C H A P T E R F I V E

I'm currently standing at the register while Quinton organizes the front shelf, and I can't help but glare at him. Surprisingly, he hasn't said anything rude to me all morning, but I just know that his rude attitude is sure to rise up at any given moment. Maybe he's holding it back because he's the manager and it would be "unprofessional" to be rude to his coworker. I know well enough that he wouldn't try to be nice to me because he really wanted to.

"Is there a reason why you're glaring daggers at me?" Quinton asks with a bored expression on his face, and I can't help but smirk in his direction.

"Because I hate you with all that I am." I say, putting as much venom in my voice as possible.

"Yeah, yeah." Is his response as he tosses his empty box into the back room. He walks over to me with a blank expression, no emotion in his eyes. "So I've heard."

"Don't even pretend that you don't hate me too." I say, the smirk never leaving my face. A smile curls up his lips, but it doesn't reach his eyes.

Unemotional demon.

"Better get used to saying that, Lyn." He says, that sick smile still on his lips. He knows that I hate that nickname, and he's using it against me.

"Don't ever say that again." I hiss, grabbing his shirt and yanking him forward. We have an intense stare off, anger brewing in both of our eyes. I intensify my glare, daring him to keep looking. He just smirks and rolls his eyes at me.

"I don't have time to play your petty little games, Lyn." I scowl when I hear the disgusting name again. "You can let go of my shirt now."

I give him one last glare before releasing him, making sure to apply hand sanitizer before he leaves the room just to silently let him know how disgusting I think he is. He rolls his eyes before heading into the back room, just as a customer walks through the front door.

Thank goodness.

I look towards the door, and my eyes grow large when I see who walked through the door, a smile on his face and his hands in his pockets.

"Hey, Evelyn." Alex says. I use every nice bone in my body - which isn't a lot - and throw a fake smile at him.

"Hey, Alex." I say back nervously as he walks towards me. He leans against the glass counter and smiles flirtatiously at me.

"Sorry I haven't come by sooner, my dad has been needing extra help at the shop," he says, cockily pushing a hand through his thick brown hair, "duty calls."

"That's fine." I shrug my shoulders, trying as hard as I can to make it seem like I actually care. I really, really wouldn't mind if he fell off the face of the earth right now, as mean as that sounds.

His Dad owns one of the most well known car repair businesses in the state, and he's filthy rich. He acts all cocky about it, and his money is probably the only reason why he ever has a girlfriend. I mean, he's good looking but his personality is just too much to handle. It's like he knows he can get whatever girl he wants, and it drives me crazy. I'm pretty sure I'm the only girl who has turned him down.

Ha, sucker.

"I'm probably going to spend most of my summer in here." He admits, that stupid smile still on his face.

"I highly doubt that. No one wants to spend their summer in a bookstore." I can't help but say, trying to put as much kindness into my words as possible.

"I wouldn't come for the books." He's says with a wink, pushing another hand through his hair. I resist the urge to roll my eyes at his comment.

"Uh, okay." Is all I say as I force a chuckle out to hide my discomfort.

An awkward silence falls between the two of us, giving me the urge to do anything to get rid of it. I give him an uncomfortable grin before heading over and grabbing the broom from the supply closet, trying to occupy my time by sweeping the floor.

I awkwardly keep smiling in his direction as I sweep the hard wood flooring, really wishing that he would just disappear. I don't know why he still pursues me when he could get any girl he wants. I mean, I'm not that special. Maybe he's just a huge pervert who wants to get in my pants and sees me as a conquest.

Ew.

"You look gorgeous today," he blurts after a few more minutes of unbearable silence. I resist the urge to roll my eyes.

Flattery will get him nowhere with me.

"Thanks." I hiss through my teeth with a fake smile before I turn around and start aggressively sweeping the floor again, hoping that I can take all of my anger out on this broom without being obvious about it.

I would give him a piece of my mind if I wasn't working, but since I am, I can't be rude or sassy to any of our customers, including Alex, or I could get in trouble. And the fact that Quinton is in charge makes this whole situation even worse, because I know he can hear everything we're saying from the back because the walls are as thin as paper.

What have I gotten myself into?