AllFreeNovel
Share Us
I start the engine and drive back to the bookstore, the journey taking only a few minutes. If I’d been taking Nash to school from my place, I wouldn’t have bothered to drive at all, but as I picked him up from his mother’s, I had the car, and we didn’t have time to take it home first. Like he said, his things weren’t ready, and while I was prepared to tell him that he could have done that himself, the fact is, Sabrina ought to have seen to it… or at least helped.
I’m sure she had better things to do, though. Probably with Dean.
Either that or work got in the way.
I park the car and get out, anger getting the better of my longing for the Kindergarten teacher, and I make my way inside, down the narrow hall, by-passing the door on the left that leads up to my apartment, and the one on the right, both of which are marked ‘Private’, going in through the one at the end, which opens into the rear of the shop.
I stop, surprised by how busy it is. There must be twenty or thirty people in here, and I smile, because it’s good for business.
“I’m sorry,” I whisper to Katie, joining her behind the cash desk, which is on the left-hand side of the shop, by the front door.
“That’s okay,” she replies, taking a couple of romance books from a young woman. “You’re here now.”
I know for a fact that Katie’s in her early sixties, but she doesn’t look it. Maybe it helps that there’s not a strand of gray to be seen on her blonde head. Or maybe it’s just her sunny disposition. Whatever it is, she’s a breath of fresh air, adorned today in a pale blue dress, with a darker blue cardigan over the top.
I daren’t tell her I’ve just spent the last ten minutes daydreaming, and could have been here a lot sooner if I’d tried.
“What do you need me to do?” I ask, glancing around the shop. Both side walls are filled with racks, and there are three more in the middle, running from front to back. We’ve also got a few tables for special displays, and four large high-backed armchairs, where people occasionally sit while they choose what to buy. Over the years, I’ve heard this place called ‘charming’ and ‘homely’, and I’m happy with both of those descriptions.
“Fix us both a coffee,” she says, and I offer her a fake salute.
“Your wish is my command.”
She chuckles, putting the books into a branded paper bag for the woman, who’s paid by credit card while we’ve been talking, and I make my way back out into the lobby. I open the door marked ‘Private’, which doesn’t lead to my apartment, but opens onto a small kitchen and break room, with my office beyond.
Katie likes her coffee to be at least seventy percent milk, so I fix hers first, frothing the milk just how she likes it, and then I make my own, which I take black. Our cups are white with the name of the bookstore printed on them, and once the drinks are ready, I carry them through to the store, putting them behind the cash desk, where Katie’s still standing, although she’s not serving anyone at the moment.
“You can tell it’s the first day of school,” she whispers, glancing around, and I nod my head. She’s not wrong. Everyone in Main Street will see an uptick in trade over the next few days. Moms will go to the beauty salon, spend time shopping, or go for coffee with friends, knowing they can do so without being interrupted by their kids. It’s like they need to let their hair down, having been tied to motherhood all summer… and I’m not complaining. It’s a great time of year to be in business. Especially my business, where we also benefit from the children returning to school. We’ll have another rush at the weekend, when they’ll come in with their parents, looking to buy at least a few of the books they’ve been told to read. We used to sell out quickly and have to order titles in, and while they never took very long, it was frustrating when we didn’t have everything on the shelves. Now, thanks to Katie having been a teacher, we’re able to find out in advance what the kids will be looking for each year, and can order books in advance. It saves so much hassle and I guarantee it’ll make us the most popular store in town for several weeks to come.
It’s lunchtime already, and the morning has been relentless.
“How are we gonna survive until Friday?” Katie says, coming back behind the cash desk. She’s been re-stacking the shelves in the Historical Literature section, which seems to have taken a hit this morning.
“I don’t know. I feel like I’ll be lucky to survive until the end of the day.”
She smiles, rolling her eyes, and steps up to serve an older woman, who’s holding an armful of books.
Thinking about the fact that it’s still only Tuesday makes me kinda miserable.
I might want to get to know the Kindergarten teacher, but the problem is I need to ask her on a date first… and the more immediate issue is, when am I likely to get the chance?
Today was a fluke.
I don’t usually take Nash to school at all, and I only collect him on Fridays. That’s days away yet. Do I really want to wait that long to see her again?
Not if I can help it.
“How was Sabrina?” Katie says, interrupting my train of thought. It’s the first chance we’ve had to talk since I got back here this morning.
“Disorganized,” I reply, shaking my head. “She was still fixing Nash’s lunch and hadn’t packed his schoolbag by the time I got there, so he wasn’t ready to leave.”
“Had she at least given him breakfast?”
“Yes. I asked, just to be sure.”
“I’ll bet she appreciated that,” she says, with a glint in her eyes.
“Not a lot.”
