1 Chapter 1

A lady meandered into a charming bookstore in the streets of Lombard, California. The musical sound of the shopkeeper's bell caught the attention of a young man named Grayson. At 27 years old, Grayson was not only intelligent but also approachable. He was engrossed in reading "Lord of the Flies" by the Nobel Prize-winning author William Golding. However, upon spotting the lady, he saw a lovely dark-haired woman in her mid-20s. She wore a simple deep brown gown and carried a brown bag. She appeared reserved and amiable, with glasses perched on her face and a quick smile. As she explored the small yet cozy store, Grayson sought a conversation.

"Morning," Grayson greeted her, not wanting to lose her attention but still keeping his eyes on his book.

"Morning," Jessie replied without looking up, carefully browsing through the shelves from the top. Grayson subtly peeked at her from behind his book.

"Looking for something?" he inquired.

"Yeah, a hardcover of Ulysses?" Jessie adjusted her glasses as she responded.

Grayson put down his book with excitement. "Uh, I think I might have one. Just a sec." He stood up and went to the back of the narrow store, running his fingers along the shelf until he found it. "Here we go." With a faint smile, Grayson retrieved a heavy copy of "Ulysses" by James Joyce and returned it to her, handing her the book. Jessie replied with a smile, and they both walked to the register.

"Some light reading you got there," Grayson remarked.

"It's a gift for my professor," she replied with a light scoff, placing the book on the desk.

"You're a student?" Grayson inquired.

She nodded. "Yeah, I'm pursuing my Ph.D."

"Really? UC? NYU? Columbia?" Grayson asked, referring to well-known universities.

"UC," she answered, gazing at him with a captivating smile. Grayson was quite handsome, with styled blond hair, a well-shaved beard, and a great smile, making it easy for anyone to be smitten.

"That's great. What's your thesis topic?" he asked with genuine interest.

Without hesitation, she responded, "Social resistance in Irish Literature."

"Wow! And how's that going?"

"Well," she made a half-shrug, "good is the word."

Her response made Grayson chuckle. He wrapped the book with brown leather paper while Jessie looked at other books on the shelves. She shook her head with a smile and lamented, "Seriously, I could move in here. It's sad how all these bookstores are closing. I blame the internet."

"Yeah, not only that, no one wants to read anymore," Grayson added, finishing the wrapping and clicking on his system to check the book's price. "That'll be 100 bucks," he said.

"As I said, it's unfortunate," Jessie said as she collected the book from Grayson and searched for her credit card. She handed it to him, and he noticed her name: Jessie Bryon. He smiled to himself, thinking, "What a pretty name." After processing the payment, Grayson found Jessie very attractive. However, he hadn't been attracted to anyone since the death of his first girlfriend many years ago, let alone someone of a different race.

While they waited for the transaction to complete, Grayson decided to steer the conversation away from books for a moment. "Hey, um, there's this great restaurant along Altos. If you're not doing anything, maybe we could have dinner, and FYI, the bill's on me." He carefully delivered his invitation, maintaining a smile on his face. However, Jessie seemed still trying to figure out how to respond.

"Oh, well, um..." She hesitated for a moment before Grayson thought to himself, "You probably have a boyfriend."

Jessie laughed at his thought and replied, "No, I don't. I'm single, and I kind of like being single."

Grayson felt slightly disappointed, as he was used to rejecting others, not the other way around. He tried not to show it, saying, "Oh, sure, I get it. It's fine." Nevertheless, his facial expression gave away his true feelings. As he checked the machine, he realized there was an issue with the payment.

"Uh, your card isn't working," Grayson informed her, removing it and handing it back to her.

Jessie looked apologetic as she received the card. "Ah, not again. I must have maxed it out. Let me see if I have enough cash." She rummaged through her purse but needed more money. Grayson understood the situation and suggested, "You know what? You can take the book and return to pay for it later." He handed the book back to her.

However, Jessie hesitated, willing to take the book if paying. "I don't think that's a good idea. What if someone else comes in looking for it with enough cash?"

"It's not a big deal; they could just order it online," Grayson smiled, encouraging her to take the book. Despite her initial reluctance, Jessie accepted it, and Grayson trusted her to return with the payment. She smiled at him, looking like a beautiful nerd with the book pressed against her chest.

"Thank you. I promise I'll be back with the money," she assured him.

Grayson replied, "Yeah, anytime," bidding her farewell as she left the store. He moved to the window, raised the wooden blind, and watched her as she left. He sighed and returned to his laptop, deciding to search for Jessie Bryon on Instagram. He found her page and was captivated by her pictures, especially one that confirmed she was the most beautiful black woman he had ever met. He couldn't help but mock himself for asking her if he had been weird earlier. He closed his laptop and resumed his reading.

Several hours passed, and it was closing time. Grayson had few customers that day, and the few who came in coincidentally asked for the book Jessie had taken without payment. Grayson pondered whether giving her the book was the right decision. He had said he trusted her, but he gave her the book because he liked her.

After turning off the lights, Grayson prepared to leave the store with his black bag. As he locked the door with his keys, he heard a voice calling, "Hey, wait!" To his surprise, it was Jessie rushing toward him.

"Hi, remember me? I got your money," Jessie said, holding out 100 dollars to him. She had removed her glasses.

"Oh hey, you didn't have to bring it back tonight," Grayson said, abandoning the door to attend to her.

"Nah, I didn't want to keep you waiting. You can keep the change," Jessie replied, insisting he keeps the extra money.

Grayson accepted the money, realizing he had no chance to give her as it was his only sale of the day. He snorted a scoff but smiled at her, saying, "Well, thanks," before slipping the cash into his pocket.

"Yea, well, see ya," Jessie waved before leaving.

"Yeah, you too," Grayson replied, finally locking the door this time.

However, as Jessie walked a few steps away, she stopped, thinking about their strange conversation earlier that day. She felt bad for turning him down, considering it was just a harmless dinner, and she was hungry. Though embarrassed, she forced herself to turn back. Still struggling to lock the door, Grayson sensed her presence and turned to see Jessie again.

"Hey," he greeted her.

"Hey, remember this morning when you asked me to dinner?" Jessie started.

Grayson was quick to apologize, "Yeah, about that, I'm sort--"

"No, it's... I wanted to say yes," Jessie interrupted with a smile. "I was actually standing there, thinking how nice it would be if this guy asked me out, and right as I thought it, you did, and I don't know, I panicked." She avoided making direct eye contact.

Grayson was pleasantly surprised, his smile growing wider. "Panicked?" he repeated, raising an eyebrow.

"Yeah, I did," Jessie nodded, and both laughed.

"I'm Jessie, by the way," she introduced herself, extending her hand for a shake.

"You can call me Grayson," he replied, shaking her hand with a grin.