Chapter 3

When Maya woke up and saw World Loser's message about waiting to meet, she was more relieved than disappointed. Not that she didn't want to meet her favorite online friend. . . she just wasn't sure she was ready for reality because what they shared was so good.

She typed a reply and pressed send before going to get ready for her day. She needed to go into Golden Retriever Books for more training with Josh. She was dreading it, sure the boy was cute but there wasn't anything she liked about him. He was haughty and definitely Joe Fox's special pet. The prince of the store, even.

Isadora Smackle, the resident gossip, had even said something about Josh taking over the shop one day. An heir surrogate since the couple hadn't been able to have any children of their own to take over the family business.

Maya couldn't figure out for the life of her why Josh didn't like her. It wasn't like she was vying for his position in the company she had only just joined the staff. There was no way at all she was a threat to him. She was just looking to make a paycheck without having to wait tables.

She'd been there already and she had hated it. She was hoping bookstore customers would be nicer and even if they weren't, at least she got to be around one of her passions every day. And she liked the rest of the people she worked with. They all made up for what Josh was lacking, especially his niece.'

When she had met Riley, it felt like they were supposed to be best friends.

She knotted her plaid tie and pulled her hair up into a messy bun on the top of her head. She glanced at her phone and cursed, she was going to be late. She couldn't imagine how he would react to that.

.

"Miss Hart, I assume you'll be on time tomorrow," Josh said as she hurried into the bookstore and threw her bag behind the counter.

"I overslept," Maya answered. "I was up late working on homework."

"Yes but we're all in college too and we still manage to be here on time. Even when we're up late working on assignments we probably should have had done a week ago."

Maya's mouth dropped open. "Excuse you! Don't make assumptions about me, you-"

"Try and get along you two," Joe interrupted as he breezed through the door. "You can argue on your own time but while you're on the clock, you're family. Whether you like it not. Joshua, could we go and talk about the orders we have to place this week?"

"Sure, Mr. Fox."

"Don't worry about my uncle," Riley said as she finished setting up the new summer vacation book display. "He's just feeling threatened. He'll come around eventually and the two of you will be the best of friends. I just have this feeling."

"It's really okay if he doesn't like me," Maya assured her.

Riley was about to answer when the bell above the door rang and a tall, sandy-haired young man come in.

"Hey Riles, you forgot your lunch," he said.

"Oh. Thank you Lucas," Riley answered, taking the Lisa Frank print bag from him and giving him a kiss on the cheek. "Maya, this is my boyfriend. Lucas, this is Maya. My new co-worker."

"Pleased to meet you," Lucas replied, smiling.

"Nice to meet you," Maya echoed.

"I've got to run," Lucas told Riley. "Charlie asked me to take over his shift delivering pizza, Missy's about to deliver any day now and he wants to be there for her."

Riley nodded. "Okay. Thanks for bringing my lunch, I know it was out of your way."

"It was no problem!" Lucas assured her. "Anything for my favorite girl!"

When he had left, Maya raised an eyebrow at Riley.

"What?"

"That's the guy whose proposal you have to consider?"

Riley's eyes widened. "I see Isadora has gotten you caught up on all of the gossip around here."

"So, why not marry him?" Maya asked as she kicked a beach ball out of the way and started to help Riley shelve a series of novels based in Nantucket.

"Stop acting like you've known me since we were 7," Riley said.

Maya smirked and continued to arrange the books in a way that would catch an Upper East Sider's eye when she came into pick up something to read on her weekend trip to the Hamptons.

"Is there any particular reason you don't want to be married to him? I saw the way he was looking at you, he's got it bad."

"I've already been through this before," Riley answered.

"You haven't told me why though," Maya said. "Maybe I could give you a new perspective on it."

"We've known each other since we were 13, for me there hasn't been anybody else and I'm okay with that. It's just. . . what I'd be giving up if we got married right now. My mother gave up Yale for my father. I don't she regretted it but I'm not my mother, what if I regret giving up what I want to do for Lucas?"

"So, you want to go to Yale?"

"That's not what I mean! I want to go to Paris. I want to study photography or maybe be the next Julia Child."

"You know Julia Child's husband, Paul Child, didn't stand in the way of anything she wanted to do. He encouraged her to pursue her dreams and be whatever she wanted to be. If you're okay with him being the only one for you, take him with you. It's the 21st century. Boys make sacrifices for girls all the time."

Riley still looked a little doubtful.

"Riley, if you're not saying no because of Paris, you might have to reevaluate," Kathleen Kelly-Fox said, coming into the bookstore.

"Everybody keeps telling me that," Riley grumbled.

"The display looks lovely," Kathleen told her. "And if it's really that big a deal, book your trip to Paris and think about it there. I guarantee you that it won't be as beautiful alone as it would be without your young man."

"Young man," Maya snorted. "What is this Shop Around the Corner?"

"What about you Maya? Do you have anybody special in your life?"

Maya laughed. "Four college professors, all remarkably white-haired and well-rounded which is code for overweight."

"Come on, a pretty girl like you. I'm sure there's somebody," Kathleen said as she bent down and picked up a stack of Elin Hilderbrand's.

"There never has been anybody for me. Well, actually there might be somebody but we haven't exactly met. . ." Maya answered, getting a faraway look in her eyes. "He's somebody I met online. We talk about books."

Kathleen smiled. "I know the story."

"That's funny. . ." Riley trailed off, shaking her head. "Never mind. I'm going to see if Scholastic books have the forms for the summer reading program."

"Such a ray of sunshine," Kathleen commented. "I hope she makes the right decision. Anyways, I just came to see Joe before I run to a meeting with my publisher. We're talking about a new book. A novel for adults actually, I can't tell you details though."

"Joe and Josh are busy ordering more books," Maya told her.

Kathleen beamed. "Thank you Maya."

A few seconds later, Josh came back out onto the floor. "Where's Riley?" he asked.

"Ordering forms for the summer reading program," Maya answered.

"I trust you have work to do," Josh said.

"Why are you so upset, Boing? Trouble in paradise?"

"This is a place of work, Miss Hart. You don't get to call me cutesy little names like Boing," Josh told her. "And also, we're not friends. You don't get to ask if I'm having 'trouble in paradise'. Save it for cocktail night with the girls."

"I'm sorry Mr. Matthews," Maya replied playfully. "Why do you call me Miss Hart anyways? This isn't some period drama where you have to call me miss. You call everybody else by their first name including Joe and Kathleen and they employ you."

Josh sighed. "Please just go and do something productive with your time like you're being paid to do and stop bothering me."

"You can help me," Riley suggested, emerging from behind the counter. "Storytime isn't until tomorrow but Kathleen likes to make sure everything is ready for it the day before. You can run across the street to the bakery and place the cookie order for the snack afterwards. Make sure you get gluten-free, nut-free and dairy-free options too. We have a couple kids with Celiac disease and a few more with hipster parents."

"Maybe you should write this down," Josh quipped.

"Please, I can remember a couple of cookie orders!" Maya retorted, glaring at him.

Josh shrugged. "Okay but remember it's on you if you mess up."

.

Maya typed a message to World Loser while she was standing in line at the bakery.

LivingInStars: Some people are SO terrible!

A few seconds later, his reply came back.

World_Loser: Trust me, *I* know!

TBC. . .

.

Author's Note:

I am sorry this is a day late. I've had a bunch going on in my life, family issues not included. I have a first draft of a Stranger Things fanfiction due on the 15th and other than that, I just feel like I've been drifting aimlessly along.

ANYWAYS. I hope you liked this, there's more to come.

Until Next Time!

Love,

Holly, 3/11/2017