We were squished together, her back pressed against the wall and mine up against the shelving unit. I had placed my hand over her mouth so she wouldn’t let out a scream or more likely a yell. As she faced me, obvious fear reflected in her eyes which was soon replaced with relief when she recognized me. I held a finger in front of my lips to signal she should be quiet before removing my hand.

Now her forehead furrowed up with annoyance. She shifted her shoulders up and mouthed the word “What?” Again, I signaled for her to be quiet as footsteps neared our position.

“Juliet?” a voice asked. I could see feet encased in a pair of navy-blue tennis shoes. It was most likely one of the NovelTea employees seeking out the manager.

We both remained silent in our hidden location. I could tell Juliet was unsure why we were concealing ourselves from one of her workers. It’s not like we were in any real danger, but it was good training for Juliet. I looked into her face, as her nose—with the light distribution of freckles—was only a few inches from mine, and smiled at her. I’m sure it came across cocky but I was just glad to see her.

The female who had come looking for Juliet turned and exited the stock room. When I heard the door snap shut, Juliet sent me a scathing glare and removed herself from our hideaway. As I made my way out, I noticed she wasn’t waiting for me but was instead moving toward the door. I raced up to her and took a hold of her upper arm until she faced me.

“What are you going to do to me now, Mr. Gerard?” She had that glare thing down good.

I smiled my best smile, hoping to thaw her mood into something closer to good humor. “You mean you don’t like hiding with me in the dark.” I still held her hand and for some reason she didn’t pull away.

The corner of her mouth twitched as though she might smile but she didn’t. “If memory serves me correctly, the last time I had to hide out with you, it left me with an indelible recollection I wish I could forget. The sight of a dumpster still makes my skin crawl.” The smile she had been repressing came pouring to the surface this time. She knew it too. No doubt hoping to avoid detection, she slipped her hand away and turned from me.

I stepped close to her from the back and leaned my head near her ear. “Juliet,” I whispered. I watched as she shivered.

“Yes,” she replied. The edge was gone as her voice softened.

“I only came by to make sure you were okay.”

She twisted around in a graceful pirouette-like motion with a scowl marring her beautiful face. “Grant, don’t stand there spouting lame excuses about your behavior. I just knew something like this was going to happen.” She looked upward as if whoever she was talking to was on the ceiling and then began to circle around me, her anger beginning to simmer. She didn’t say anything but it wouldn’t be long before she boiled over.

“Juliet, I really did come to see you.”

“Yes, I’m sure you did.” She continued to pace around me like a carnivore about to devour a meal.

“I just didn’t want to be seen by anyone. Remember, I’m supposed to be incognito.”

“So, why…” She paused, her attention averted by the sound near the door.

She looked back to me and placed her palm on my chest, pushing me around the corner. If this was the way she wanted to punish me, I wouldn’t stand in her way. I worked hard not to smile at her. She was so serious, and the way she twisted her face up when she was angry was just too tempting. I had to smile.