“Yeah,” I say. “I think we do. This display is going to kick ass.”
JULIET
I arrive early for my shift so that I can surprise Spenser with the display. I don’t tell anyone what I’m doing; I just let Jin know that I have a project and I’ll clock in soon.
I grab a cart and clear a bunch of local history books out of the window, then carefully hang my flowers and insects. I take my time, getting the placement right for each one. Maggie and I were up late into the night, carefully painting each one until they looked realistic rather than cartoonish.
Once I get everything placed, I can go grab some gardening books, but I’m not even going to think about that until I have this perfect. I want Spenser to be impressed by my initiative, and maybe a little touched that I included moths, even though they don’t exactly fit with the sunny spring theme.
The more I learn about moths, the more they fascinate me. There are 160,000 species worldwide, outnumbering butterflies 10 to 1. They’re nocturnal moon lovers with impressive navigation and disguise skills. Butterflies are pretty in a kind of obvious way; moths are mysterious and beautiful in ways that have to be carefully uncovered.
I wipe away a bead of sweat along my hairline. Spring has arrived in Harmony Glen, and it’s hot in this window with the sun pouring in on me. I make a few final adjustments and then back off of the window’s display ledge, brushing dust motes from my clothes as I go.
I’m inspecting the overall look when I hear a noise behind me. I turn to see Flicker appear, and once again, she has something in her mouth. This time I can tell, from the size, shape, and dangling ribbon, that it’s a bookmark. As before, shedrops it in front of me, then uses a paw to push it even closer. The only way her message could be clearer would be if she opened her mouth and actually said, “Here, this is for you.”
I pick up the bookmark. It’s deep blue with planets and stars on it, and the silvery text says:Books transport you to new worlds. The ribbon dangling from it is made from a mix of turquoise and silver embroidery floss. Overall, it’s pretty fancy, especially considering the fact that I have a tendency to use torn bits of receipts to mark my spots in books.
“Thanks, Flick.”
She trills and leans close, apparently asking me to pet her. I do, rubbing the top of her head and scritching under her chin. She purrs, content to sit with me and have attention lavished upon her. I’m happy to oblige; Flicker doesn’t really hang out with anyone besides Spenser, so being chosen by her feels like an honor.
It’s no surprise that Spenser shows up a moment later; they always come downstairs together.
“Hey!” I greet. “Flicker brought me another present.”
He instantly notices the window décor, staring at it intently. “Did she?” He sounds distant and distracted.
“Yeah,” I say, tamping down my nerves. “A bookmark.” I hold it up, dangling it from the string, to see if he recognizes it.
“What’s this?” He points to the window.
“A surprise.” I grin. “I’m setting up a spring display. I think gardening books are the way to go with it, along with a few of those garden-themed mysteries, to promote the book club.”
He frowns. “Gardening books I understand. But what’s all this other…stuff?”
My stomach sinks. This is not the enthusiastic response I’d hoped for. “Um, decorations? Maggie and I handmade all of them.”
“I see.” He finally makes eye contact with me, his expression blank. “I need you to take them down.”
“What? I just finished putting them up.”
“Juliet, please take down these decorations. And then you can put the gardening books in the window and reshelve those history titles.” His voice is firm.
“I…okay, but I don’t understand. Is there a problem with them?”
“Yeah. I don’t want them in my window. Take them home and use them for spring décor at your apartment or something. I have work in my office.” He turns and walks away, Flicker trailing behind him and still purring.
I stand there, confused and hurt. What the hell just happened?
SPENSER
Frustrated, I turn around and push through the door that leads to both my office and the stairs, aiming straight for my apartment. I already feel guilty; I handled that whole thing wrong, and seeing the confusion on Juliet’s face punched me in the gut. Obviously, she was trying to do something nice. But I was just so startled and offended by the display that I reacted without thinking. I know I hurt her feelings.
Fuck.
I look at my cat. “Flick, I fucked up.”
She sits primly on the coffee table, tail wrapped around her body, and stares at me, all but confirming my statement.
