Beauty and the Brit -Chapter 2 (Patreon)

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-Britt xoxoxo

CHAPTER TWO: LIFE IN 'THE VILLAGE'

Paige unhooked the lock from her purple bicycle with the curved handlebars; her pride and joy. She wrapped it around the shaft of the body and mounted the bike; seating herself on the wide seat. A co-worker had once teased her and told her she should put a wicker basket on the front to complete the look but she simply stuck out her tongue and rolled away.

Making sure her helmet was in place, she pedaled away for work. It was soon apparent that yesterday’s work around their new house had taken a lot more muscle work than she’d thought. She had a dull ache in her arms and legs before she’d even reached halfway to the bookstore. She then arrived some five minutes later than she normally did which gave her only five minutes or so before her shift would start.

Luckily, this was a mid-shift meaning she neither had to close or open the store and she would be able to take it easy for the most part. Most days she didn’t mind the responsibilities of her job as co-manager and co-owner of Quiet Village Books but after a long day the day previous, it would be nice to relax body and mind a bit.

Once she had secured her bike and was seated in the office, she took a seat and sighed. Paige was truly excited for Rae to finally be here in town with her and for them to finally have a place together. Sure their house looked like it was in shambles now but with work (and time and money) it would be completely gorgeous; like something out of a book.

She had moved out here a year beforehand for the opportunity to gain experience as an intern to the head librarian of the town. But she soon found a love within her part-time position as an associate at the bookstore. She grew close to the owner Cornelia O’Dair who admired her passion and love for books and for the store itself. She soon found herself in a position of assistant manager of the place and shortly after the two had been in talks for her to eventually take the place over. With taking a little from each paycheck out of her salary, Paige was on her way to owning Quiet Village and now some few months later she was co-owner and co-manager. It felt good to be trusted and appreciated in that way at the age of twenty two not to mention finding herself in something that just felt like ‘home’. And when the whole librarian thing just wasn’t panning out as she’d thought it would, Paige was happy to give that up in exchange for this new position and new life at the bookstore.

When Rae had confessed that she had applied and won a spot as an ‘Artist in Residence’ in the town (after an extensive art degree taken at various locations and universities across state lines) Paige was more than happy to invite her to come move into a new place with her. Paige needed to move out of her lousy apartment anyway. The rent kept going up and the condition of the place kept deteriorating. She couldn’t afford to live there anymore –not to mention the crappy neighbours if nothing else. 

So it just seemed like fate when the two had found Redford Manor which was within budget and so much bigger than either of them had expected to find for their price range. Granted, the property was in disrepair and wasn’t the best on the eyes but that was what hard work was for! Hard work and a slow and steady amount of funds… They’d work on that though. Once Rae was settled in and started getting her salary from the Residence –and from sales of a pop-up art gallery she’d be putting up in a couple of months’ time then they’d truly be able to start properly renovating and upgrading their space.

Until then it was Paige with her steady job here at Quiet Village who would be relied upon to cover any immediate and necessary costs for anything relating to the house. She didn’t mind though. She somehow felt that although Redford Manor looked a mess, it was going to be a blessing in disguise to them.

If houses could talk…

Paige laughed at herself as she went out onto the floor. She really had to stop reading so much fantasy; it was messing with her perception of reality!

When Paige had only a half hour left on her shift, suddenly that hour felt like it would be an entire lifetime. She was shelving some book returns and humming to herself when she heard a booming voice in the direction of the front counter. She paused and listened; heart pounding. But whoever it had been had stopped talking. She waited a moment longer and when nothing happened, she went back to her work praying that she had just been overreacting.

“Paige?” Violet, the other associate working with her that afternoon, had approached her from the left; the direction of where the front counter was. “Um, there’s… someone here asking for you.”

Paige almost dropped her books. “Oh, um, is he tall, broad shouldered with dark somewhat curly hair and a long face?”

Violet stepped forward and whispered conspiratorially, “Yeah and chiseled cheekbones like an Adonis.”

Paige felt her heart sink in her chest. “Did you tell him I was here?”

“Yeah.”

She cussed internally. She felt her heart pounding in her ears. “Uh well I’m busy right now so if you could just help him…”

Violet frowned. “You have two books left to put away.”

“Yes but… There’s some paperwork I still have to finish with in the back office,” Paige lied. “I’m really sorry but you’re just as capable as I am to help him with whatever he wants,” she added.

“Oh my God do you have a crush on him?! Is that why you’re acting so nervous?!”

“Shh!” she hushed her co-worker, “No! I don’t!”

Violet smiled knowingly. “It’s okay I’ll keep your secret. And I don’t blame you either he’s like a fricken ‘male model fallen from heaven by God’!” she giggled softly.

“That’s why he’s all yours,” Paige told her quietly, “I really can’t talk to him right now!”

“Whatever you saaaay…” Violet teased as she skipped away.

Paige felt horrified. Taking the two books and placing them on the nearest shelf (where they didn’t belong), she headed to her right and attempted to get herself quickly and quietly to the back room without being seen. But it didn’t exactly work.

“Paige! Oh Paige glad I caught you!”

She froze; knowing she was caught. There was no way she could pretend not to have heard him. He was standing just feet away too; no avoiding it. She turned slowly to face the person who owned that voice. “Hello Hugh,” she greeted quietly; a fake smile coming onto her face. She felt terribly uncomfortable and awkward. “Um… what are you—?”

“Doing here? Oh I was in the neighbourhood and I thought I’d pop in and see you and hear it from your own mouth on why you moved away,” he explained as he leaned against a table display of books.

She took a breath. “Well it was time to move on,” she murmured. Not that it was any of his business…

“Oh come on don’t spout me that…that…existent…that bullcrap!” he exclaimed; trying to go for a deeper word but failing miserably.

She shrugged and shook her head a little; having no other explanation to provide him.

“Well it’s gonna be not the same with you gone from the building,” he stated, “We’ll probably just have to end up going down to The Tavern sometime or something and catching up.”

She grimaced internally. “I’m busy a lot,” she murmured. She suspected he wouldn’t take ‘no’ for an answer though, even if she had been able to manage a better formed argument than the one she’d just weakly presented to him.

Either he really hadn’t heard her answer or he was cocky enough to think that whatever it was had been a ‘yes’ but he had already put his attention onto something else. “I still don’t understand how people can like these sorts of things especially the ones that are long as hell! I mean no pictures even!? How’s that any good?”

“Some people don’t need others to draw them the scene; their heads can do that for them,” she replied evenly.

“I admire you for trying but honestly it just seems like a waste of time when there are so many good movies that can tell you the exact same story in less than two hours!” he exclaimed boisterously. “You should really just put your support in running a movie store.”

She rolled her eyes with a look of agony on her face when he wasn’t looking. “Uh sorry I should go; I’ve got a lot of paperwork to do in the back. If you need anything, Violet will be happy to help you,” Paige told him quickly as she attempted to leave the situation as quickly as possible.

“Pay! It was great to see you again babe. You should come ‘round the apartment sometime again soon!” he called out after her.

She went straight into the office and closed the door then let out a huge groan. So this is how things were going to go, were they? It was bad enough getting it at the old apartment but now coming to her work!? She wanted to die.

Paige sat down at the desk wondering what she could do for the next little bit while she waited for him to leave the store. She sighed and watched on the security footage feed as Hugh walked back up to the counter to talk to Violet. He was flirting, no doubt and she saw that Violet was eating it all up. 

After a quarter of an hour, Paige was growing tired and impatient. By the next quarter of an hour, she was disgusted and fed up. She didn’t blame Violet much for keeping her attentions on Hugh; the way she was staring at him like he was the earth and sun and the way that he was pretending to take interest in the books and displays around them. Paige would have a word with Violet later. The girl was newer after all and didn’t know about Paige’s distaste for this horrid guy.

Paige decided to be the one to keep an eye on the store now via the cameras since Violet was too preoccupied. Luckily not many people were coming in and most didn’t bother to even take anything off the shelf. She recognized a few as being idlers who simply just wanted to take some time up in their day before heading off to their next destination. But when it appeared that Violet was ignoring one or two who looked like they might have questions, Paige knew she had to take action. She called the front desk. Violet didn’t pick up. Paige sighed. She had two choices: go out there and risk seeing Hugh again or stay in here and neglect her job for the fact that her co-worker was doing the same.

Luckily the choice was made for her when Violet quickly rang up the purchases of one of the customers who looked like they’d been waiting. Paige felt relief flood over her. Maybe Violet wasn’t so bad after all.

Since she had fifteen minutes left on her shift (and Hugh was still there), Paige pulled out a book to read knowing that Violet wouldn’t neglect her job completely. She read for twenty minutes and when she looked up at the time she felt her heart soar. But it sank right back heavily into her chest when she saw the image on the cameras showing Hugh and Violet standing near a display at the entrance of the store. “Seriously?! Come on!” she complained unhappily. If she tried to leave now, she’d have to go right past him and he’d definitely try and follow her home to see where she now lived. She didn’t want or need that. So she’d just have to wait.

That wait turned into another fifteen minutes. Whatever it was that Hugh was talking about he was obviously stalling in hopes to see Paige again. But at last he now gave up and left the store. Paige gathered her things to give him some time to get out of the area before she pulled out her bike and walked through the store.

She was finally going home.