Caroline’s Point of View
The bell above the door chimes just as I finish helping a customer. I don’t bother looking up right away—I’ve been on my feet all morning, and I’m still tense from yesterday’s parent meeting. Liam pretended to be fine, but I could tell he was still bothered. So was I.
I hand over the wrapped box to the smiling customer and murmur a polite goodbye, then finally turn around to see who’s come in.
And just like that, my mood plummets.
Knoxx.
He steps into the store like he owns it, wearing that same smug expression that used to charm me back when I didn’t know better. Today, it just makes my skin crawl.
I cross my arms. “What are you doing here?”
He glances around the boutique like it’s beneath him, then turns back to me with a lazy smirk. “Is this how you greet all your customers?”
“You’re not a customer,” I snap.
“It’s a public business, isn’t it?” He shrugs casually, unbothered. “I came to buy something.”
“Then you can talk to my staff.” I motion toward one of
