doing? She furrowed a deeper knit in her brow. "Yes."
"And you are starting at Harrison University this fall to earn your Masters in Modern American Lit."
"Mr. Fuller—"
"Kevin...please."
She shook her head. "I don't understand."
"What's to understand? I need a cashier. You need a job. You may be overqualified, but I'm willing to give it a shot if you are."
"Overqualified?" She stared at him, her jaw slack. She'd thought her lack of work experience made her under qualified. Her father had certainly convinced her she didn't have what it took to make it in the real world.
Kevin scoffed, a spark lighting his eyes. "Hello? Duke University? Dean's list? That's quite an achievement." He cocked his head again. "So why did you transfer to Harrison? We're small potatoes next to Duke."
"I've always wanted to go to Harrison, ever since I was a little girl. My grandmother taught there for years. I used to visit her on summer break and sit at the back of her classroom while she lectured on Shakespeare and Dante and Chaucer. During those summers as a kid, I fell in love with literature and Harrison University, and I never outgrew either love. I'd have started here as a freshman if my father hadn't—"
She caught herself before she launched into a diatribe about how her father had nixed her wishes concerning which college she attended. How could she have been so acquiescent about something so important to her? Her chest tightened with a flash of disgust.
Kevin rocked back in his chair, his expression telling her he was still unconvinced. "But Grayson is a pretty small town. That alone would be a turn off to most people."
She lowered herself back onto her chair and grinned. "That's why I love it. The people here say hello to you on the street, and the scenery is homey and beautiful. The old houses on Elm Street are so enchanting, so inviting. You have picnics and parades, and you don't have to lock your doors at night. Besides, my memories of Nana are here." She sighed deeply. "I love this little town. When I left home, coming here just felt...right. Meant to be."
The corner of Kevin's mouth curled up. "Can't argue with that."
His engaging grin spread a comforting warmth inside her and brought a smile to her lips as well. She wiped her nose again on her crumpled tissue and shot it at the trashcan.
As the tissue arced through the air, Kevin made a loud humming noise that startled Claire. "Yes, she got the shot off before the buzzer. The bucket counts! The home team wins."
He cupped his hands around his mouth and imitated the sound of a roaring crowd.
The chuckle that rose from deep inside her felt odd, felt wrong. Her father generally frowned upon silliness as unbecoming a lady of her breeding.
But when Kevin looked at her with a mischievous light in his chocolate eyes and flashed a crooked smile, she discarded all thoughts of decorum. Laughing felt good. She appreciated his efforts to put her at ease and make her laugh more than she could express.
"You know, if I weren't going to hire you, you could always play hoops." Kevin scribbled something at the bottom of her application.
"You're going to hire me then?"
"When can you start?"
"When do you want me?"
His head snapped up, and he locked a gaze on her that roiled with emotion, simmered with something piercing and hot. Quivery sensations she didn't recognize tumbled inside her, snagging her breath and curling low in her stomach.
Kevin swallowed hard then looked quickly away, muttering something that sounded like ribbit .
"Pardon?"
"Be here first thing in the morning. Okay?" His voice sounded thick and husky.
"I will." She stood on suddenly rubbery legs and stepped toward the door. What was that undercurrent that passed between them just now? Or had she imagined that crackling energy that hung in the air? And after the callous way Blaine had used her, why was she so much as looking at another man?
Hiking her purse strap onto her shoulder, she thanked Kevin for his
"And you are starting at Harrison University this fall to earn your Masters in Modern American Lit."
"Mr. Fuller—"
"Kevin...please."
She shook her head. "I don't understand."
"What's to understand? I need a cashier. You need a job. You may be overqualified, but I'm willing to give it a shot if you are."
"Overqualified?" She stared at him, her jaw slack. She'd thought her lack of work experience made her under qualified. Her father had certainly convinced her she didn't have what it took to make it in the real world.
Kevin scoffed, a spark lighting his eyes. "Hello? Duke University? Dean's list? That's quite an achievement." He cocked his head again. "So why did you transfer to Harrison? We're small potatoes next to Duke."
"I've always wanted to go to Harrison, ever since I was a little girl. My grandmother taught there for years. I used to visit her on summer break and sit at the back of her classroom while she lectured on Shakespeare and Dante and Chaucer. During those summers as a kid, I fell in love with literature and Harrison University, and I never outgrew either love. I'd have started here as a freshman if my father hadn't—"
She caught herself before she launched into a diatribe about how her father had nixed her wishes concerning which college she attended. How could she have been so acquiescent about something so important to her? Her chest tightened with a flash of disgust.
Kevin rocked back in his chair, his expression telling her he was still unconvinced. "But Grayson is a pretty small town. That alone would be a turn off to most people."
She lowered herself back onto her chair and grinned. "That's why I love it. The people here say hello to you on the street, and the scenery is homey and beautiful. The old houses on Elm Street are so enchanting, so inviting. You have picnics and parades, and you don't have to lock your doors at night. Besides, my memories of Nana are here." She sighed deeply. "I love this little town. When I left home, coming here just felt...right. Meant to be."
The corner of Kevin's mouth curled up. "Can't argue with that."
His engaging grin spread a comforting warmth inside her and brought a smile to her lips as well. She wiped her nose again on her crumpled tissue and shot it at the trashcan.
As the tissue arced through the air, Kevin made a loud humming noise that startled Claire. "Yes, she got the shot off before the buzzer. The bucket counts! The home team wins."
He cupped his hands around his mouth and imitated the sound of a roaring crowd.
The chuckle that rose from deep inside her felt odd, felt wrong. Her father generally frowned upon silliness as unbecoming a lady of her breeding.
But when Kevin looked at her with a mischievous light in his chocolate eyes and flashed a crooked smile, she discarded all thoughts of decorum. Laughing felt good. She appreciated his efforts to put her at ease and make her laugh more than she could express.
"You know, if I weren't going to hire you, you could always play hoops." Kevin scribbled something at the bottom of her application.
"You're going to hire me then?"
"When can you start?"
"When do you want me?"
His head snapped up, and he locked a gaze on her that roiled with emotion, simmered with something piercing and hot. Quivery sensations she didn't recognize tumbled inside her, snagging her breath and curling low in her stomach.
Kevin swallowed hard then looked quickly away, muttering something that sounded like ribbit .
"Pardon?"
"Be here first thing in the morning. Okay?" His voice sounded thick and husky.
"I will." She stood on suddenly rubbery legs and stepped toward the door. What was that undercurrent that passed between them just now? Or had she imagined that crackling energy that hung in the air? And after the callous way Blaine had used her, why was she so much as looking at another man?
Hiking her purse strap onto her shoulder, she thanked Kevin for his
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