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Admitting his worries about his son only made him more attractive. But that might have been because my mother didn’t worry about me the same way. It was only natural I’d be attracted to someone who was a good parent. He was trying. That was more than my mother had ever done.
Her lips pursed. “Just be careful. Corey broke into your store.”
“I will. Besides, Jake will be keeping a close eye on the situation.”
She smiled knowingly. “And Ryan.”
“Remember, I’m supposed to be turning over a new leaf and dating a different kind of guy.”
“And what, Ryan’s not a good bet because he drives a motorcycle and got into some trouble when he was a teenager?”
“He used to be a bad boy. I’m not so sure he is anymore.” But I wanted to find out.
* * *
When the bell over the door dinged at four, Corey walked in. He looked as uncomfortable as I felt. “Where do you want me to put my stuff?”
I was nervous about working with a twelve-year-old. I told myself it had nothing to do with who his father was, and the fact that I’d be seeing him soon.
“Follow me. I’ll show you the breakroom.” I led him down the narrow hallway to the small break room with enough room for a two-person table and a mini fridge. “I don’t have any cubbies, but you can put your bag on the table. It’s just you and me here today.”
He dropped the bag on the chair, then stuffed his hands in his pockets.
“I was hoping you could get started on cleaning the upstairs apartment. Washing the walls and painting.” I thought it was best to give him some space to work at first. He was probably nervous about interacting with customers or me asking him questions. I wanted him to feel safe here.
He shrugged. “Whatever you need.”
I smiled to put him at ease. “I really appreciate you offering to help out.”
He raised his brows.
I sighed. “I know you didn’t exactly offer. It’s supposed to be good for your case, but you’re really helping me out. I can’t work in the shop and paint upstairs.”
“It’s not a problem.” His voice was soft.
“I’ll show you the apartment.” We had to walk outside to get access to the door.
Upstairs, I showed him where everything was that he needed to get started. “If you have any questions, you can text me or come downstairs.”
“You’re going to just leave me here?” he asked.
“Yeah, I have to get back to the counter in case a customer comes in.” He was perfectly safe up here, and I’d discussed it with Ryan.
“Let me know if you need anything.” I left him alone in the apartment.
I suspected he was worried I’d treat him differently, like I didn’t trust him, but I wanted to do the opposite. I wanted to show him that I trusted him.
It wasn’t exactly the truth, but I was hoping he’d earn it. I flipped the sign fromBe back in 15 minutestoOpenand went back to bagging spices.
Nana opened the Spice & Tea Shoppe with my grandfather, but he’d died before I was born. The teas were Nana’s, but he’d created the various spice combinations. My job was to continue what they’d already started.
That was probably why I wasn’t feeling motivated. There wasn’t anything challenging about the store other than how to increase my customer base, which dwindled more each year.
Nana said when Grandpa was alive, he had a group of regular customers who’d come in to talk to him and order spices for themselves and various teas for their wives. Those customers had dried up as they’d gotten older and less mobile.
When it was just Nana, she wasn’t able to create new spices, so we were stuck with what we had. The business didn’t have anything new to offer, but I also couldn’t contribute. Tea leaves and spices weren’t my forte, but then, I didn’t know what was.
I craved stability and security, and the store had given me both for a long time. I knew where I belonged, but lately, I’d been restless, wondering if this was it.
