Chapter 2
NIX
“You’re going to love this one,” I tell Carlyle as I put his new hardback into a bag. “I think it’s the best one yet.”
“That’s high praise coming from you, Nix.” The bouncer grabs the bag off the counter, and it lands against his body with a heavy thunk.
I try not to blush, but it doesn’t work.
And maybe I’m a bit picky when it comes to my reading material.
What other choice is there? There are thousands of books published every day.
No matter how hard I try, I’ll never be able to read them all.
Since I own a bookstore, I do my best to read widely so I can give my customers recommendations, but there’s only so much I can do.
Besides, life’s too short to read stories that don’t speak to my heart.
The newest installment in The Great Meerkat Detective series is gripping. I devoured the whole thing in under forty-eight hours. It would’ve been faster, but, sadly, I had to work.
Stupid adult responsibilities ruin everything.
“Make sure you report back,” I tell him. My opinion is only that. I need more data to refer people to new books. What do they like? What do they not like? What vibes are they looking for? These are all essential.
“I will. I’m not quick like you, though, so it might take a few weeks.”
I wave him off. “Whenever you get a chance.”
“Hey, where’s Nick? I didn’t see him today.” Carlyle looks around, bending over to look under a few of the tables.
That beast could be anywhere. “Probably found a quiet spot for a nap.” If it wasn’t cloudy today, he’d be in the little cat bed I keep in the front window, right next to the tree of books.
The tree rotates with the season. This month, the books make up the colors of the Pride flag.
I intended for that to be the main draw to get people into the shop, but customers prefer the oversized tuxedo cat.
Sometimes folks wander in simply to see Nick, his cute antics luring unsuspecting tourists in off the street.
If they end up buying a little something to remember the experience, even better.
“Give him some treats for me when he comes out.”
“Will do,” I lie. That cat gets plenty of treats.
The last thing he needs is more. And that’s a direct quote from the vet.
At last check, he was twenty-four pounds.
Even for a Maine Coon, that’s a bit much.
In the two years since I rescued him, he’s gone from scrawny street cat to spoiled store cat.
“Have you started your BINGO card?” I hold up one of the game pieces on the counter.
“You’ve got all summer to work through it. ”
The Tannenbaum Tales Tree-Mendous Summer Reading Challenge was something I started when I opened the shop.
Many adults, like me, had great memories of participating in similar events as children, but there are never any options for adults.
So I made my own. There’s no personal pizza at the end, but I do have stickers and buttons.
“Oh, I almost forgot.” Carlyle grabs the card from my hand and tucks it into his bag. “Thanks.”
Once Carlyle’s gone, I bury myself in paperwork. No one warned me how much math would be involved in owning a bookstore.
Okay, they probably did. Repeatedly. But I was caught up in the vision of spending my days surrounded by books.
Thankfully, it’s not too difficult, though I’m grateful for all the advanced math courses I took in college. Balancing the books might not require calculus, but even opening the spreadsheet and seeing the numbers sends a pulse of dread into my system.
It shouldn’t. My life used to revolve around the law.
When it came time to pick a career, I made the safe choice and went to law school.
After all, what would I do with an English degree?
Books brought me far more joy, but spending my days lost in fictional words didn’t pay the bills. At least that’s what my parents said.
Being a lawyer had promised a life filled with far less joy, but more security. It wasn’t until my great-aunt May passed away, leaving me her house and a sizeable nest egg, that I saw things differently.
The bells above the door jingle—literally, because they’re jingle bells.
The kind you’d expect to find on Rudolph.
It’s a bit annoying, but I’ve learned to tune it out.
The kids love it, which is what really matters.
Mondays are quiet around here, but a few people always pop in.
“I’ll be right with you.” I want to finish this last entry before I look away.
Otherwise, it’ll take me ten minutes to figure out where I was when I get back.
“Look around and let me know if you need help finding anything. If we don’t have it, we can always order it for you.
” It’s the standard spiel, one I say a few hundred times a week.
“Nix Jansen?”
It’s been years, but I’d recognize that voice anywhere. It haunted my dreams for years, hearing him whisper my name in my various fantasies.
“Chase?”
My feet are frozen as his footsteps get closer. It’s not until he’s standing in front of the register that he comes into full view.
I’d swear he hasn’t changed a bit. Okay, that’s not true.
Somehow, he’s even more gorgeous than before.
He’s always been fit, but his shoulders have filled out a lot since high school.
Then he’d been muscular, but still a bit on the scrawny side.
Now he’s put on several pounds of muscle.
In the process, he’s also learned how to use hair gel appropriately.
“Hey, Nix. Chase, remember?” He sticks his hand out like he’s meeting me for the first time, as if I didn’t see him every day for half my life.
“Hi,” I squeak out. My mouth is completely dry. Shit. I knew he was coming; this shouldn’t be a surprise. I figured by now he’d have a beer gut and be balding, not look like the perfect specimen that haunts my dreams.
Fine. I’ve stalked his socials enough to know that none of those things happened.
“My brother told you I was coming, right?” The stricken look on his face is enough to snap me out of my stupor.
“Of course. Sorry, I was off in my own little world. You know me, always lost in a book.” I do my best imitation of my father’s voice, but it falls flat.
“Good, I was worried for a minute that you forgot.” His head moves on a swivel.
It’s hard not to imagine what he thinks when he sees the place.
It’s not a huge store. Large enough to carry a decent selection across genres and host a few events, but it’s still a small-town shop.
“Thanks so much for letting me stay with you.”
“It’s no problem. I’ve been fixing the place up for years, but you’ll be my first official tenant.
You can take it for a test run before it officially goes on the market.
” The upstairs was in rough condition when I bought the building.
Unfinished and covered in what must have been at least twenty years of dust. I initially thought I’d turn it into an event space, but when I realized how long it would take, I put in an event space downstairs.
Nothing big, but room for tables and chairs.
It’s great for book clubs and game nights. At least I think so.
“Is there somewhere I can…” Chase nods toward the suitcase he’s dragged in behind him.
“Shit. I mean, of course. This way.” Right, it’s good to make a fool of myself early on. At least that’ll squash any idea that I might’ve outgrown my awkward teen ways.
I get halfway to the back room when I realize the shop is technically still open.
“Hang on a second.” I put my hand up, like I’m telling a dog to stay.
Before he can see the embarrassment on my face, I jog to the front door and turn the sign on the door to let people know I’ll be right back.
Locals are used to seeing the back in fifteen minutes sign.
Most days, it’s just me here, so occasionally I close up for a few minutes to take care of something.
Like, show my longtime fantasy man around his apartment.
Okay, that one’s just today, but still.
“Ready?” I ask when I return. As requested, Chase hasn’t moved an inch.
“Let’s do it.”
I lead him through the back room of the shop to the staircase that leads to his apartment.
“This is your entrance. Your key will let you in the back door there,” I explain, pointing toward a door that faces the back alley.
“Be sure to pull it shut—hard—so nothing else gets in. Then this door up the stairs uses the same key.” Thankfully, the door is agreeable, and the key turns easily in the lock.
That’s not always the case. It’s a bit particular, depending on the weather.
And the barometric pressure. And probably some other mystical reason that I don’t know about.
It’s on the list. Along with about seventy other things.
CHASE
This place is…well, wacky doesn’t begin to describe it. The bus dropped me off next to a Christmas tree.
It’s June. I’m not sure whether to claim they’ve left it up too long or put it up too early. Either way, they’re wrong.
“So, here’s your key.” Nix hands me a small key attached to an oversized bookmark. “Cute, huh? I thought it would be good to lean into the whole book theme.”
“It’s a little…impractical.” As soon as the words are out of my mouth, I feel like a massive asshole. “It’s cute, though.” It won’t fit in my pocket, but it’s cute.
“No, you’re right. I hadn’t thought of that. I’ll go back to the drawing board, but in the meantime, feel free to put the key on whatever keychain you like.”
“Thanks.” I’m trying not to sound ungrateful. He’s doing me such a big favor. Or rather, he’s doing my brother a favor, but I’m the one benefiting. The last thing I want to do is piss him off on the first day.
“Okay, this way.” I follow Nix up the narrow staircase, hauling my bag behind me.
He’s going to need to put a warning on the listing to let people know they’ll be schlepping their bag up at least twenty steps.
Not conducive to long-term stays. Fortunately, I brought only the essentials.
Since I’m not working, I don’t need much.
A few casual outfits plus my running clothes.
Otherwise, I’m low maintenance. Hopefully, this place has a drug store or something I can go to if I discover I need anything.
“Okay, so this is it.” Nix waves his arm around the space.
It’s larger than I expected, with a small kitchen and living room, plus a bed stuck in the corner.
It’s basically a blank slate, a bunch of beige walls with few decorations or anything that would make it stand out.
Even the bedding is various shades of tan.
The boxes I shipped ahead are neatly stacked in the corner, waiting for me to go through them.
Russ warned me it was a work in progress, but knowing Nix, I assumed everything would be colorful and full of book references.
“It’s great, thanks.”
“Everything should work, but if you find any issues, let me know. You’re the first person to stay here, so there’s probably a lot I haven’t thought about.
” He pauses and takes a big breath. “The bathroom is over there,” he says, pointing toward a wall with a small pocket door.
“There’s a linen closet in there with towels and sheets.
Feel free to use whatever you want. I don’t have a washer or dryer here, but you can either come and use the one at my place or go down to the laundromat until the one I ordered arrives. ”
“No problem. I’m sure I can handle it.” Honestly, anything is better than living in my brother’s den.
As resistant as I was to coming here, Russ had a point.
Spending my days stuck in the same environment, ruminating over my failures, wasn’t good for me.
This might not be my first choice of destinations, but it’s a chance to break out of my funk. “I’m pretty self-sufficient.”
“Okay, well, I should get back to the shop. There’s some food in the fridge that I picked up for you. I’ve got an event tonight, but tomorrow I can show you around town so you can go shopping.”
Somehow, I’m guessing I’ll be able to find anything on my own. It’s not like Sleighbell Springs is so big that I’ll get lost. Plus, I have my phone to guide me. “No worries. I don’t need you to babysit me.”
“Oh, okay.” Nix stares at the ground. Once again, I feel like an asshole. It’s becoming a regular thing for me here today. “I’ll see you later. Feel free to pop your head in the shop if you need anything.”
His footsteps are heavy as he heads back down the stairs. As soon as the door closes, I drop onto the couch. One month. That’s all I need to get through. A month to focus on job applications and getting myself back on track.
It should be easy enough in a small town with minimal distractions.