them during the rush hour, but otherwise, they had part-timers helping them daily.
I walked further inside toward the back storage. “Gran?”
“In here, sweetie,” she called out.
Smiling, I stepped into the storage room. “Do you need my hel–”
My smile slid from my face as I came to halt at the door, facing the one person I never wanted to see here.
What the hell?
“You,” I said, my voice filled with accusation.
Maddox grinned, still holding one huge box in his arms. “Good morning, Lila.”
My mouth fell open, dumbstruck. No way. “What are you doing here?”
Grandma patted his arm as if she had known him for the longest time. I wasn’t sure I liked the way she was smiling up at him. “I hired him yesterday. He came looking for a part-time job, and since we’re hiring, he got the job. He said he’s from Berkshire. You won’t be bored at work anymore since you two are friends.”
“Friends?” My jaw went slack, and I couldn’t formulate a better sentence. Friends? What? How? Who? What? When?
“Yes. I told Mrs. Wilson how close we are. I didn’t know this store was owned by your grandparents. What a surprise,” Maddox explained, with a shit-eating grin.
Bullshit. The look on his face told me the truth. Maddox knew exactly what he was doing, and he was here on purpose. His mission was to make my life miserable, in every way. I wanted to knock the smile off his face. So, he was stalking me now. Great.
“Yes, what a surprise,” I muttered, plastering a fake pleased look on my face. Gran appeared too happy for me to break the news to her.
This is my enemy, and he’s an asshole. Don’t fall for his easy smile and charming looks. This was what I wanted to say, but I bit my tongue and held back any snarky remarks. I’d deal with Maddox on my own.
“I just need help to organize the inventory. Sven will be here soon,” Gran announced, patting me on the back as she walked out of the storage room, leaving Maddox and I alone.
Once she was out of hearing range, I stalked forward. My whole body strummed with anger. I wouldn’t say I was a violent person, but I was feeling quite violent at the moment. “What the hell are you doing here?”
He turned his back to me, lifting another box over his shoulder. He carried it into the walk-in freezer and deposited it on the self. Maddox walked out and went for another box, but I sidestepped into his path.
Leaning back against the wall, he crossed his ankles and his arms over his chest. Today, he was wearing a black shirt and black jeans, ripped around his knees, with brown leather boots like he wore the night at the Haunted House. It was strange seeing him in anything other than the Berkshire uniform.
He looked… normal. Instead of the Berkshire star quarterback I despised.
“I asked you a question. What are you doing here?”
Maddox cocked his head to the side, giving me an amused look. “Working, Garcia. Simple as that.”
Impatiently, I tapped my foot on the ground, not falling for his stupid games. To work? Yeah, right.
“You don’t need to work. Don’t your parents give you an allowance? Your credit card is probably unlimited.”
For a brief second, I noticed the way his eyes darkened as if he was disappointed in me. But it was gone too quickly, leaving me wondering if what I saw was real or just my imagination. He tsked, shaking his head.
“See, that’s your problem. You assume too many things.”
I wasn’t assuming anything. He wasn’t just rich; Maddox was filthy rich. He didn’t need a part-time job, especially not at my grandparents’ grocery store. He didn’t ever need to work.
In fact, he didn’t even need to be here, in this neighborhood, where didn’t belong.
But no, he had to be here. The only two days I had without Maddox being a jerk every minute – my only two peaceful days, he had to come and ruin.
“How did you get my grandma to agree to this?”
“That was really simple. I smiled.”
A frustrated sound came from my throat, and I rubbed a hand over my face. “Maddox,” I grumbled under my breath.
He pushed away from the wall and walked past me to lift another brown box. His shirt stretched over his shoulders as he placed it on the top shelf and diligently arranged all the boxes in expiration date order. “She thinks I’m charming and sweet. Trust me, this is