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I finally told her I was a grown ass woman and could manage to survive without her here. So we argued, we cried, but in the end she accepted I needed this just as much as she did. I needed to be brave, accept that my life will never be like it was before, but it’s also not the end of the world.
A few months ago, I made the decision to take over the bookstore fully and hire some help to be my eyes. Thankfully, Amber had taken care of that part. She hired Caleb and Camille to help me. They caught on to the training quickly, now switching off in shifts. I make sure I’m here every day, though.
This is my safe place. The moment I cross the threshold of the bookstore and hear the ding of the bell above me, my shoulders automatically start to relax. Once the scent of old books and aged ink hits my nose, the rest of my body eases and the stress of everyday life as a blind woman washes away.
Today, though, is a sad day. Today is Amber’s last day of working with me. She has to finish packing and arranging for her move across the country. I signed the last of the papers last week, so I’m now the full owner of the Cozy Nook bookshop.
It was always my dream to own a bookshop, to read to kids, helping them explore their wild imagination. I never expected that I would have my dream and nightmare collide. It was almost laughable. A blind bookstore owner. But my love for reading and dream of this place made me push myself harder, and I learned how to read braille.
As Amber pulls back, wiping away a tear that escaped, I realize I must have been lost in my thoughts again. “You know, there is still time for me to stay. I hate the idea of leaving you. What if yo-“
“No.” I interrupt, knowing exactly what she is about to say. “I can’t leave. You know that. This is everything I ever wanted. You have bigger and better dreams. Plus, I need to do this. For me.” I wipe under my eyes again, reminding myself to stay strong. If I tell her the truth, that I’m terrified of her leaving, of me being alone; I know for a fact she will stay and the guilt of that would feel worse than any other feeling I might experience.
“Okay. But do you promise you will call if anything happens? And we have to talk every single day. If I don’t hear from you, I will come straight back.” I giggle a little at her serious tone. “Wren, you are my sister. I love you. It’s been me and you against the world for so long that it’s hard to picture not seeing you daily. What if something happens and I’m not here for you? Who will you call for help?” I frown at that. I never thought about it. Amber has always been my go-to person when something happens. The idea of Jax being in my life pops into my mind, but I shake that idea away. I don’t even know the guy.
I reach out, grabbing Amber and pulling her to me in a tight bear hug. I’m going to miss this. Miss her. I’m about to tell her I’ll be okay and to assure her that everything will work out when the front door opens, the bell alerting us someone has come in stops me.
I look in the direction of the sound and smile wide when I hear multiple little feet running through the aisles of books. Giggles sound through the little shop and I let go of Amber to turn fully. I crouch down, readying myself for the full on frontal attack. A second later, three sets of little arms wrap around my body tight all talking at once.
“Miss Wren, Miss Wren, it’s my turn to pick the book today, right?” Mia asks, her little voice full of excitement. It’s followed by two equally cute little groans, her brothers Michael and Mason.
“Miss Wren, Mia always chooses books about princesses.” Mason whines and I hear their mom chuckle.
“Mason, Michael, you know Miss Wren’s rules. When it’s your day, you can pick whatever book you want. Today is Mia’s turn, so be nice to your sister. Wren, sweetheart, do you mind keeping them an hour longer? I have a hair appointment after my errands and I’m due for some maintenance.”
“Of course. Take your time. I know my three favorite customers will behave themselves, right?” I ask out loud, receiving yes’s all around. “Perfect. Go get the corner set up, please. I’ll be there in a minute.” I tell the children. A second later, three sets of footsteps go running off. “Walk please.” I call out, hearing a faint, “yes Miss Wren.”
“You are a lifesaver, Wren. I’ll be back as soon as I can. Thank you again.” I hear Mrs. William’s turn, then the click-clack of her heels as she heads for the door. I turn towards the Little Nook corner where I can hear the boys trying to talk their sister into a different book.
“We’re not done with this conversation Wren.” Amber calls out. I just nod my head. She doesn’t think we are done, but we are. I can’t bear being alone without her, but I also can’t bear the thought of her putting her happily ever after on pause for me.
“So Mia, what are we reading today?” I hear the front door ding again, but I take a seat on the soft carpet, finding a pillow to tuck behind my back as I lean against the wall. Whoever just entered, Amber can deal with.
Mia hands me the book as I run my fingers over the cover to read the title. I brighten with excitement as I feel the rough bumps under my fingertips.
“Great choice. This is one of my favorites. Are we ready?” I flip to the first page and place my fingers at the start. “Once upon a time…”
Chapter ten
Maverick
The ding of the overhead bell sounds as Xander opens the door as I follow suit, walking into the Cozy Nook bookshop. The smell of old books assaults my nose and I wrinkle it in disgust.Who the hell would want to spend all day in a place like this? It smells weird.
I dart my eyes around before I’m greeted by Wren’s friend, Amber. She has a clean record other than dropping out of college and moving to this city about two years ago. She and Wren have been thick as thieves since. My guy is still looking into Wren but so far she is clean, other than the fact I have found nothing about her prior to them moving here years ago. It’s suspicious, but Xander and Jax seem to be head over heels for this woman. They have been acting like love sick puppies and it seems I might be the only reasonable one left.
“Welcome! Is there anything I can help you find today?” Amber’s cheery voice rings out, making Xander step forward, his serious business face plastered on. He reaches out a hand, Amber doing the same, but her smile that was just there has faded a bit, as a new confused look begins to form.
“Hi, I’m Xander Ashford. I’m here to meet with Wren. I’m a bit early but was in the area for another meeting that ended early so I figured I’d stop by and get the ball rolling. Is Miss Wren around?” He asks, looking around like he doesn’t know right where his little obsession is. I roll my eyes at his words because we weren’t just in the area, plus he made sure we didn’t have any meetings for the entire day other than with her.
The asshole knew she would be reading to the Williams children at this time, but insisted we come early to check the place out. His words were “to see if the bookshop was worth his investment.” The dumbass thinks I’m stupid or something. I’ve already seen the drawn up contract sitting on his desk for over a week now. We already know he is planning to buy the building for her.
In his mind, she is his end game. I think the poor fucker just needs to fuck her out of his system, then I’ll get my real best friend back, not this love drunk fool.
“Oh, ummm.” Amber looks to the side, and of course, I follow her line of sight. Stupid move. There she is, sitting leaned up against the wall of the kids nook tucked up all cozy. A book in her hands and three children nestled around her. She runs her delicate little fingers across the page, reading the words out loud. The kids hanging on to every word that passes those plump pink lips. “She actually just started her reading session and the children’s mother said she would be a bit longer than usual today but let me go trade places with her.” She goes to turn, but Xander stops her.
“No. That’s alright. We are earlier than expected. Let her read to the children. They seem quite taken with her.” He observes, not taking his eyes off the vision of a woman. We already know she is good with kids. The cameras he had placed in here a month ago have told us that much. He had said he wanted to “keep an eye on the woman” who witnessed us doing not so legal things, but it’s not like she could have identified us.
But he was obsessed the night he laid eyes on her. The camera here and the one in her apartment only go to show how far he is willing to go to “keep an eye on a witness.”
