Chapter 31

When the other line clicked and the music stopped, Spring perked up. She nodded as she listened to
what her sister store rep told her. Hanging up the phone, Spring relayed what she found out but added
her little touch of sugar...to make this woman's day a little brighter.

"The shoes are there and available. What I can do is have you pay for them here, that way I can offer
you a special discount for your trouble."

That perked the woman up.

"What kind of discount?" Her eyes seemed hopeful.

Spring smiled a genuine smile then. "Well...because you are our first customer on Fun-day
Friday...which is rare, you get half off and...," Spring glanced down at the girl, "a pair of free yellow hair
bows to wear with your tutu."

"Really?" the woman seemed confused.

Pria, her daughter was all hops and giggles as she ran to the hair bows Spring saw her looking at
earlier.

"Yup." Spring shrugged, "But if you'd rather pay full price..."

"No," the woman rushed to say. She pulled out her wallet, her confusion still showing through her eyes.
She apprehensively handed over a debit card.

After ringing up the woman for just the tutu, Spring swiped the card and handed it back. She then rang
up the ballet shoes as a pickup order, quickly swiped her own card and told the woman it was a
discount card, then gave the woman the receipt. "Give the receipt to the cashier and have a great day!"



"Thank you..." The woman seemed as if she was going to say something else but she just took her
receipt and smiled.

"Thank you, pretty lady," the girl said with a big grin. She took the bag off the counter then took her
mother's hand.

"You're welcome, princess." After the two left the store, Spring walked over to the hair bows, picked up
an exact replica of the yellow bows she placed in the girl's bag and took it the register. She rang it up
and paid for it with her own debit.

"Between you buying Charlie lunch daily and doing stuff like that," Sammy said as she took the bows
from her hand, "I'm surprised you haven't asked to crash on my couch. Or do you have some kind of
'arrangement' with your landlord?" She placed the bows back on the display.

"Let's just say that I have an arrangement with my landlord," Spring said as she closed the register.
She placed her receipt in her pocket then leaned her hip on the counter and picked up the magazine
she had hidden under the counter.

Technically, she did have an "arrangement". Summer paid for rent and all utilities and Spring did the
grocery shopping, which wasn't too expensive because they both ate like birds. A symptom of their
upbringing, she figured.

Would she share that arrangement with Sammy? Nope. Her coworker was one of the nosiest people
on the planet. Spring often wondered if she sold all the information she acquired to companies. An
image of Sammy in a back alley whispering that her neighbor liked BDSM, to a reporter for a television
network that ran ads for butt balm, flashed in her head. She let out a little giggle then reread the third
paragraph in the article again.

"Oh my God, Spring!"



The magazine Spring held in her hands shook and she had to fumble to keep hold of it before it hit the
floor. When she stood up, glaring daggers at the back of Sammy's head, she realized her coworker
was looking out of the wide window at a man...

(Dezmond?)

Spring hadn't seen or spoken to him since the Ball a few nights ago.

"What is HE doing around here? You know who that is...that's Dezmond Rey, the author. He is
awesome and dreamy but I think he's gay. Never see him with a woman...just some even hotter black
guy." Sammy swung her arm haphazardly at Spring again, not concerned of what she hit.

The counter display wobbled but Spring was able to steady it as she glanced out of the window.

"He's coming this way," Sammy screeched. "Yup," she whispered, "he gay. As happy as a punk in Boys
Town."

"What in the world are you talking about"

"You never heard that before...happier than a punk in Boystown? Basically, it means that he's gay. I
mean, what other reason would a famous author be heading for a Pay Source shoe store here in the
Cross Keys shopping strip?" Sammy giggled. "He must not want his fans to see him shoe shopping."

Spring tried not to channel the Summer side of herself. That spunky "put a bitch in her place" side.
Instead, she waited. When door chime rang out, Spring walked over toward Dez. He must have seen
something in her eyes because he froze just inside the doorway. His brows furrowed as she stepped
into him but relaxed when she slid her hand up his chest and around his neck. She gave his head a
gentle pull toward her and locked her lips on his.


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