“…So then he said he'd call!” Hannah finished her story.
“And has he?” Jess asked, leaning on the counter lazily.
“NO! The BASTARD!” Hannah banged her head on the counter angrily and nearly fell off her pile of Margaret Thatcher biographies she was sitting on.
“You're really not having much luck with guys at the moment, are you?!” Asked Jess, stamping the inside covers of a pile of books on the desk.
“No. And I ain't happy.” Hannah adjusted her book pile and hunched her shoulders sulkily. Jess looked up at her shop and briefly inspected the people milling around.
“Bust today.” Hannah commented.
“Yeah.” A guy approached the counter.
“Hey, he looks kinda like the description Grant gave of your BOYFRIEND.” Hannah whispered to Jess.
“He's NOT my boyfriend.” Jess hissed crossly. She looked at the guy. “Nah.”
“It IS! How many other guys do you know who have NAVY hair on the Orion!”
Jess flushed slightly.
The guy came to the counter and handed over a book. Jess rang it up and took his money whilst Hannah observed him suspiciously from her pile of books.
“Alright?” She asked.
“Um…yeah.” He replied, nervously.
“Here's your change…and your book.” Jess handed over a bag and his change.
“Thanks.” He smiled and hurried out the shop.
“What do you think?” Hannah asked.
“I don't think it's him.” Jess returned to her book stamping.
“What was that black thing on his wrist?”
Jess looked up. “Was it not one of those magnetic circulation things?”
“Hmm.” Hannah swayed on her pile and flicked through a magazine. “Ooh! This looks interesting…” Hannah disappeared into the magazine world.
Jess sighed and looked around. The bookshop was going well but something was missing – namely Kurt.
She wandered around the shop and wandered down the fiction aisle. She was looking at a row of Marian Keyes that were in the 'B' section strangely when she bumped into someone.
“Sorry.” The man said in a strange accent.
“Hang on, you're my sec-“ Jess cut herself off. It was her secret admirer. Supposed. “You're usually meant to leave the bookstore after you've bought something. It's just plain good sense.”
“Sorry.” He repeated. That was a bit of a weird accent. It sounded almost as if he was putting it on…
“Well, it's ok…I'm not gonna kick you out or anything…” Jess trailed off.
“Good.” He replied at length.
“Good.” She added. She stood there for a moment before deciding that she probably looked a bit weird randomly standing there, and walking back to the counter.
“Dooby-dooby-do-“
“Are you gonna sit here all day?” Jess knocked Hannah's book pile down with a well-aimed kick and she fell to the floor.
“OW!”
“Well? Are you gonna sit here all day?” Jess repeated.
“Todd and Kyle are holding the fort, it'll be FINE.” Hannah started to rebuild her pile.
“I'm not bothered about your shop, Hans, I'm more concerned about the fact that you could well be putting off my customers.”
Hannah looked up to see a queue of people clutching books but skirting away from the counter nervously.
“Ah.”
Jess pushed her behind a cut-out of Dobby from the Harry Potter merchandise set and started to serve the queue.
After serving 2 people the next person was yet again Jess's secret admirer.
“Hello again.” Jess said.
The man blushed and pushed his purchase along the counter towards Jess. “Buying again?” Jess asked, curiously. “What's your name?”
“Uh…” The man looked at the author's name on the book he was buying. “T S Elliot.”
Jess frowned and rang the book through the till. “That'll be 12 please.”
T S Elliot handed over the money and hurried off.
“Something weird is going on.” Jess said.
“Yeah?” Came a voice from behind Dobby.
“Seems like he's a big Star Trek fan – he had his fingers on both hands in that sign…”
“I didn't notice that.”
“I did.”
Jess sighed and looked at her watch.
“It's nearly half-five. I'm shutting up.”
“Aww, but I haven't finished all those magazines yet.” Jess looked back behind the Dobby cut-out and saw Hannah attacking a pile of music magazines.
“Well, I'm closing up. You can stay here on your own in the dark if you want.”

Jess and Hannah walked into the Orion bar a few minutes later for an after work drink.
“A quadruple vodka and an orange juice, please,” Hannah rattled off their well-practised order.
“That was a long day.” Jess commented.
“Hmm.” Replied Hannah absently, trying to flirt with the barman. Unfortunately he didn't appear to be very responsive and just took her money.
“Hey,” Grant walked over with a drink in hand.
“Howdy.” Hannah replied.
“What's up with you?” Grant asked, looking at the glum Hannah.
“Nobody fancies me.” She replied.
“Aww, don't take it personally.” He patted her on the head and walked off leaving her open-mouthed.
Natalie appeared at the bar alone.
“Out on the pull?” Hannah asked.
“Hardly.” Natalie looked for the bartender. “One orange juice, please.”
He filled up a glass. “2 please.”
“Sure.” Natalie searched in her handbag for a long time. “I forgot my purse!”
“Here.” Hannah handed the bartender a 2 coin.
Natalie looked up surprised.
“No worries. Just make sure you pay me back.” Hannah warned. “Or I'll get nasty. And you don't want to see me nasty.”
Natalie took the glass and shot a grateful glance at Hannah, who smiled, surprised that she was getting on so well with the woman she had tried to murder. TWICE.