Bayley exchanged a speculative look with Finn before gently clearing her throat. "Seth? Is everything okay?"

Startled, Seth looked at her. The three of them were standing at the front counter of the bookstore discussing the best way to display the new arrivals, one of which was the next to last installment of his fantasy series. Finn had been enthusiastically explaining some of the plot to Bayley, and Seth had found his thoughts wandering.

"You seem preoccupied," Bayley explained. "We can figure this out later if you need to take care of something else."

Seth shook his head in embarrassment. "No, no, I…" He took a deep sigh. "I…I asked a young lady out to dinner tonight, and I guess I'm just starting to get nervous. It's been a while since I took someone out that was more than just a dinner after business type of thing, you know?"

Finn hid a grin as Bayley nodded, her "mothering instincts" evident to him from her serious facial expressions.

"I mean, I should've asked her what she likes to eat," Seth nervously babbled. "I don't even know if she'd like to go somewhere upscale or stick with casual or…"

"You could call her," Bayley gently suggested. "Ask her for a suggestion."

Seth stopped in mid-babble, then quickly nodded. "Yeah…yeah…that's a good idea, Bayley."

"Just be yourself," Finn advised. He gave Bayley a wicked grin. "You'd be surprised how well that works."

Seth was surprised to see Bayley's face begin to redden. He waved a forefinger between the two. "You guys are dating?"

Bayley covered her face as Finn threw an arm around her shoulders. "Ever since I got my head out of my arse and asked her out," he proudly admitted.

Seth wrapped his arms around both of them. "That's awesome. No wonder the two of you have been walking around looking like you just won the lottery!"

Bayley lowered her hands and laughed. "We did," she pointed out.

Seth gave them another hug then stepped back. "I'm happy for the both of you," he quietly spoke.

"Call her," Bayley urged. "She's probably starting to worry about how she should dress for dinner."

"Good point," Seth admitted. "Should I bring flowers?"

"Yes."

"No."

Seth looked from one to the other.

"She might be allergic," Bayley explained.

"She has a ficus plant," Seth replied.

"Doesn't mean she's not allergic to some flowers."

"One single rose," Finn disagreed. "Simple. Elegant."

Bayley shook her head. "That works better on a special date. Like an anniversary of the first date."

Finn gave her another wicked grin. "That's when you start pulling out the big guns."

Seth managed not to snicker when Bayley's dark eyes widened in speculation. "Do you guys believe in love at first sight?" he suddenly asked.

"Yes."

"Yes."

Seth looked from one to the other as Finn and Bayley looked at each other in surprise. "Uh-huh…okay, well then…"

Their conversation was halted when the front door opened.

"I'm sorry. Am I interrupting?"

Seth couldn't help but grin at Bayley's second embarrassed expression of the morning and Finn's chuckle. "Not at all, Mr. Cesaro. You got my message? I apologize about not finding the book you wanted."

Cesaro closed the door behind him and nodded. "Your uncle explained how difficult it could be to find. But I'd appreciate if you could keep an eye out for it just in case." His dark eyes twinkled. "Everyone should have a windmill for tilting."

Seth chuckled and nodded.

"In the meantime, could you also look for an early edition of MacBeth? The earlier the better. It's next on my list to complete my collection of Shakespeare's works," Cesaro requested. "And Candide as well. That's just for my personal enjoyment."

"Of course." Seth moved to behind the counter and pulled out the ledger of books he was researching for customers.

Cesaro joined him, then smiled as he picked up one of the copies of R. S. Gyxx's new book. "I didn't know this had been released."

Seth nodded. "Officially goes on sale today," he explained. "You're a fan?"

Cesaro shook his head. "Not my style," he admitted. "But my associate is a huge fan. So, I'll buy a copy for him." He glanced over his shoulder at the car parked in front of the bookstore. "Perhaps it'll appease him for having to be up and around this early in the morning," he ruefully chuckled.

xxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxx

"Thanks for calling earlier. I wasn't sure what to wear." Nikki glanced around the small family-owned Italian restaurant with approval.

Seth made a mental note to bring Bayley a smoothie the next morning as a thank-you for her suggestion. "Thank you for the suggestion of where to have dinner. I guess I haven't been out much since I got back to Davenport," he admitted.

"You've been busy," Nikki protested. "Running a business. Getting two new businesses going. And a death in the family." Her green eyes widened in alarm. "Oh, I'm sorry! I shouldn't have said that!" She smacked her palm against her forehead. "Silly, Nikki! Silly!"

Seth quickly reassured her with a smile. "It's okay. No harm done."

Nikki relaxed and smiled back at him. She was pleased that Mitch had approved of Seth asking her to pick the restaurant. And he'd come to the door like a proper gentleman when picking her up for dinner. "Sometimes words just come out of my mouth before I know what I'm saying," she admitted.

"I think those can be the most honest words," Seth pointed out.

Nikki paused then slowly nodded. "Sometimes," she agreed. "But not exactly tactful. Mitch reminded me about that."

"Mitch appears to be very wise to be so young," Seth commented.

"He's an old soul," Nikki nodded, giving him a serious look. "Not many people understand. The boss, Zach, and Brian understand, but they've been around him for a while."

Seth nodded. "I've been thinking about getting a dog," he admitted. "I've always wanted one, but my uncle wouldn't allow it. Then I was at college and since then been moving around. Just never seemed like a good idea." His tapped a finger against his water glass. "But it seems like I'm settling down here so…"

"Just take your time," Nikki advised. "Too many people rush into getting a pet then realize they like the idea of having a pet rather more than liking the pet."

Seth grinned and raised his water glass in a salute. "Slow is good when deciding to get a pet," he agreed. 'But not for everything.'

xxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxx

Randy frowned at the cell phone in his hand then cursed under his breath. One of his contacts was calling him and interrupting his enjoyment of a nice steak dinner. He sighed as he answered the call, knowing the man would keep calling until he answered. "This had been be good," he warned, softly speaking into the phone. He heard a chuckle then a quiet reply.

"It will be."

Randy's blue eyes automatically flickered around the crowded steakhouse dining room. "Who is this?" he demanded, noting the voice was obviously disguised. "And how did you get that phone?"

"Who I am isn't important right now. And I got this phone because your…associate?...well, he had a little too much to drink. You might want to take that up with him."

'Oh, I'll sure as hell do that. As well as why my name is in that phone!' Randy forced himself to relax. "Is there a reason for this call?"

"Of course. Our association can be mutually beneficial or this could be the last time we talk. I can give you a great deal of inside information about your competition. Information that could put your competition out of business completely. In return, you provide me with a great deal of money."

"The competition isn't going to go away that easily," Randy pointed out. "And would, of course, seek retribution on the person who provided any such information." He heard an amused chuckle.

"Retribution only occurs if someone is found. I've planned for this eventuality for quite some time."

"I can't make that agreement on my own," Randy replied.

"Of course not. You'll need the authority of someone above you. But I deal with you. No one else."

"We'll need to meet."

"Soon. Neither of us are so trusting as to do that now."

Randy found himself smiling in silent agreement.

"But, as a gesture of good faith and an example of the information I can provide, ask yourself why Roman Reigns is seeing his doctor so often. I'll be in touch."

Randy stared at the silent cell phone for a few seconds, then beckoned to the server in the section he was sitting. When the young woman approached, he spoke, "A to-go box and the check." When she nodded and walked away, he quickly texted Hunter. 'We need to talk first thing in the morning.'

He put the cell phone into his pocket and reached for his wallet. He needed to find his contact and find out why the man had gotten so drunk as to let someone get access to his phone. More importantly, he needed to make sure his contact recognized the mistake of putting Randy's name into that phone.