“You better watch the counter. That’s your favorite spot in this store, anyway,” I kidded as she walked toward the counter, her face still flushed from both laughter and exhaustion. She winked at me as she tended the counter, waiting for customers to pay for their goods.
The bell above the door jingled as someone opened the shop door. I smiled at myself as I refilled the fridge with some bottled and canned drinks, knowing my mom was putting on her customer service smile. She hated that shit, and yet it was necessary thanks to the business we were in. As I continued my work, a hand passed by my eyes and snatched a bottle of power drink from the newly filled fridge.
“Sorry to startle you, miss.” The man spoke with a deep, gravelly voice. Without looking, I knew who it was. He was one of the customers Mom said we should look out for. The one she told me to keep a cautious eye on.
I smiled at the man’s bearded, pale face. “No worries, sir. Need me to ring you up?”
He nodded, a faint smile on his face. “That would be great.”
I led the way to the counter, knowing that my mother would despise conversing with him. She was a frank woman and usually told it like it was. That wasn’t helpful in the world of customer service, so if anyone she didn’t think too highly of stopped by, I checked them out. Made life easier. Kept the shop open too.
Mom glanced up, gave me a look, and walked to the back of the store, pretending to stack the bread and pastries that I was going to work on next. I scanned his items and smiled. “Four twenty-eight, please.”
“Yep.” He reached into his pocket and pulled out exact change. Something about his movements had my heart racing. He was weird on a good day, but something was off today. More than normal.
“Thanks, sir! Please come again!” He turned his back without any response and left the shop. I felt a pinch on my arm to find my mother on my side, eyes big in disgust.
“Ouch, that hurts!” I squealed, holding my arm. “What the heck, Mom?”
Her eyes were still fixed on the door as if she were watching him leave. She waited until he was in his car to speak her mind.
“Thanks. I really don’t like that man much,” she apologized while she patted my arm lightly. I gave her a puzzled look, skeptical of her thoughts. That man might look eerie, but he was one of our regular customers.
“Why?” I had my reasons for thinking he looked odd, but I wanted to know hers. I smiled at the next customer in line. My mother packed the items I scanned while I tended the counter.
“Something seems to be wrong with him. I don’t know. You know me, Kylie. My intuition has never failed me,” she replied, extending a bag of groceries to our current customer.
As I continued with the next customer, I asked her once more. “Why? I don’t see anything wrong or bad about the man.”
She finished packing the next guy’s groceries and turned to face me, crossing her arms over her chest and raising her eyebrow. “That’s what I worry over the most with you, Kylie. You only see the good in people, never the bad.” Her words struck me, but I granted her a sweet smile.
“Don’t worry, Mom, there are no bad people in this town,” I replied, keeping my eyes on hers. There had to be a way to calm her pessimist mind, but I’d yet to find it, and I’d been trying to help for the likes of forever.
She shook her head gloomily and disagreed. “You know so little yet, Kylie.” She put a consoling hand on my shoulder and asked me to focus on my job instead. I did as I was told, seeing more customers inside our convenience store.
One of those new pools of people coming in was Hunter Yonnie. He had to be one of the finest men in the whole damn city.
Butterflies sprung up in my stomach, and I felt girly and young every time he walked into the store. That day, he wore a white shirt with his name tag pinned on his chest and faded jeans, his muscles pressing through his sleeves. Despite his simple attire, he was gorgeous, strong, confident. The way he carried himself left my body aching for his attention, but he was far too much man for me.
His tough, manly front was reflected by his expertise in guns and hunting, but his quiet attitude made him stand out among the other guys in town. An enigmatic, young bachelor with a heart for saving other’s lives.
Those hot, artistic tattoos inked around his arms exhibited his bad boy nature, but his heart was golden. We all knew it. He was a volunteer firefighter and the town's favorite guy, never turning anyone away and always helping where he could. I wanted to know his story. All of it.
Why was he still single? Because of his son?
Despite me attending to the customers checking out, my attention was on him. I watched from the side of my eye, memorizing the strong line of his jaw and how fucking good he looked with his 5 o’clock shadow. I’d had a crush on him for as long as I could remember.
“One set of chocolate cupcakes, please.” He pointed to one of my mother’s homemade sweet treats. She nodded and took one, getting it packed up in a box and tying a ribbon on top for a dainty look. As my mother gave him the box, I stole one brief look at him again and held my breath. How many fantasies had I had behind my closed eyes, my body shaking as I came and moaned his name?
Warmth raced up my neck to coat my face. Did he know how badly I wanted him? No. No way.
It was a shame. He looked at me, a smile playing on his perfect lips. He knew. He had to. I glanced down to the counter and back up to the next customer in front of me, a bitchy old lady. It was more helpful than not to concentrate on her, but I couldn’t deny the thick vein pulsing in the side of my neck, the wetness between my thighs, the tight buds forming on the tips of my breasts. He had too much power over me, and he didn’t even know it.
As I checked out one customer after the other, Hunter was the next in line.
My heart started to beat faster, and I was nervous about making a mistake. He might realize my little crush on him, especially since he saw me checking him out. I mustered all the strength and confidence I had, posing the usual cheerful welcome I greet to other regular customers.
“Good morning, sir!” I avoided his gaze and instead entered the code for the cake. He did not respond to my greeting but instead smiled at me as he waited. The awkward encounter was difficult to sustain, and, thank goodness, my mother intervened.