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“Thanks Mrs. Sharp.I hope Beth really likes the books,” I said as I handed over the paper bag filled with some great middle-grade series. “Please wish her happy birthday for me.”
I waited until she was gone to relax, feeling exhausted from the minor customer rush a few moments ago. The advertising for the store-wide sale seemed to be working as people came through in droves for new books at half the cost.
Many customers thought we were closing, so Grampa and I had to repeatedly explain that we were only minimizing our store space. Many also asked what we were doing with the second floor, prompting us to explain that White Oak Construction would open an office above.
“Oh, I love White Oak! They renovated our bathroom a few years back.”
“Oh, wow! Chris built our house for us when we bought a new patch of land.”
“Christopher Warner will be working above you? Good luck, girl. That man is way too hot for his own good.”
I’d cringed at that last one, mainly because it came from Betty, a woman I knew had slept with Chris. I knew this because Sean had made fun of him in front of me one day, and Chris had blushed and told him to shut up.
“I’m proud of you, sweetheart. Your idea is working like gangbusters,” Grampa said, squeezing my shoulder affectionately.
We took turns ringing up customers and helping people find the books they were looking for. If the next couple of Saturdays were like this, we would quickly clear out that inventory.
“Thanks, Grampa. I’m proud of you, too,” I said.
He wrapped his arm around me and pulled me in for a side hug. “Life might have thrown us a few curveballs, but we’re still making it happen. We might not always like the results, but that’s okay. Life is about adjusting and compromising.”
I nodded, taking in his words. “You’re right.”
Life became more manageable as I adjusted my expectations and compromised with Chris. Our friendship was developing again as we seemed to meet each other at the same level of kindness and openness.
I’d thought building a thick wall between us had protected my heart, but all it did was make the pain worse. It festered inside me and grew. Only after I decided to stop fighting against him had I felt any peace with it.
Sure, I was still attracted to him and had feelings, but I felt more in control of my emotions than before. Seeing him wasn’t highly triggering and didn’t immediately take me back to that place. I didn’t immediately feel the urge to ignore him or be rude or argue. And clearing the air helped me put it to bed.
The bell rang over the front door. Chris walked in and glanced around the now empty store. Usually, he didn’t work on the weekends, but he carried his toolbox.
Grampa stared at Chris for a second, patted his front pockets, and put his hand on his forehead. “Oh, shoot. I just remembered I left one of my medications at home. It’s getting close to lunchtime, and I need to take it with food.”
He kissed my cheek, and I gripped his sleeve. I didn’t buy his excuse to leave me alone with Chrisagain. “You already took your medication, Grampa,” I reminded him.
He laughed awkwardly. “There are others you don’t know about it. Sorry to leave you here alone, but I’ll be back as soon as I can.” He really wasn’t a very good actor. I figured he didn’t like that Chris and I had grown apart and was intent on making sure we spent a lot of time together to make up.
Chris ambled up to the register. “Don’t worry, Jackson. I’m here to work, so I’ll be around if she needs anything.” He winked at me.
Grampa was already heading out the door, leaving us alone in the empty bookstore. Chris and I stood awkwardly by the front counter, and I shouldn’t have felt so nervous about him when we’d been hanging out a lot more than usual lately.
Maybe it was because I hadn’t expected him to stop by on his day off. It didn’t seem like him, and the unexpectedness had my heart racing. I took a deep breath and glanced at him.
Dammit, he was staring directly at me with an amused look on his face.
“What?” I asked, keeping my lips in a straight line.
He shrugged. “Nothing. Just seeing you flustered is pretty cute.”
My eyes widened. “Did you come to work or practice your lame pickup lines?” I asked.
He barked out a laugh. His lips curved into one of those smiles that I knew attracted women to him. I knew it, because it worked on me too.
“Believe it or not, I did come to work,” he said. “I have some guys coming a little later. We need to finish setting up frames for the new walls we’re putting in next week.”
“Sounds like hard work.”
He nodded. “It is, but it needs to be done. We’ve been falling behind.” He flexed his arm and slapped his bicep, talking in a low, stilted growl. “But big strong man no mind work hard.” He grunted.
