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Rowen: Tell me there was some huge drama at work today.
Shelby: I folded the new sweaters today and still haven’t found a new employee since my last one bailed.
This is followed by an angry emoji. Before I left my old life behind to move to East Hollow to live in a massive empty house and own a bookstore, I worked at the largest mall in Georgia at JCPenney’s. I was the assistant manager to Shelby’s management position, and we worked well together. I think she’s still a little salty about me leaving but knows how good this is for me as well, so I get fun passive aggressive comments like this one.
Rowen: They just left? How rude!
Shelby: Right? Such a bitch! So how is Stars Hollow, Tennessee?
I throw myself back on the huge sectional sofa and a cloud of dust takes flight, dancing in the lamp light. I really need to get this place cleaned up. It’s just been so overwhelming. The TV across from me is massive and older than I am, but it works and with my Xbox plugged in, I can stream anything I want. I actually tried to move it the other day and almost threw my back out. It’s on a stand and has to be pulled out from the wall about a foot because the back end is so huge. First purchase with my inheritance is a flat screen. It doesn’t even have to be big. I glance around at the cavernous rooms with vaulted ceilings. Okay, so maybe it will need to be pretty big.
I pick up my phone and decide to call Shel so I can close my eyes and not have to type.
“Is there an emergency? Are you being robbed? Assaulted? Because that is the only good reason to pick up the phone and call someone! This is not the decade for that my friend. Oh my gosh! Is that town likePleasantvilleand you’ve gone back to two thousand where people still call?” All of this comes out in one rushed breath.
“I miss you too,” I deadpan.
“Oh, so you’re calling to talk? Is that a thing? You know we can video chat, right?” Shelby shuffles around and then her voice comes out a little echoey. “Do you want to video chat?” I know she put in her ear buds so she can do other things while we talk.
“Not everyone is allergic to phone calls,” I grumble, booting up my Xbox and turning on the TV with a remote longer than my forearm. “I just wanted to hear your voice, not see your face. Relax.” The light from the TV casts a blue glow over the room and the Xbox home screen appears, I wait for it to finish loading and start flipping through my apps and games.
“Fine. I interviewed three people today, one girl was okay. I may hire her if she can pass the drug test. Which is stupid because I don’t care what she does in her free time, but I guess corporate does. Now I’m standing alone in my apartment trying to figure out if I want to turn my empty room into a studio or if I want to rent it out. The problem is that I hate people and don’t want to live with anyone else. It’s a real conundrum when your best friend up and leaves you.” So, maybe Shel is a little more than salty about my move.
“I think you should rent it out.” The words taste sour. I don’t want someone else there with my best friend.
“You do? You’re the most jealous person I know, but want me to rent your room out to someone else?” Her tone says it all.
“I left. I needed to do it for me and for Aunt Matilda, but that doesn’t mean I want your life on pause too. You can make new friends and do things without me, but when you take your week of vacation, your ass will be in this huge house with me.” Saying it is like a punch to the gut, but it also feels mature and like I’m doing the right thing. Shelby is so much fun and so sweet, she should be out making new friends and doing things. Even though the thought of her doingourthings with other people makes me want to punch someone.
“Fine. I may find a new roommate, but I won’t like it. Oh, shit Mom is calling. I gotta go, Row. Can we play a game tomorrow night? That way we can talk and kick ass?” Shelby got me into video games when we were kids. Not that she’s a hardcore gamer, but she definitely likes to play and she’s pretty good at it. She kicks my ass every time we play against each other, so I learned to always be on her team.
“Deal. Love you!” I make kissy sounds into the phone.
“Love you back!” The phone goes silent, and I drop it down on the couch next to me, picking up the controller. I’m still in my hoodie and beanie, so I glance at the phone and reach into my pocket. The card Janet gave me is there. I pull it out and stare at it, the butterflies doing their thing again. I set the card on my phone and slide them about six inches away, as if that’s going to make me not think about her.
My thumb tilts the joystick and scrolls along the endless options for entertainment. Nothing looks like what I want, so I give up and turn onBob’s Burgers. It’s literally my favorite show in the world and I fall asleep to it every night. I decide to start at episode one and press my thumb down to make it play. The familiar theme song echoes around the cavernous room and I’m instantly a little calmer.Bobis definitely my comfort show. I look at the phone again with the card sitting on top of it and my fingers itch to pick it up. It’s three in the morning and Janet was tipsy, so maybe I should just wait. But if I was getting a vibe from her and it’s not wishful thinking, why not shoot my shot with a text she’ll see when she gets up? I rub my hands together and decide to wait. I can text her tomorrow when I’m not exhausted.
I pull the quilt off the back of the couch and stretch out, moving my phone to the coffee table and taking off my beanie. The room is chilly. One of the first things I realized when I moved in here is that the heat doesn’t work. It’s one of those minor repairs I need to get to, so I bought a space heater. I kick off my Vans and let them fall with a thud at the end of the couch and settle in to sleep. While voices of my favorite characters soothe me on screen, I start to slowly warm up, and for a second, I entertain the thought of hefting the heater upstairs to one of the million bedrooms and sleeping on a real bed. I quickly decide against it when my lids close and I’m out.
* * *
“Do you know alphabetical order?”I stare at the man who just asked me this completely absurd question. Leo Stewart is a lot of things. Smart is not one of them. I take that back. He’s clearly a genius with the social skills of a… I have no idea what else could possibly have such poor people skills. Wild animals at least have enough respect to stay away for the most part, but this man has the audacity to be right here in the middle of civilization, asking the worlds dumbest questions.
“Yes. I think my brain can manage that,” I say the words slowly, hoping he wasn’t being serious.
“You’d be surprised at the people who don’t. The other clerk quit and I can’t find a replacement. I tried, but no one will take the job. Can you shelve those?” He points to a gray cart stacked high with books. An employee with a head full of dark curls is at the register with a line at least ten deep and Leo is standing near the office door, eyes darting around looking like an animal trapped in cage. The sticker on the side of the cart says ‘romance’ so I assume they go there, in alphabetical order, of course.
“I guess so, I was hoping to have a second to talk, but we can wait until it slows down.” I start toward the cart.
“You asked what we needed since Matilda died.” Leo’s jaw twitches when he says my great aunt’s name and I can see the pain in his face. “I need more staff. We can afford it, but…” He won’t meet my eyes and takes a deep breath, defeated.
“We can talk later. I’ll shelve the books. Go help her.” I tip my head toward the younger girl at the front who hasn’t stopped smiling once. Leo doesn’t say anything else. He simply turns and leaves me with the books to shelve. I go do just that.
The cart drives like my own worst nightmare, but eventually I get it to the proper section and start shelving. It takes me about five seconds to realize the books are not in any sort of order on the cart, so I’m running up and down the aisle like a crazy person. I stop doing that and sort the cart instead. I make rough stacks in order and then shelve the whole stack, dragging the unwieldy cart along with me until I get done with the first half of the alphabet. By the time I hit M I’m feeling pretty accomplished.
“Wow! You want a job?” It’s a girl’s voice, high and perky.
“Looks like I have one. At least until we can hire someone else.” I look up and see the young woman who was behind the register.
