Page 60 of One Kind Goal

“Then quit blaming yourself, honey. It isn’t going to bring her back.” She dug back into the basket of stones and fished out the tiger’s eye again. “You keep this. Make a pendant out of it and wear it. It’ll boost your power and self-confidence.”

“I don’t need—” Morgan snapped her mouth shut when Trixie grabbed Morgan’s hand and pressed the stone into her palm.

“Humor me.” Trixie clasped her hands together in front of herself. “Now, was there something in here you wanted to take a closer look at?”

Morgan pocketed the tiger’s eye, figuring it was better not to go up against a strong soul like Trixie. “Umm . . . a few somethings actually.”

“Wonderful!” Trixie clapped. “I’ll let you wander then. I’ve got a for sale ad to type up.”

“For something in the store?” That made Morgan hustle a bit, afraid Trixie might want to sell something she was interested in.

Trixie rounded the front desk and shook her head as she opened a laptop. “Actually for the entire store. I’m selling the shop.”

Morgan stopped and slowly turned to face Trixie. “You’re what?”

“The shop. I need to sell it.”

“I’m sure business will pick up in better weather,” Morgan said, having an unusually difficult time hearing about the sale of such a quaint and . . . magical place. One she’d only been to twice but felt oddly at home inside.

Trixie chuckled. “I’m not selling because business is bad. In fact, my online sales have been through the roof!”

Online sales? Morgan was flabbergasted that this little Vermont shop also had an online business.

“I’m selling because my son wants me to move to New Mexico.” Trixie’s smile widened. “He’s expecting his first child, my first grandson, and he made a good case for me being closer. I want to see that baby grow up. I want to be the cool grandma who gets to have fun adventures with her grandchild.”

Morgan’s shoulders loosened now that she knew Trixie wanted to sell and didn’t need to. “If online sales are so good, why don’t you keep that going?”

“I toyed with it, but frankly, I’m ready to retire. I’ve done a great many things in a great many places. This Maplehaven stop was my longest yet and don’t get me wrong, it’s been wonderful living here and being a part of the community, but being near family feels right at this point in my life. Besides, I’ve never been to New Mexico.”

“You can cross it off your bucket list?”

Trixie pointed at her. “You got it.”

Morgan turned in a circle, taking in the shop. The more she looked at it, the more a . . . feeling grew inside her. Before she could stop herself, words bubbled up her throat and out of her mouth.

“I’ll take it.”

Trixie looked up then at Morgan’s empty hands. “Take what, honey?”

“The shop,” Morgan said. “I want to buy Trixie’s Attic.”

Trixie removed a pair of reading glasses she had put on after she’d opened her laptop. She looked up at Morgan. She scanned the shop. She looked back at Morgan.

“You want to buy my shop?”

Morgan stood quietly for a moment, waiting to see if her brain would signal her that this was a Big Mistake.

It didn’t.

“Yes. I want to buy this shop and run it.”

“Have you ever run your own business before?” Trixie asked, a cautious note in her voice.

Morgan shook her head. “No, but I have orchestrated large events for my brother. He’s actor Austin Rayhill. I could get him on the phone to tell you that I’m good at managing projects with multiple parts.”

As soon as those words came out, Morgan was struck by the truth of them. She did have some marketable skills. She’d been so focused on the fact that she’d been relying on Austin’s money so much she’d never considered all the things she’d done for him.

And how those things relied on skills. Skills she possessed.