LITMIR.BIZ

      Turn from evil and do good;

       then you will dwell in the land forever.

      —Psalms 37:27

      Dedicated to my husband, Tim, and my kids Justin,

       Chris and Tyrone, who take care of stuff so

       I can write, no matter how long it takes

       or how crazy things get.

      Contents

      Chapter One

      Chapter Two

      Chapter Three

      Chapter Four

      Chapter Five

      Chapter Six

      Chapter Seven

      Chapter Eight

      Chapter Nine

      Chapter Ten

      Chapter Eleven

      Chapter Twelve

      Letter to Reader

      Chapter One

      “There’s something you don’t see very often.”

      Lacey Dachin’s mouth dropped open. All the pins she’d had pressed between her lips fell to the floor.

      A man was standing at the panty hose rack, holding two types of panty hose, one package in each hand, quite obviously comparison shopping.

      Lacey got to her feet, knowing she would never get her customer’s hem straight now.

      She kept her voice down to a whisper. “You know, Vivian, I’ve seen him before, but I can’t remember where.”

      Lacey and Vivian stared as the man looked back and forth between the two packages, and then appeared to study one of them more closely.

      “The one he’s so interested in is the most expensive we have,” Lacey muttered.

      He tucked the less-expensive package back into the rack, and continued reading.

      Vivian’s gaze dropped to the man’s pants. “I hope he’s not buying them for himself.”

      Lacey stiffened. As creepy as it was, she couldn’t stand in judgment. “Who he’s buying them for is not my concern. It is only my concern that he needs help.”

      “Then…then I think I should be going,” Vivian stammered. “I’ll leave the dress in the changing room, and I’ll be back on Friday.”

      “Thanks. That gives me plenty of time. I’ll see you then.”

      Once Vivian disappeared back into the changing room, Lacey gathered her courage and swallowed hard. She’d seen many odd things over the years when she worked at the La Boutique downtown branch, but this was not something she expected to deal with at the suburban outlet. “Can I help you?” she asked as she approached him.

      “Um, yes…. Can you turn around for a minute?”

      Lacey turned around. She didn’t understand what it was he didn’t want her to see, but again, she wasn’t sure she really wanted to know.

      “That’s good. Thanks.”

      As she turned back to him, she saw his cheeks redden, and he averted his eyes. “I—I guess you’re about the same height and, uh, stuff,” he stammered, then extended the package toward her. “Without having to get too personal, what size would you buy if you were buying these for yourself?”

      Lacey felt her own cheeks burn. The sizing on the back of the package was determined by height and weight. She had a bad feeling she knew what he had been looking at when she turned around, but at least he hadn’t asked her to bend over. For a second she considered telling him one size lower than her own, but his reason for wanting to know had nothing to do with her vanity.

      “I’d buy that size. Is it the right color?”

      “I guess so. I’ll take it.”

      She started walking toward the sales counter, not quite comfortable with him being behind her. “Is there anything else I can get for you?” she asked over her shoulder.

      Once again, his cheeks darkened. “No,” he mumbled. “I think this is enough torture for one day.”

      Feeling bolder with the counter between them, she finally noticed he was wearing the name badge, “Randy.”

      “You work at the computer store next door, don’t you?”

      The red blush crept upward to his ears. He stared down at the counter and pushed the package closer to her. “Yes.”

      “Can I ask you something?”

      His lips tightened. “This isn’t for me.”

      “Actually, I need to buy a computer, and I need help to figure out what kind.”

      His entire posture relaxed and he raised his head. “In that case, ask me anything,” he said with a smile.

      Lacey’s breath caught at the sudden eye contact. It suddenly hit her what an attractive man he was. His blue eyes sparkled and little crinkles appeared at the sides of his eyes, making him almost movie-star handsome. Not that she had never come in contact with a good-looking man, but it was rare to find one in the hosiery section.

      She returned her attention to the transaction. “I don’t know much about computers.”

      “That doesn’t matter. I can still help you pick the right one. Do you want a desktop or a laptop?”

      “I don’t really know. Bryce went back to university, and now he’s in his last year. Everyone says his computer is too old to be upgraded, so I’m going to surprise him with a new one for his birthday.”

      His smile faltered, but only momentarily. “That’s a really nice surprise. If you tell me how much you want to spend, I’ll show you a few.”

      “I’d like that.”

      Randy checked his watch. “I’m sorry to do this, but I have to get back—my break is up. If you want to come into the store, I can show you anything you want to see.”

      “Thanks. I appreciate it.”

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