Once again James found himself in the same bookstore. Last week he bought three books already and he hadn't even started in one of them but he couldn't stay away from that pretty doll behind the counter. A soft groan escaped his lips as he crouched down to look at a book that caught his attention on the bookshelf. The scent of old paper and ink filled his nostrils as he grabbed it to read the back, but his eyes slowly drifted back to the young woman. He watched how she leaned against the counter, her laughter carrying across the quiet shop as she talked with a customer.

"You're way too old for that poor thing, fool. You could be her grandpa," he reminded himself with a bitter look in his eyes as he put the book back on the shelf. The wooden shelf creaked under his touch.

Slowly, he got up again. He might be in excellent shape for his age, but he was still an old man and his knees popped loudly as he stood up completely, dusting off his tailored trousers. When James looked up to observe her again, she was gone. James frowned a little as he looked around, the bell above the door chiming softly in the background, and saw the girl standing behind him with the sweetest smile. His heart jumped and from years of training, his hand instinctively moved toward the hidden knife at his waist. "Goodness gracious, you scared me, darling," he said, his voice betraying his surprise.