I lean back in my chair, close my eyes, and listen to the sounds of Lunar Love. There’s a low murmur outside from the afternoon crowds, sporadic creaks from the building, and the sound of my own heartbeat, which feels like it hasn’t stopped racing since I took over the business.
The locals and tourists passing by in front of our window catch my eye, and I notice a woman’s pastel lilac suit. Carol? Not today. Not now. But she’s not alone. She comes bearing clients. Probably developers. I completely forgot to respond to her email. What else am I forgetting?
Carol strides down the path to Lunar Love. Her two clients catch up to her, the three of them walking side by side as Carol gestures excitedly at the building. I first notice red plastic glasses. Elmer? Is that Bennett next to him?
I jump up from my seat. Bennett’s here. Here. At Lunar Love. The nerve of that man.
I open the door and stand with my hands on my hips, blocking the entryway. “Can I help you?” I direct my question to Bennett.
Bennett offers a firm smile. “Hey, sorry! Ignore us. We’re leaving.” He calls out to Carol and Elmer, “Hey! We’re not going in there.”
Carol waves her hand toward the building. “I emailed you last week that I was bringing clients by,” she says to me, lugging the same bag, different color, up her arm. Poppy pops up from the depth of the purse and yips. “I never heard back from you but assumed it was okay. We won’t be long.”
To Bennett’s credit, he actually looks annoyed. He could win an Academy Award for that level of commitment. “I didn’t know this was the building she was talking about. We’re on our way to the next one,” he says to me. He’s wearing a button-down with the sleeves rolled up, a business casual type of handsome. As he leans in for a hug, I swing my arm around for a side pat, my brain fortunately taking over before my body has a chance to. By the way Bennett angles his body, I can tell it’s awkward for both of us.
“Right,” I say disbelievingly. “You just follow her around without asking any questions?”
“This was a last-minute addition,” he says.
I don’t know what to believe anymore. “A week is last-minute?”
“Elmer’s in charge of coordinating the new office tours,” he explains. “We have five that we’re looking at, and this was on the way. I didn’t know it was Lunar Love, I swear.”
Carol taps her foot. “Well, fine, okay. Let’s go to the next one, if you’re sure. But this place is really special,” she says, walking down the path away from our building. “We’ll let you know if we change our mind.”
Elmer pushes past Bennett. “I’d like to take a look,” he says, his red glasses framing his smug eyes. “You came to our office to snoop around. Now it’s our turn.”
I wait for an explanation from Bennett.
“He wasn’t too thrilled about learning who you really are,” Bennett reveals in a low tone. “I honestly didn’t know she was bringing us here.”
I remind myself of the information I just learned. We’re on my turf. I extend my arms out under Lunar Love’s pink doorframe. No one’s getting past me.
Elmer peeks around my head to see inside. “Those walls could be knocked down. There’s so much potential!” he says like he’s trying to be provocative.
Alisha pokes her head out of the back office. “We have company, I see!” she says, strolling over to us. I drop one of my arms to let her pass. “Bennett up close in the flesh. Man, I wish Randall wasn’t on lunch break so he could witness this.”
Bennett extends a hand. “And you must be?”
Alisha purses her lips. “Olivia, glad you’re speaking so highly of me,” she says with mock annoyance. “I’m Alisha, Olivia’s matchmaker-in-crime.”
“Great to meet you,” he says with a smile.
I shouldn’t have filled Alisha in on everything because the look she gives me in front of Bennett is a clear giveaway. He notices, and a small laugh through his nose comes out.
“When was the last time that carpet was replaced?” Elmer asks, peeking through one of the windows.
“Oh, let’s see,” I say, pretending to take his question seriously, “sometime between the first moon landing and when the Spice Girls broke up.”
Alisha grabs my arm. “Now that was a sad year.”
Elmer rolls his eyes and continues to critique the space. “First thing I’d do is get rid of all the pink and red.”
My jaw drops at his audacity. “Don’t get too comfortable,” I call out to Elmer with an edge in my voice. “We’re not for sale.” I look up at Bennett. “You know we’re not for sale, right? Because we’re definitely not for sale.” My chest feels heavy with the pressure of feeling like Lunar Love is being kicked out both physically and digitally.
Bennett nods quickly. “I know that. Elmer, let’s go. I’m sorry about all this.”
“Since when did he become your business partner anyway?” I nod toward Elmer, who won’t let up.
“He’s not my business partner, but he does like to involve himself,” Bennett says, shrugging. He leans over to whisper to me, “He’s surprisingly ill-mannered for a Rabbit.”
I resist laughing at his joke, forcing the corner of my lips down and out of a smile. I resume a stoic expression and assertive posture.
Alisha watches Elmer carefully. “You know, I may have a great match for him.”
“Keep our clients away from him,” I say sternly. “We have a reputation to maintain.”
“I heard that!” Elmer says, finally breaking his gaze through the window.
“Okay, I’m in the middle of date planning. Fantastic meeting you, Bennett, or should I say B.O.B.?” Alisha says, winking at me before heading back to the office.
Bennett laughs as heat rises in my cheeks. “So you’re telling people about me?” He takes a step closer.
I avoid making eye contact with him. It never ends well. “She helped me solidify the details of your date with Harper. She deserved context,” I explain in a professional tone.
“I’ll accept that,” Bennett says.
“Clearly you’re talking about me, too, but not in a good way,” I say, nodding toward Elmer.
Bennett smiles, one corner of his mouth pulled higher. It’s infuriating. “I save my best words for talking about you.”
Internally, I roll my eyes and smile unconvincingly. After everything I learned today, he almost feels like a stranger. But then I think about the past few weeks and I’ve never felt closer to anyone.
“Hey, I don’t know if you got the email about the Halloween party ZodiaCupid is hosting on Saturday for all beta testers, but I’d love for you to be there,” Bennett says. “Would that be weird?”
“I’ll have to look at my calendar,” I say coldly. I’m not in the mood to run into other women he might be going out on dates with. Somewhere along the way, we became too friendly. Lunar Love and ZodiaCupid are not friends. An alarm of panic rings through me when I remember that I agreed to call off our bet in a moment of passion. From now on, I need to only make important deals on solid ground.