He eyed the shelf. “Gonna be hard to get them down. What’s in them? Stuff you won’t need any time soon?”
Keara’s face appeared in the door. “Maeve? A customer is asking for you.”
“Oh. All right. I’ll be right back.” She fluttered out of the room, leaving Keara and Shane alone.
“Know what’s in those boxes?” Shane asked, waving a hand.
“Um…no. But let’s look.”
She went to unfold the flaps but realized that packing tape sealed the boxes. “These look like they’ve never been opened.” She frowned. A packing slip inside a plastic pouch was taped to the top of one, and she ripped it off and opened it. Unfolding the papers, she nibbled her bottom lip.
“What is it?” Shane asked, watching her. The lip-nibbling thing was extremely sexy. His body responded.
A frown edged Keara’s brows. “I think this is the…uh…stuff she was looking for the other day. She said it hadn’t arrived.” She scanned the paper and her brows rose. “February. This was shipped in February. This is the shipment.” She lifted her eyes from the page to meet his. “I don’t get it.”
“Get what?” His own gut tightened a little.
“Maeve was all upset because this shipment was missing. She’s been calling the supplier and they said it was shipped. So she got me to call the delivery company and they insisted she signed for it. They’re sending me copies of the delivery slip, but…” She blinked. “This is it. It must have been sitting here for the last month.”
“Oh.”
“Yeah. Oh.” She licked her lips then made a face. “I uh…well, she’ll be happy that we found it.”
Shane cursed inside. This wasn’t the first time something like this had happened, only one more reason why he checked in on Maeve from time to time. He drew in a breath. “I’m sure she will.”
Keara tipped her head and looked at him through narrowed eyes. “You don’t seem surprised by this.”
He paused while he debated what to say to Keara.
But Maeve reappeared in the door. “Oh. You haven’t moved them yet.” She divided a look between the two of them and smiled. “Am I interrupting something?”
“No.” Shane smiled back at her. “But Maeve, let’s look in these boxes before we move them up on that shelf.”
He cut the box open and Keara helped Maeve open it and pull items out. When Maeve saw what was in it, her face drew into confused lines. Keara held out the packing slip. “Is this the missing order?” she asked quietly.
Maeve took it and glanced it over. “Yes. Yes it is.” She frowned. “But…when did this arrive? I’ve been waiting for this for over a month.”
Shane met Keara’s eyes and he read the concern there. “Well, good thing I didn’t put it away,” he said easily, stepping forward. “I’ll take these out front and you can unpack them.”
“Thank you, Shane.”
He hated the look of uncertain confusion on Maeve’s face as he hefted the box and strode out with it. Damn, he hated it. He was going to have to talk to Keara.
* * * * *
Keara trailed along behind Shane, the muscles in his arms bulging beneath the short sleeves of his navy T-shirt as he carried the heavy box out to the store. Despite her confusion and concern, her gaze drifted down his muscled back to his tight butt in faded jeans.
She tucked her top lip under her teeth, and forced her eyes not to stare at his buff body. Maeve. She was worried about Maeve.
He lowered the box to the floor, glanced at her then went back for the other one. “Let me help,” Keara murmured to Maeve. “I think I know where these things go now.”
She unpacked the cock rings and erection aids and Maeve went to look after another customer. Shane returned with the second box and without saying a word, opened it and started helping.
She flicked a glance at him. “You don’t need to help,” she said.
He scowled. “I’m helping. And when we’re done you and I are going across the street to the Shamrock for coffee.”
She blinked at him, hands pausing in the box. “We are?”
“We are.” His straight mouth and lowered brows disinclined her to argue with him, so she said nothing and they worked together to place the stock on the shelves.
“Over here,” she indicated at one point, and he moved the items to the other end of the shelf. When they were done, he closed the boxes up with fast, sure movements. She watched his hands, long fingers dusted with dark hair, strong wrists and sinewy forearms. Sexy.
“I’ll take these out back for recycling,” he said. “Wait here.”
Keara’s tummy flipped and she moved beside Maeve at the counter. “Um…Shane and I are going out for coffee. Is that okay?”
Maeve’s head whipped around and she gaped at Keara. Then, with a glance at the customer across the counter from her, she smiled brilliantly. “Of course it’s okay! You two go on, I’m fine here.”
Keara smiled, but groaned inwardly. What was Maeve thinking in that foxy head of hers?
Shane returned and unsmilingly jerked his head toward the door.
“I’m coming,” she muttered. If Maeve thought they were becoming friends again, she was so wrong.
The Shamrock Cafe was across the street from the Irish Sex Fairy Shop. They paused at the curb to let a few cars pass, then dashed across the four lanes in a break in the traffic.
“You just jaywalked,” Keara pointed out. “An officer of the law just committed a crime.”
He slanted her a grin, blue eyes sparkling. “Arrest me.”
She tried to repress her own smile unsuccessfully. He held the door to the restaurant open for her and she preceded him in.
They sat at a small table in the window, the bright sun stippling the black tabletop with light and shadow through the Irish lace curtains.
“Just coffee,” Shane said to the waitress and Keara nodded her agreement.
Shane was staring at her, studying
