The Haunted_Edit Copy 4-9-17 final final 5 Upload

Chapter Thirteen
I tried really hard not to smother Tucker. Really, I did my
best to focus on serving customers their ten dollar stale butterdrenched
popcorn all day. When Jake asked if I wanted a break, even
I decided against it so I wouldn’t be tempted to send him a text.
But when my shift ended and I realized I had just enough
time to shoot over to The End Shelf before it closed, my resilience
cracked. I was pulling up to the curb in front of the little bookstore
before the two little characters on my shoulders had even appeared.
The little bell tinkled as I opened the door and stepped into
the heavy, musty air of the bookstore. Normally, the atmosphere was
comforting and steady. This time, it made me stiffen instinctively.
Would Tucker be the same, just as the bookstore was? Or would he
be strange and unfamiliar, like he was last night?
I found him behind the counter, as always. Instead of a book
in his lap, he had a notebook that he was scribbling in. His head was
bent as his pen worked across the paper. All I could see was his
beautiful dark hair and the white letters across his black t-shirt that
read, “By the way, I took care of that thing for ya.”
“Hey,” I greeted him, aware of the hopeful tone in my voice.
Tucker’s head jerked up as if I’d screamed in his ear. When
his eyes fell on me, though, he immediately appeared to calm down
and a smile spread across his face. “Of all the bookstores, in all the
towns, in all the world, she walks into mine.”
Instantly my nerves went slack as I relaxed. This was the
Tucker I had hoped to find. The one that wore movie quotes on his
lips and his clothes and smiled like me walking in was the best thing
that happened all day. “How are you doing?” I asked, my own smile
stretching to match his.
“Better,” he answered. “A lot better, actually.” He closed his
notebook and slid it into a compartment beneath the counter. “How
about you? You seemed rattled last night.”
“I’m fine if you’re fine.” I leaned against the nearest shelf.
“I was just worried about you.”
139