Fauxmance (Showmance #2)(14)
I know, I was despicable, but my curiosity about this woman just wouldn’t let up.
She was a mystery I had the unfathomably strong urge to solve.
“You were right, this place is adorable,” Rose enthused when we arrived at the Zigzag Bookshop. A middle-aged woman with short blonde hair sat by the till, her head buried in a dog-eared copy of Don Quixote. She glanced up as we entered, giving a polite nod before returning her attention to her book.
I looked around, but there was no sign of Elodie. Perhaps her shift ended earlier. Or maybe she was the owner? She wore the type of clothes you could only afford if you had money, so that would make sense.
There was a little reading nook by the window with lots of zigzag furnishings, and the walls were papered with a similar zigzag design. If you stared too long, you’d get a headache. Rose headed down a narrow aisle, already lost scanning the spines of possible purchases. I frowned, and I had to admit I was disappointed Elodie wasn’t around. Not because I wanted to confront her with her lies, but merely because I yearned to see her again.
Why was it that we humans always wanted the person that didn’t want us in return?
I wandered past Rose, going further down the aisle, then turned a corner to head into the next one.
I paused, because a woman knelt on the floor, arranging books on one of the lower shelves. She had long curly brown hair and her hand went to her chest like I’d startled her, which I probably had since the shop was so quiet back here.
“Oh, excuse me,” I said with a smile. “I didn’t mean to startle you.”
Her hair curtained most of her face, alongside a pair of thick, tortoiseshell glasses. She blinked several times then murmured, “No worries,” before shifting out of the way so I could get by in the narrow space.
“Tight squeeze in here, isn’t it,” I commented, and she nodded shyly without reply.
I continued on to explore the rest of the shop. It really was a quaint little place, an oasis of quiet, nestled amid the hustle and bustle of the city.
But no Elodie in sight.
When I returned to Rose, she had three paperbacks under her arm and was considering a fourth. I enjoyed reading, but my best friend went through novels at a record-breaking speed.
We approached the lady at the till and Rose handed over her purchases. “You don’t happen to have the newest Sasha Orlando book in stock by any chance?” she asked.
“Not at present,” the woman replied. “That one doesn’t release until the weekend, but we’ll definitely have it then if you want to pop back on Saturday.”
“Oh yes, I will,” Rose enthused. “I’ve been dying for it to come out. I thought maybe you might have a few early copies available.”
The woman rubbed her chin, seemingly charmed by Rose brazenly trying to snag a copy of a book that hadn’t released yet. “I don’t think the delivery has arrived but let me just check with Ellen. She usually handles stock intake.” She left her stool and went to call out to the woman I’d bumped into at the back of the shop. “Ellen! The new Sasha Orlando book. Has the shipment arrived yet?”
There was a pause, a clearing of a throat and then an oh so quiet, “No, it doesn’t arrive until Friday.”
The woman gave Rose an apologetic look. “Sorry about that.”
She gave a sheepish look in return. “No worries! I was being cheeky asking anyway. I’ll just have to wait like everybody else.”
“My partner, Felicity, loves that series, too. She gets really excited when a new book comes out.”
“It’s the best,” Rose agreed.
“Might I ask a question?” I interrupted, unable to help myself.
The woman’s attention came to me. “Of course. Were you looking for a particular book?”
I shook my head. “No, actually, I was wondering if you have an employee here named Elodie? Red hair? She might be the owner.”
She frowned. “Afraid not. My name’s Bernice and I’m the owner here. It’s just Ellen and I, and Felicity pitches in from time to time.”
Rose shot me a questioning look. She knew all about Elodie but was obviously confused by me thinking she worked here.
“Oh, I must be mistaken. Perhaps I was thinking of another place.”
If this woman owned the shop and had never heard of Elodie, then how the hell did she have a key? Too many questions filled my head. A loud clatter sounded from the back, jolting me from my thoughts. I turned to see the shy woman, Ellen, had dropped a stack of books. Looking frazzled, she hurried to pick them back up. She tucked her thick hair behind her ear and I got my first proper view of her face.
Elodie!
She looked exactly like her, except her eyes and hair were brown and she was significantly shorter. I left Rose to continue chatting with Bernice and walked down the aisle. When she saw me approach, she froze, her doe eyes widening.
“Hello again,” I said. “I hope you don’t mind me asking, but do you happen to have a sister?”
Chapter Four
Ellen
Panic set in.
I was a deer caught in the headlights. An imposter about to be unmasked. Blinking several times, I stared at Julian, words failing me. Fortunately, he didn’t look suspicious or angry, only intrigued. My throat ran dry as I endeavoured to speak.