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She leaned into the open window on the passenger side. “Hey, Drew. What’s up?”
“I was wondering if we could have coffee this morning. I have a dilemma.” He reached over to open the door. “I’ll pay, and we can sit outside at the tables so Killercan come too.”
“If you’re buying, we’re coming. Did you know Annie’s started making dog treats too? Killer loves the peanut butter wafers.” Rarity picked up Killer, and after tucking her bag on Drew’s floorboard, lifted Killer up onto the seat, where he ran to greet Drew. Drew was one of Killer’s favorite friends. The feeling was mutual. She shut the door and put on her seat belt. “Killer, come sit by me so Drew can drive.”
Killer reluctantly obeyed, and Drew drove them to Annie’s Bakery on Main. He climbed out and met Rarity on the sidewalk. He locked the truck since he had his police laptop inside, and, Rarity surmised, he probably also had a firearm. Drew was never completely off duty.
She stayed outside enjoying the pleasant morning while Drew went into the shop to get coffee. Killer watched people walk by on the sidewalk while he sat nearRarity’s feet.
Since it was early, it was a little cool, and Rarity was glad she’d worn a jacket to walk to the shop. Later in the day, she wouldn’t need the jacket. Sometimes she’d have two or three at the shop she’d forgotten to take home. Tonight, she’d run home after work, change into a dress, and grab a quick sandwich before meeting Archer at Darby’s house for the party. Killer would have to stay home tonight. She brought him as much as she could, but a party was just a little too much stimulation.
Drew came back with two large coffees and a bag of something that smelled sweet. He sat down, then leaned over and held out a doggie biscuit for Killer. “It’s pumpkin something. Annie said you’ve had them before.”
Rarity laughed. “You know you live in a small town when your dog’s bakery order is available foranyone to get.”
“Sedona’s a great place to live. Sure, we don’t get four seasons, but we can go elsewhere for that. I enjoy the heat.” He opened the bag, set a napkin on the table, then a peach scone in front of Rarity. “Annie said she got the peaches from Georgia this summer.”
“She’s always making something new. I’m surprised these don’t have chilies in them.” Rarity lifted the scone, then saw Drew’s face. “These aren’t hot, right?”
“These ones aren’t, but she did have some with green chilies. How did you know?” Drew took the second scone out and flattened the bag to use as his plate.
“It’s Arizona. Everything seems to have a bit of spice in it. My palate has changed since I left St. Louis. But I have to be careful what I offer Killer.” She took a sip of coffee. “So why the early morning chat? What do you want?”
“Who said I wanted anything? We’re friends, right?” He glanced around the empty café tables. “Okay, I’m worried aboutSam’s brother.”
“Besides, you said you had a problem. Okay, are you worried he won’t like you?” Rarity hadn’t seen Drew this way before. He’d been hesitant to start dating Sam, mostly because he wasn’t sure he was ready for something serious. And he hadn’t wanted to mess up a relationship that might be his forever partner. Drew thought way too much about things. It was a bad habit they had in common. “Or something else?”
“He seems a little entitled. Like he’s still the captain of the football team and Sam’s just another groupie. He shouldn’t treat her like that.” Drew sipped his coffee. “Or am I just seeing things thataren’t there?”
Rarity thought about her one and only encounter with Marcus. He did seem confident, but it appeared that he really cared for Sam. Of course, that could be a total act. Rarity saw the concern in Drew’s face. “I’m not sure. I’ve only met him once and I didn’t have the same reaction that you did. But maybe he’s better with women. Some men can charm women, but there’s something with their male friends that doesn’t work. I guess we’ll just have to reserve judgment until we get to know him better. You know he might be staying around.”
“Another reason I’m not exactly thrilled about this. I don’t know, maybe I do feel threatened. Sam’s really happy he came to visit. Maybe I should just go with the flow.” He finished his scone. “I’m trying to talk myself out of running a background check.”
Rarity pointed out the flaw in his idea. “You don’t have any reason to run one, so that wouldn’t be ethical, andyou know it.”
Drew’s lips flattened, but then he nodded. “You’re right. There’s a reason I asked you to breakfast. Mostly to talk me off this edge I worked myself onto.”
“Invite him for a beer. Or take him hiking. Maybe doing something with just the two of you would ease your mind.” Rarity squeezed Drew’s hand. “I know all you want is for Sam to be happy.”
“I guess I’ll see him tonight at the party. I’ve got a late shift tomorrow. I’ll ask if he wants to go hiking.” Drew leaned back and rubbed the top of his head. His hair was buzz-cut short this month. It made him look like a GI Joe doll in a police uniform. It wasn’t a bad look for him, but she could see how Marcus and his too-long hair and casual jeans was his total opposite. Hopefully the men could bond over something they both agreed on. Or at least agreed to disagreefor Sam’s sake.
They talked about a few other things, but soon, Rarity glanced at her watch. “I need to open the store. Thanks for coffee. I’ll see you tonight?”
“Thanks again for talking me off the ledge about Marcus.” Drew reached down and gave Killer a rub. “I take it Killer’s grounded tonight?”
“Yeah. Darby wouldn’t mind if I brought him, but he doesn’t like to be around a lot of people, so I’ll keep him home.” She stood, and Killer stood with her, ready to follow. “Don’t worryso much, Drew.”
He shook his head as he walked with her toward his truck. “You don’t get it. That’s my job. I’m supposed to worry and see things other people miss.”
As Rarity walked the couple of blocks to the store alone, she wondered about Drew’s last words. Was there something Marcus was hiding from Sam and his new Sedona friends? Why had he decided to move home? Rarity knew there was more to moving than just a breakup. She probably would have stayed in St. Louis if she hadn’t truly felt she didn’t fit in at her job anymore. And without a significant other with her to tie her to the area, she had made the leap. So what was Marcus’s reason for making a life change? That was the question.
Usually, Darby worked on Thursdays, shelving books and entering them into the bookstore inventory. But last week had been Darby’s final days at the bookstore. At least until she came back from Scotland. She needed the time away from Sedona. Time to grow as a person. Time to find out who she wanted to be as an adult. Rarity didn’t begrudge her employee’s new experiences, but she was going to miss having her around. Tonight would bea hard goodbye.
After opening the store, Rarity focused on getting the week’s book order ready for customers. Several books were set aside and not put on the shelves. She called their new owners and let them know the books had arrived. Rarity loved having just the right book tucked away for her customers. And when they ordered the first book in a series, she always ordered a duplicate as well as the rest of the series. Word of mouth could sell a book faster than a good ranking in an online store. She’d found a loyal following for the bookstore after being open for over a year. Now, she just had to continue to cater to what the customers needed.
Like the Mommy and Me readings that would start next week. Janey seemed like the perfect coordinator for the series. They had a starting book already chosen, and Janey was supposed to give her a flyer by the end of the week. She had better digital art skills than either Rarity or Caleb, so Rarity thought Janey might take over those tasks for the bookstore. At least if she wanted the hours.
Working with college students tended to be hit and miss. When she found someone like Darby, Rarity didn’t mind working around their school schedule or activities. If, like Darby, they could commit and show up for a certain number of hours a week. For some she’d interviewed, they’d wanted so few hours, it didn’t make sense for them to drive from Flagstaff or for her to schedule the hours that would change on a weekly basis or, sometimes, on a whim.
