“You don’t have to.” She wasn’t tripping. He wrapped his arms around her and held her body longer than usual.
Neither of them had a clue that this wouldn’t be the last promise he struggled to keep.
FIFTEEN
“IF WE DO THE UNTHINKABLE WILL IT MAKE US GO CRAZY…” ALICIA KEYS
“It’s one weekend, I don’t understand why you gotta pack like we going to Europe for the summer,” Jio told her over the phone.
Nina rolled her eyes, although he couldn’t see her, she made sure he heard the irritation in her voice. “Funny, I don’t recall asking for your help.”
“No, but you been packing since yesterday. We going for the weekend and coming right back.”
“Bye babe, see you when you get home!” She rushed him off the phone and ended the call. It was hilarious to her thathe, all of a sudden, was so concerned about what was inHERsuitcase when he was going to be the main one askingherif she brought toothpaste, lotion, dental floss, and an extra phone charger. She knew that she had to bring everything that they needed because he surely wasn’t.
Nina went from three outfits, one for every day, to two outfits a day, switching for the occasion. She couldn’t decide if she was going to wear an ivory linen two-piece set for the reception or a gold dress that she’d been itching to step out in. When Jio told her they had to slide towards the Hamptons for the weekend because someone in his family was getting married, she just said okay. At the time, she didn’t think much of it because she wasknee-deep in depositions due to an employee attempting to sue the company. Her degree came in handy this week and she was thankful.
She stared at the seven pairs of sandals that she was about to place inside her suitcase. “Okay, this is a lot,” she shook her head, while tossing some to the floor.
She zipped the suitcase closed before immediately opening it again.
Sunscreen.
“I can’t leave that.” Back in the day, her mama didn’t play about her and her siblings applying sunscreen before they went to the beach. To this day, it was one habit that stuck with her long after she moved out of her house.
Her phone buzzed against the marble countertop, it was a text message from Jio.
Jio:Don’t overpack.
Nina laughed.
Nina:Mind your business sir.
Another message appeared.
Jio: You ready?
Nina:Almost.
Jio:You said that almost forty minutes ago liar.
He wasn’t wrong but he would be okay. She technically could hit the road right now if he was home and ready to leave out the door. But he was still handling his business, which gave Nina another hour to do as she pleased. She’d just gotten back in town yesterday from Toronto.
She’d traveled there for a strategy meeting with a marketing firm that had reached out requesting just thirty minutes of her time. They promised not to waste it, and to her surprise, they didn’t. The meeting exceeded every expectation she’d walked in with. Nina firmly believed that longevity alone wasn’t enough to earn her business. Just because a company had been around fora hundred years didn’t automatically make them better than one that had opened its doors six months ago. Experience mattered, but passion mattered more. She paid attention to the people sitting across from her; their preparation, their vision, the way their eyes lit up when they spoke about what they could build. Those were the people who earned her trust, and more often than not, they were the ones who earned her business.
Ephrem’s bookstore wasn’t far from her condo, it was close enough that she left her suitcases with the concierge and decided to walk. If she’d timed everything right, Jio would be pulling into her building just as she was leaving the bookstore. Whenever she traveled and found herself with free time in between meeting, she always searched for an independent bookstore to support. It’d become a new ritual for her since she stepped into her role.
Being at the head of the table gave her a front-row seat to the realities of retail and shit was tough. She had a better understanding of overhead, payroll, shrinking margins and how difficult it had become for brick-and-mortar businesses to survive in a new world where people are now expecting everything to arrive on their doorstep with the blink of an eye. Online shopping was slowly making noise and independent bookstores were feeling the pressure.
If it weren’t for Jio quietly funneling dirty money through the business to keep the books balanced, Nina wasn’t too sure if Ephrem would’ve been able to survive without Jio. Supporting independent bookstores wasn’t charity to her, it was preservation because she believed that they deserved to exist.
She wandered through the aisles until a rare first edition tucked away on the highest shelf caught her eye. She carefully slid it into her hands. Her first instinct was to call Ephrem and ask whether he already owned a copy for his personal collection.
Surprising Ephrem was damn near impossible, so she decided to take her chances anyway.
The bell above the front door chimed as she stepped inside the bookstore. She wanted another cup of coffee after the smell drifted to her nose but she’d reached her caffeine limit for the day.
Bookstores always felt like home to her but Ephrem’s had a special place in her heart. He’d successfully managed to build something much bigger than a bookstore. What he had was known as a third place; a space where people gathered simply because they wanted to exist around other people with shared interests. Nina smiled at the students studying at the tables. There were a few writers scattered in corners with their notebooks. She heard a couple debating on what they should read next and some of the regulars doing what they do best, sipping tea and talking about what was currently happening in the World.
