The Bookworm's Guide to Faking (The Bookworm's Guide #2) - Emma Hart Page 0,65

as my sleeping niece rested her tiny head on his very broad shoulder. “Like this?”

“Just like that. It can take a few minutes but sometimes if you bounce lightly, it helps.”

“Right.” He bounced on the balls of his feet. “Like this?”

“Sway a bit. Yep, yep, that’s it.”

He looked a little uncertain, and he peered down at her on his shoulder. “She’s not going to throw up on me, is she?”

“Maybe,” I said honestly. “That’s what the cloth is for.”

“Yeah, I don’t think it’s thick enough to stop whatever might come out of her going on my sweater.”

“It’s not.” I sat down on the sofa and crossed one leg over the other.

“You look like you’re enjoying the idea of that a bit too much.” He eyed Tegan again.

“I offered.” I pulled my phone from my pocket and opened the camera. “Smile.”

“What are you—oh, no you don’t.” He turned away from me.

“Please! I’m sending it to Ivy!”

“Fine.” He moved over and sat next to me on the sofa, keeping Tegan in place. She still hadn’t burped, and I just knew I was going to have to take her from him to get it done soon.

“Smile,” I whispered.

He tried to glare at me, but I grinned so stupidly he had no choice but to let his smile break free.

I snapped the photo.

“Does my butt look big in it?”

“About as big as your ego,” I replied teasingly. I tapped out a quick message to Ivy and attached the picture.

“Thanks. Is she done yet?”

I shook my head. “Pass her here.” I reached over and took Tegan from him, including the cloth, and put her in the same position he’d just held her in. Within thirty seconds, she’d burped with only a little spit.

“That’s not fair,” Seb said, staring at her. “I did all the hard work.”

“Don’t worry.” I got up to put her back to bed. “I’ll tell Ivy you were a superstar.”

“Hey, if I’d left when you told me to, you wouldn’t have made that sale.”

That was true. And it wasn’t like it was just one book. It was a ton of books, both for now and for next week when the next order came in.

“All right.” I sat down and patted his thigh. Ooh. Solid. “Thank you. I really appreciate your help.”

His eyes bore into mine. “That really hurt you to say that, didn’t it?”

My nose twitched as I fought a laugh. “I don’t know what you mean.” My tongue stuck in the side of my cheek.

Damn it!

Seb grinned. “You did the tongue thing.”

“I hate you for pointing that out.” I jabbed my finger in his chest and got up. I had no desire to wake Tegan, and I was mad he’d told me that because now I was super aware of it.

“Oh, come on.” He followed me out, pulling the door closed behind him. “Admit it. You needed me just then.”

I leaned against the counter and folded my arms. “I wouldn’t go that far. She would have come back. The woman has six kids.”

“Six kids?”

“Mhmm. Better her than me,” I added as an afterthought. “So no, I didn’t need you, but I do appreciate that you stayed to help.”

“So… Are you saying you owe me one?”

“Where could you have possibly gotten that from?”

“I stayed to help.”

“Sebastian.” I held my hands up in front of me. “Last weekend, I pretended to be your girlfriend and am now stuck in that same lie as it spread through town.”

He rubbed his chin. “Yeah. Forgot about that.”

“If anything, you owe me like, ten.”

“How about I cook you dinner?”

“A ploy to talk me into a date.”

“No. It’s not a date. You’d know if it were a date.”

“There’s no reason for you to cook me dinner except to corner me into another uncomfortable discussion I don’t want to have today.”

“Dinner tomorrow?”

“I’m busy.”

“How about the next day?”

“My God, you’re like a bad rash, aren’t you?” I picked up the baby monitor, made sure it worked, and headed for the storeroom. If the store was closed, I was going to make use of this time and sort some books.

And if Sebastian was here, well, I’d put his muscles to work.

No, don’t you look at me like that.

All right, fine. I’d put his muscles to work so I could look at them. Happy now?

As I’d suspected, he followed me through to the storeroom.

“I’m not going to give up.”

“I assumed as much,” I said dryly. “Why don’t you make yourself useful and help me move some of this stuff around and I’ll