five dollars and put in as many books as possible. You can buy whatever can get into the bag for the price of the bag.”“I see.” I raise my eyebrows. “D

MichealI stare at the screen, but nothing seems to be sinking in. There are so many emails, and I can’t tell which are genuine or what is spam that needs to be deleted. They keep coming through even after deleting, reporting, and blocking spam. It’s ridiculous.But I can’t get my mind focused on anything. Not when everything somehow reminds me of Lucia. I see her in her bookstore, clearly devoted to her work and her love of books. Her store made me feel like I was at home; there was a warm, inviting feeling about the place. I can see why Regina likes it.I have to raise the rent. The land where the store is located is very profitable, and the rent needs to be appropriate for the land in question. That means I have to almost triple it from what Dad asked Lucia. She won’t be able to afford it; I know that much. She can’t get enough for the rent even if it's popular.I know she’s been calling, asking to speak to me. I’ve managed to get my receptionist to deter her and say that I’m not a

I really don’t know what to do with that. And I don’t like that she’s on my mind so much.“Look,” Kenny indicates my desk, “as soon as it gets to five, you will clock out and leave with me. You and I will go to a restaurant and have dinner together. Then we’ll go back to my place and have a few beers. In the morning, you’ll be taking the morning off. I’ll go to work and ensure things are running smoothly, and you can come in after lunch. Nobody’s going to care that you do it every now and then.”I frown. While it does sound tempting, Kenny seems to have forgotten a few things.“You do recall that I’m a single parent, right? I know Regina is thirteen, but I can’t leave her alone for that long, certainly not overnight.”“Don’t worry. I’ve already told Mom. She will be there tonight to look after Regina while you chill.”“What? You spoke to Mom before speaking to me.” Kenny spreads his hands.“Well, she’s just as concerned about you. It was her idea, actually, and I can see how good thi