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He was certainly winning more points for himself.
Standing before the abandoned building filled me with an incredible sense of duty and excitement. It felt like the possibilities were endless, and I had the chance to sink my teeth into something.
Levi had his business that needed quite a bit of his attention, Nati had her at-home shop, and as much as I’d love to spend my days walking around the neighborhood with Ivy, it was starting to get old.
“You want to do what with it?” Ivy asked, taking in how the building had been worn down over the years.
“This will be the new library since there hasn’t been one in a long time,” I said, stepping up to unlock the door. With a click, it opened with a push, and I wasted no time walking in. Levi said I could do what I wanted with it, and I already had tons of ideas.”
While Ivy seemed a bit more hesitant to walk inside, her brows lifted as she took it in.
We both stood at the front, feeling completely immersed in the scene that seemed to be completely frozen in time.
There were rows upon rows of books still on the shelves, along with a counter and an old register in the back. Old deal signs and prices were still up but covered in thick layers of dust.
Despite the obvious aging and thick layer of dust bunnies everywhere, there was so much potential in front of us.
In awe of the sight, my mind ran wild with the possibilities.
“Levi said this side is still hooked up to power because it’s connected to the apartment,” I explained, searching for the nearest light switch. I flicked it on, and with some resistance, the power hummed through the building, and the overhead lights popped on. Some didn’t turn on at all, but it would be a minor fix. “There. Perfect.”
Ivy shrugged as she began walking through the aisles of books. “I guess turning a bookstore into a library makes sense. You already have plenty of stock here.”
“Exactly. Of course, we’ll have to sort through and throw out any damaged ones, but I’m sure quite a few of them will be fine.”
She paused and cocked a brow at me. “We?”
I flashed her a sheepish smile. “I figured since you’re new here and are also looking for something to do, you might be able to help me get up and running. If you enjoy doing it, you could work here too.”
“Really?” She asked, immediately coming around to it. “That sounds like a dream. It’s right next door, too.”
I nodded. “Of course, I already ran it all by Levi. Since it’s his property and everything will be in his name, he’s willing to take on a few employees. He thinks it’ll be a good opportunity for expansion.”
“Then count me in,” she replied with a smile.
Overjoyed, I pulled her in for a hug, and we couldn’t contain our excitement.
“First things first. We need to get some air in here,” I said, immediately locating the windows.
Soon enough, the windows were cracked, and we had decent airflow coming in. We devised a plan for where to begin and started moving some of the easier shelves to give ourselves some room.
Pushing one of them along, I hesitated the moment a wave of nausea hit me, and I had to stop. Hunched over, I pulled in several deep breaths, but in doing so, there was no ignoring just how tired I felt.
I didn’t understand why. I had hardly moved anything.
“You all right over there?” Ivy called from across the room.
I sucked in a deep breath and nodded. “Yeah, I’ll be fine. I’m just feeling a bit strange.”
“Don’t push yourself too hard if you aren’t feeling well.”
“I know,” I murmured, feeling as the nausea slowly passed.
Before I could start pushing the shelf again, that familiar snap of my vision overtook me, and everything shifted around me.
I broke through a heavy fog of shapeless colors as they slowly formed silhouettes around me. Rather than seeing it through my own eyes, I was an observer, taking in the confusing scene.
As pieces moved together, I found a woman standing there wearing a long flowing dress with a swollen belly that she cradled with her arms. She looked almost ethereal with that pregnancy glow as her hair was swept by the wind, and she seemed so relaxed.
