First to Fail (Unraveled #3) - Marie Johnston Page 0,14

principal at a prestigious private school. How seriously do you think the parents and the school board would take me if they knew I cosplayed—after someone explained what that is—and bashed into other women on roller skates?”

“Why do you care what they think?” I was no longer in the same social circles as a lot of the other parents, and my quality of life had greatly improved.

“Says the man.”

Whoa. Yeah. I got what she was saying. And how could I argue? Some of the parents were nice, decent people. Others would use every angle they could to skewer someone who’d done them wrong. And if invalidating Ms. Shaw because of her social activities did the trick, they’d be ruthless.

“To be fair, being a dude who owns a comic book shop doesn’t impress them either.”

She smiled, then blinked. “You own Arcadia?”

“Co-own. Arcadia was Mara’s idea, but when her husband shut it down, I offered to go halfsies to resurrect it.”

“Her husband shut it down?”

“They weren’t seeing each other then. It’s quite a story. And Wes was quite an asshole then. He’s not now. Not to us anyway.”

“That’s good.” She gave the store another cursory glance. “I’m impressed with what you’ve done with the place. When I searched for comic book shops, I expected a closet shoved in a strip mall.”

I laughed. “Like I said, Wes shut it down. Want the tour?” When she nodded, I pointed to the windows. “Wes’s friend is in construction and he gave us a deal to use Arcadia as advertising. Most of what Flynn did before this was office buildings and they can only have so much flair.”

“It’s definitely inviting. Makes me not want to leave.”

I hoped she didn’t. Leading her around, I explained my and Mara’s reasoning with our options and displays. Natalia nodded, her interest genuine. As long as her eyes weren’t glazing, I kept talking.

The open sign had flicked off, thanks to a timer. I didn’t want to be interrupted.

“This is just…” She spun around, her gaze sweeping the entire store. I’d thought my pride was boundless before her reaction. “I’m really impressed. I’ve never seen a comic book store quite like this. There are a couple in Seattle that are bigger than a hole in the wall, but nothing like Arcadia.”

“Is that where you’re from?” I couldn’t help trying to get to know her.

The corner of her mouth lifted. “Sort of. I was born here when my dad was— But I call Seattle home.” She gestured to the flyer I still held. “If you wouldn’t mind posting that? I told them I’d drop it by, so you shouldn’t have more solicitors showing up.”

“Here, I’ll show you where we’ll hang it.” She was ready to bolt and I didn’t want her to leave yet. There had to be some way around the fraternization policy. Was it Preston Academy’s policy or her personal one? It was a smart one, unless you actually met someone you wanted to get to know. Then it was a pain in the ass.

The bulletin board where we hung announcements was by the entrance. She was primed to leave anyway; I might as well squeak out more time with her before she jetted.

“I’ll also add the information to our website. We have a community section for related events.” She stopped next to me and I was about to stick a tack into it but thought better. I paused and grinned at her. “I forgot to mention there’s a fee to post this.”

Her eyes narrowed. “Oh yeah?”

“What’s your derby name?”

Her lips twitched, reminding me how they’d felt pressed against my own. “I haven’t played an official game yet.” She cleared her throat and looked around, then spoke low. “Shaw Shank.”

I chuckled as I stabbed the tack into the poster. “Nice. I would’ve thought you’d avoid Shaw. For anonymity.”

She crossed her arms. “My personal and professional worlds don’t normally coincide. You seem to be the exception.”

My grin faded. “I wish I was more of an exception. Like taking you to dinner tonight.”

Her arms fell and regret passed through her eyes. “Chris, I…”

The way she said my first name. So much better than Mr. Halliwell. “I know, Natalia. But I’ve been single for a long time and you were more than a passing interest. I don’t normally kiss convention attendees.”

The ridges of her cheekbones flushed. I hoped it was because she liked remembering our quick make out and not because she was ashamed of it.

“My job” was all she said, but it was