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“Hey, it’s Rarity. Could you do mea huge favor?”
“Of course. You want me to bring treats for Tuesday, don’t you? I knew it was your turn, and with this whole thing, you’re probably swamped.” Shirley rattled on about a cookie recipe she’d found.
“Actually, no, that isn’t it. But you’re right, it is my turn. If you could bring something, that would be awesome. I was calling about our Mommy and Me book club we were supposed to be starting on Wednesday. Since Janey’s gone, can you handle it until I get another person hired. I can give you the book Tuesday night, if that would be enough time to read it. I don’t think Janey was planning on doing an activity with it, but you could do whatever you want.”
“Oh, dear. I’d love to. What’s the book? I’ll see if I can plan a fun activity to supplement the reading.” She giggled and then apologized. “I’m just so excited about this. The best part of being a grandma is reading to the kids.”
Rarity gave her all the information and let her know she’d be at the store in a few minutes if she wanted to talk more about the job. Then she got herself and Killerready for work.
They stopped at Terrance’s yard and picked up his morning paper. Rarity put it on the floor of the deck under the table by the door. Terrance had warned her that even though he’d put in a vacation hold, the paper delivery person seemed to just keep delivering. She didn’t have to pick up his mail, just keep the papers from piling up and announcingan empty house.
When she got to the bookstore, Caleb was sitting outside on the bench, waiting for her. His eyes were red, and he looked like he hadn’t slept. When he heard her steps, he stood. “I didn’t know if you’d heard or not. They announced it at school. They’re doing a vigil for her tonight. I can’t believe she’s gone.”
“I’m so sorry, Caleb. If you don’t want to work Thursday or Saturday, I understand. Just let me know.” Rarity reached out to squeeze his arm, but he shook off her gesture of comfort.
“I’m fine. I’ll be here to work. I just didn’t know if you’d heard.” He nodded, then stepped past her and went to get into a bright green Jeep.
She watched him leave while Killer sniffed around the front of the bookstore and the artificial grass she’d put in for his personal use. Caleb was hurting. She wondered if he’d even known he was falling in love with Janey. Having her talk on Saturday about dating Marcus must have hurt. Rarity felt bad for Caleb. He’d lost something he’d never admitted needing, and now he’d never have the chance to let her know how he felt.
Sometimes, losing the possibility of love was harder than being dumped or love growing cold. There was a saying about that, and Caleb was definitely in the “never loved at all” category. Or maybe the saying meant something else. Her head was starting to hurt.
Rarity went inside and turned on the lights. Monday was a slow day, and the only reason she even opened at all was to work on accounting for the week before. That way, she knew the books and the deposits would get done. She liked systems. Especially around things she hated doing, like math and spreadsheets.
She booted up her computer and, after making a pot of coffee, sat at her counter and started going through the income and expenses since last Sunday.
Rarity was just finishing up when a customer came in.
He smiled as he approached the register. “I didn’t think you were open. When I drove by this morning, I thought I sawa closed sign.”
“We’re open on Monday afternoons.” Rarity held out her hand. “I’m Rarity. How canI help today?”
“Josh. And I’m looking for something in the spy craft or thriller category. Lone wolf type heroes that do it all themselves and still get the girl, at least until the next book?” He shook her hand, grinning. “I’m here on a job for the next few weeks, and I’m afraid I’ve read all of the stash I brought with me.”
“Not a bad problem to have, at least not for your local bookseller. Thrillers are over to the left on the other side of mysteries. I keep a good supply since their always popular sellers.” Rarity pointed toward the correct section. “What type of jobare you doing?”
“Just some scouting. Really boring stuff. The client wants a feeling of what the town’s vibe is, at least in my opinion.” He nodded. “I’ll be done before closing, I promise.”
“No hurry. I still have a few days’ of receipts to update.” She turned back to her notes and almost immediately heard the bell again. She sighed as another person came inside the store. “Good afternoon. How may I help you?”
Archer grinned and held up a cup from Annie’s. “Salted caramel double shot.Just for you.”
She grabbed at the cup and finally wrestled it out of Archer’s hand. “Stop making me fight for it. I need the caffeine today.”
“You shouldn’t stay up so late. For a lark, you sure have owl tendencies.” He set a white bag on the table. “And here, just in case you need a sugarhigh at three.”
“No-judgment-allowed zone, sorry. Thanks, there’s a reason I love you.” She leaned over and gave Archer a kiss. “Have you talked to Sam or Drew today? What’s going on with Marcus?”
“I talked to Drew last night, and there’s not enough to arrest him for Janey’s murder, but he’s convinced they know their suspect. I can’t change his mind without evidence showing Marcus was somewhere else. And the guy is hiding something. I can tell. He’s always had shifty eyes, at least the few times I met him.”
“Again, don’t let Sam hear you talking about her brother that way. She’s convinced he’s innocent.” Rarity smiled at the customer, Josh, coming up behind Archer. “I can ring those up if you’re done. Did you need anything else? I can order anything you didn’t find and the book would be in on Wednesday if I get the order in by five.”
Josh set the books down and shook his head. He met Archer’s gaze and nodded as he pulled out his wallet. “Hey, man, how’s it going?”
“Hey.” Archer nodded back at the customer.
“Actually, these will get me through,” Josh said to Rarity, “and since that top one is a series, I can just come back for more of those if I run out of material. Thanks.”
Archer tapped the counter and turned to Rarity. “I’ll pick you up at five, and we can drop Killer off at the house before wego to dinner.”
