stairs led up to the stockroom
and the toilets. Julia’s boss went into the room to get her a black
T-shirt with the store logo, which she put on over her own tank
top. Once they got back down to the first floor, Martin showed her
which categories of books were shelved on the first and second
floors of Höllrigl, after which she was more or less good to
go.
“Why don’t
you grab some coffee? ” he suggested. “The
store opens in a few minutes, and I’ll ask one of your colleagues
to introduce you to the rest of the team and explain to you how the
cash register works so you can man that position in the afternoon.
Is that okay?”
“Sounds
cool.” Julia couldn’t help but grin like
an idiot as she looked around at all the books in the store. This
was a dream come true – she was having a
Beauty-in-the-Beast’s-library moment. Martin had told her she was
entitled to a pretty good discount on all in-store purchases. Axel
would cry with joy when she told him the news. Whistling
cheerfully, she walked up the stairs again to get some tea. When
she returned, Höllrigl was open for business and she bumped into
another girl in a company T-shirt going up the stairs.
“Hi,” the girl said, extending her hand. “You must be
the new one.”
Julia shook the girl’s hand. “Julia. The new
one,” she said ceremoniously.
“Donna,” the girl replied. “The
old-timer.” They both laughed.
“I’m on my
way to the checkout,” Julia said. “I need
some lessons before being thrown to the wolves. Talk
to you later?”
“Absolutely!” Donna beamed at her and continued up the
stairs.
Julia hummed
happily to herself as she made her way to the front of the store.
She was such a lucky bastard for finding this job! The work seemed
easy enough, her boss was a nice guy, her colleagues were friendly
and the pay wasn’t bad either – not to mention the discount Martin
had promised her. What else could she wish for?
“Ah, there
you are.” Martin popped up from behind a towering pile of
bestsellers. “Please come with me. ”
Julia trailed
behind him as she walked over to the cash
register, looking left and right to catch a glimpse of her other
colleagues.
“Kolbe!” her
brand-new boss shouted toward the entrance. “Come and help me out,
will you?”
Julia stopped
dead, frozen in her tracks. Was she going deaf, or had Martin just
said… Her heart hammered ridiculously fast as her eyes zoomed in on
the front door.
“He’ll
c ome and help you at the register.”
Martin’s voice sounded as though it was coming from far away. He
left her standing there, rooted to the spot.
Julia tried
to snap out of her paralysis and stumbled the final few steps to
the counter. Her breath hitched when she saw an all-too-familiar
figure walking in her direction. She swallowed. But
surely it couldn’t be. Oh
God, no. No, no, no. This was not happening.
And then, she couldn’t look anywhere else but
up, straight into two eyes green as the forest.
6 .
“W hat on earth are you doing
here?” Julia stared at him in alarm.
“I work
here,” he replied unfazed, a half-smile tugging at his
lips.
“Since when?”
It was simply not possible that she, in her unfailing stalker
mode, had somehow missed this: Michael holding a job at the same
bookstore she’d applied to two days ago.
“Since last week.”
His smug
composure quickly turned her initial befuddlement into outright
infuriation.
“Why?” she demanded fractiously.
He raised an
eyebrow. “To earn some extra cash?” he
declared in an ‘isn’t-that-really-obvious’ tone.
“But
why here ?”
Michael
started to chuckle. “Why are you giving me the third
degree?”
“Are you
following me or something?” she grumbled,
her heart treacherously leaping in her chest for a moment as she
considered the possibility.
“Well, I’m sorry to burst your bubble here, but I think
it’s the other way around. First, you turn up at the pub I always
hang out at on weeknights,
and the toilets. Julia’s boss went into the room to get her a black
T-shirt with the store logo, which she put on over her own tank
top. Once they got back down to the first floor, Martin showed her
which categories of books were shelved on the first and second
floors of Höllrigl, after which she was more or less good to
go.
“Why don’t
you grab some coffee? ” he suggested. “The
store opens in a few minutes, and I’ll ask one of your colleagues
to introduce you to the rest of the team and explain to you how the
cash register works so you can man that position in the afternoon.
Is that okay?”
“Sounds
cool.” Julia couldn’t help but grin like
an idiot as she looked around at all the books in the store. This
was a dream come true – she was having a
Beauty-in-the-Beast’s-library moment. Martin had told her she was
entitled to a pretty good discount on all in-store purchases. Axel
would cry with joy when she told him the news. Whistling
cheerfully, she walked up the stairs again to get some tea. When
she returned, Höllrigl was open for business and she bumped into
another girl in a company T-shirt going up the stairs.
“Hi,” the girl said, extending her hand. “You must be
the new one.”
Julia shook the girl’s hand. “Julia. The new
one,” she said ceremoniously.
“Donna,” the girl replied. “The
old-timer.” They both laughed.
“I’m on my
way to the checkout,” Julia said. “I need
some lessons before being thrown to the wolves. Talk
to you later?”
“Absolutely!” Donna beamed at her and continued up the
stairs.
Julia hummed
happily to herself as she made her way to the front of the store.
She was such a lucky bastard for finding this job! The work seemed
easy enough, her boss was a nice guy, her colleagues were friendly
and the pay wasn’t bad either – not to mention the discount Martin
had promised her. What else could she wish for?
“Ah, there
you are.” Martin popped up from behind a towering pile of
bestsellers. “Please come with me. ”
Julia trailed
behind him as she walked over to the cash
register, looking left and right to catch a glimpse of her other
colleagues.
“Kolbe!” her
brand-new boss shouted toward the entrance. “Come and help me out,
will you?”
Julia stopped
dead, frozen in her tracks. Was she going deaf, or had Martin just
said… Her heart hammered ridiculously fast as her eyes zoomed in on
the front door.
“He’ll
c ome and help you at the register.”
Martin’s voice sounded as though it was coming from far away. He
left her standing there, rooted to the spot.
Julia tried
to snap out of her paralysis and stumbled the final few steps to
the counter. Her breath hitched when she saw an all-too-familiar
figure walking in her direction. She swallowed. But
surely it couldn’t be. Oh
God, no. No, no, no. This was not happening.
And then, she couldn’t look anywhere else but
up, straight into two eyes green as the forest.
6 .
“W hat on earth are you doing
here?” Julia stared at him in alarm.
“I work
here,” he replied unfazed, a half-smile tugging at his
lips.
“Since when?”
It was simply not possible that she, in her unfailing stalker
mode, had somehow missed this: Michael holding a job at the same
bookstore she’d applied to two days ago.
“Since last week.”
His smug
composure quickly turned her initial befuddlement into outright
infuriation.
“Why?” she demanded fractiously.
He raised an
eyebrow. “To earn some extra cash?” he
declared in an ‘isn’t-that-really-obvious’ tone.
“But
why here ?”
Michael
started to chuckle. “Why are you giving me the third
degree?”
“Are you
following me or something?” she grumbled,
her heart treacherously leaping in her chest for a moment as she
considered the possibility.
“Well, I’m sorry to burst your bubble here, but I think
it’s the other way around. First, you turn up at the pub I always
hang out at on weeknights,
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