Page 74 of Safe With You

“It does.”

“People can buy books anywhere now. Half the time they can get them cheaper without leaving home.”

“That’s a hell of a sales pitch.”

She laughed. “You know what I mean.”

“I do.”

“So if they’re going to come here, I want there to be a reason beyond the book itself. Maybe they meet somebody at a book club. Maybe they hear a poem that sticks with them. Maybe a kid comes to story hour and finds the first book they actually love.”

She shrugged, almost like she hadn’t just explained the entire reason the place existed.

“I just want people to feel like they can stay.”

I looked past her toward the front windows.

Tuesday night made more sense now.

The chairs squeezed between shelves. The extra tables. The café running nonstop. Luna moving from person to person while somehow making each interaction look like it deserved all of her attention.

Even Saturday, when Mila had been trying to decide between dinosaurs and dragons, Luna hadn’t spoken to her like she was a kid taking up space in an adult bookstore. She’d crouched beside her and listened.

I looked back at Luna.

“You did it.”

She frowned. “Did what?”

“Built what you just described.”

Her expression changed, not much, but enough that I noticed.

“I’m still working on it.”

“That doesn’t mean it isn’t already here.”

She lowered her eyes to the notebook, and for once, she didn’t have an answer waiting.

I took another drink of coffee and gave her the space to find one.

“Why photography?”

The question caught me off guard.

“What?”

She looked up again. “You know why I opened a bookstore now. Seems unfair that I don’t know anything about you.”

“You know things about me.”

“I know you have a daughter, you own a studio, you drink terrible coffee, and apparently you spend your free time judging outdated websites.”

“That’s plenty.”

“It really isn’t.”

I laughed and leaned back in my chair.