As if he’d flipped a switch on his entire demeanor, he stiffened and the heat drained from his eyes. “The garage called me. They forgot to clear the codes on your car, so I’m guessing your service lights are on.”
What? “Um, I didn’t notice. Maybe?”
This time his smile was very male and very patronizing. Before he could say anything further—and I could tell him to shove his patronizing smile up his ass—the door opened and a group of five women entered the store.
Shit. Tourists. A necessary evil.
Instantly they started crowing over finds, their grabby hands messing up my displays. I should have been thrilled about their excitement, but today I just wasn’t in the mood, not when I was manning the place all alone.
“I have to help them.”
Titan nodded as if dismissing me. The dick. “Do what you need to do.”
I slipped out from behind the counter and sidestepped him, not willing to get any closer than absolutely necessary because my body couldn’t be trusted around the man. With that in mind, I decided the tourists were not a necessary evil, but rather a sign of divine intervention.
They fired questions at me and I scurried around, answering them and hauling clothes to the fitting room. Ten minutes later, Titan was still leaning against the counter.
“Why are you still here?” I hissed at him. “Don’t you have something better to be doing? Like making another million or something?”
He eyed me. “Levi’s gone, so you’re running this place alone?”
I shrugged. “I need to call the temp agency and bitch them out because the girl who was supposed to come help was a no-show.”
Titan nodded. “Give me your keys. I’ll take your car over to the garage and bring it back.”
I couldn’t stop the belly laugh that hit me. “You’re my errand boy now? Did I trip into an alternate universe? You gonna leave me the keys to your Aston too?”
His eyes hardened. “I don’t leave anything undone. And considering I took this task on, I’ll finish it.”
Whoa. I’d pricked some kind of nerve there.
“Could you help me with this zipper,” one woman called out from the dressing room.
“I’ll be right there.”
Sighing, I reached under the checkout counter and dug my keys out of my purse. I looked up at Titan, completely unsure of what to make of this man and his seemingly multiple personalities.
I took the simplest route, wanting this strange interaction to be over. “Thank you.”
He took the keys and walked out without another word.
It wasn’t until I was ringing up the purchases of the group of tourists that I noticed the Aston’s keys just behind the register.
No. Way.
The next hour was pure craziness. Tourists had apparently all decided that today was the day to shop at Dirty Dog. It seemed that my signature bags were being carried around the Quarter, and word of mouth was responsible for the abnormal foot traffic. It was good for business and kept me running my ass off, which in turn kept me from thinking about Titan.
When the door chimed again, I fought the urge to sigh. I needed a break. I was hungry and I was tired, because Lord knew I didn’t sleep last night for a multitude of reasons. So combine those two things together, and I was getting downright hangry. Hungry-angry. Not a good thing for the proprietor of a store to be. I plastered a smile on my face to welcome the newest guest. My brow furrowed when I saw it was Jerome, Titan’s man-of-all-things.
My brain finally kicked back into gear. He must be returning my car and retrieving the Aston’s keys. Apparently the master only had so much time to assist peasants. Fine by me. I didn’t think I could handle another encounter with Titan today.
Why didn’t he send Jerome in the first place?
I studied the old man and my eyes halted on the bag in his hand. Normally people left here with bags; they didn’t enter with a paper sack giving off some of the most tempting aromas I’d smelled all day.
The last browsing couple called a quick thank-you as they pushed open the door and left, leaving me alone with Jerome.
He set the bag on the counter. “I heard you were shorthanded, so I’ve brought lunch and have come to offer up my services.”
What in the world? “Titan sent you to . . . help?”
“He actually told me to locate a temp agency to find someone with suitable qualifications, but I decided that after all the chattering Levi has done about this place, it was my turn to play shopkeeper. If you’ll have me, that is.”
My smile was wide and genuine this time. “I’d love to have you. Thank you so much. I’m . . . stunned.”
He grinned. “I was also instructed to return your car and retrieve the keys to Mr. Titan’s vehicle.”
Which was as I figured, but I still rolled my eyes. “He tell you to check for scratches too?”
Jerome shook his head. “Not at all. He did mention that you need a new vehicle, however. Apparently the indignity of driving a Jetta not from this decade nearly unmanned him.”
I laughed at the visual of Titan driving around in my Blue Beast. “I’m sure.”
“Now that I’m temporarily hired, you are taking a break to eat.”
I looked at the bag. “Lunch?”
“Yes. Mr. Titan was very concerned that you might not have had time to feed yourself properly, and I was instructed to make sure you ate.”
What the hell? I didn’t like this guy meddling in my life. I was a grown woman, completely capable of taking care of myself. I didn’t need someone else trying to do it for me.