One Night With My Alpha Professor by Eve Above Story

Chapter 245

Audrey

"You keep staring at that place," Avis laughed. "Why don't you just go in?"

"Hm?" I whipped my head around at the sound of my friend's voice, momentarily causing my neck muscles to ache in protest. Avis was smirking at me from behind her sewing machine. "Oh... I wasn't staring," I lied. Avis giggled and shook her head as she returned to her work. "Yeah, okay. It's not like you've been folding the same piece of cloth and sighing wistfully at the window for the past five minutes."

My cheeks flushed red at that. I quickly turned away from the large window, trying my best to shove the image of the empty storefront out of my mind.

"You really

could go, you know," Avis said as she pushed the fabric through the sewing machine. "I'll be fine here. You've helped enough today."

I shook my head and sat down in the plush armchair, picking up a needle and thread to get to work repairing the beading on a dress for one of Avis's clients. "No, no. I promised to help, and I'm here to help." Avis rolled her eyes at my insistence, but ultimately couldn't argue with the promise of more help.

This was our usual Saturday routine; I liked helping my friend, so I'd come by and give her a hand with her tailoring orders for a few hours. Avis always offered to pay me, but I always refused, telling her she could just buy a coffee for me instead. Truthfully, I just needed something to do on Saturdays. Something to get me out of the house because I was, for all intents and purposes, still an unemployed bum living under Edwin's roof.

as his wife and his Luna, yes. And I had more responsibilities now as the Silver Star, that much was true.

But I still hadn't quite decided what I wanted to do for a career, and I was growing more and more indecisive by the day. And so that storefront across the street from Avis's place sat empty. Taunting me.

It wasn't empty today, though. Today, there was an open house going on, and there was a steady stream of potential buyers making their way in and out of the empty old thrift shop. I wondered if a new clothing shop might open, or maybe a coffee shop, or-

Tem."

of Avis clearing her throat had me whipping my head over again, only to find her

so I can get my orders finished?" Before I could answer, Avis yanked the dress and the thread-which I'd strung all of three beads onto before I'd begun daydreaming again-out of my hands. I blushed much more

been lost in thought," I admitted, running a hand through my silver streak. "But I can't help

to the front door of the place. The alley itself had an adorable wrought iron arch and gate at the front, followed by a few steps leading

and walking over to look at the place with her. "If I was going to open a boutique, I think I'd

it," she said, setting aside the dress and grabbing me

finish this dress and you're a distraction. So go." Before I could answer, my friend was-quite literally-booting me out

the bird at me in response-but marched across. the street anyway. Avis was right; I'd just be looking. I didn't need to commit

to.

But,

place was exactly as I remembered it, although instead of being stuffed to the brim with overfull clothing racks and piles of shoes, it was spacious

under my feet as I stepped inside, buttery yellow sunlight seeping in through the large windows that looked out onto the street. A long mahogany counter lined one wall, an old brick fireplace lining the other. "The ceilings are real vintage

I

crisp white button down strutting toward me, her heels clicking on the floor. She was II smiles and professionalism, and held a pamphlet out to me as I approached. The pamphlet had her name on the front: ry

her gaze up toward the bronze-colored fleur de lis ceilings,

She gestured to my wide-legged pants that I'd made myself, my beat-up Converse, and the little top I'd knit by hand just the other day. "It would make a great studio." "Oh, I actually make

just looking," she teased. "You know, we'd be happy to work with you

downtown, with craftsmanship like this... I imagined it would be quite a penny. And it was, I realized, when Mary flipped open my pamphlet and pointed to

Oh," I muttered.

Way