Chapter 14
Sylvie
I fear the scent of lemon cleaning products may never fully dissipate.
Both from the store—which, thanks to the graphic designer Aiden hooked me up with, now has a gorgeous logo—and from my skin.
I’m destined to smell like a lemon for all time.
Still, I lean back against the counter, soaking in the gleaming, freshly polished wood surfaces all around me, reveling in a job well done.
Sure, my shoulders are sore, my elbows are going to ache tomorrow, and my fingers feel like the victims of a minor but persistent chemical burn—but damn, it’s worth it just for how much I accomplished today.
No bunnies left undusted.
No spiderwebs left intact.
To Be Read is officially shining clean. Even the stained-glass window got a serious scrub, the door hardware all succumbing to my need to polish the ever-living shit out of everything.
Colton lets out a low whistle as he emerges from the storeroom in the back. “Looks really good, Sylvie.”
The storeroom, which I still have to tackle, and which will also soon be receiving probably too many books. Too many books and too much merch. And furniture.
I should order some storage shelves.
“Thanks, Colton,” I tell him, pulling up a shopping tab I already had open on my phone. Oh. I already ordered backstock shelves. Well, okay. Thanks, past me.
“You think four-hundred-pound shelves is enough?”
“Weight wise?” He comes to stand next to me, tilting his head as he looks out at the now-glowing bookshelves. “You worried about the structural integrity of these?”
“No,” I say slowly, new worry filling me. “Should I be?”
“Nah, these things are solid. They’re in good shape, too.” He knocks on the nearest one, giving it a once-over that is completely lost on me but must mean something to him. “You might want to wipe them down again so that wood oil doesn’t ruin any books you put up.”
“Yeah, I will. I was going to let them soak it up tonight. But I meant for the storeroom.”
“Oh.” He turns his gaze to me, clearly thinking it over. “Yeah, that should be more than enough, unless you start selling heavy equipment or cast-iron cauldrons or something weird.”
A nervous, too-high chuckle slips out of me. “Cast-iron cauldrons? Why? What does that have to do with books?”
“Nothing.” He shrugs a shoulder, hooking a hand into the pocket of his worn khaki Carhartt jacket. “I had to help lift one in the town square yesterday and it left an impression. And a pulled muscle.”
That makes me laugh again, though now it’s pure relief.
“That cat you have would fit right in with the whole witch setup down there. It’s pretty cool.”
“Oh, you met Prudence?” I ask innocently.
“Pretty sure you should put her on the payroll,” Colton says with a smile. “She would give most foremen I’ve worked with a run for their money. That cat did not stop supervising once. I had to shoo her out of the bathroom to use it.”
“Right.” I force a laugh. “She’s a real perv.”
Colton gives me a strange look, and I clear my throat.
“Anyway, everything is up and running?”
“Yeah, I’m actually surprised how smoothly it all went. The electrical was in good shape, just a few places it looked like it was gnawed on, so I replaced those, then I went ahead and relabeled your breaker box for you so you know what everything goes to.”
He almost gave me a heart attack the first time the lights flashed, but I nod like I haven’t been expecting Casper the Unfriendly Ghost to pop out at any time and try to commit ectoplasmic homicide.
He blinks at my stretched smile, and I realize I’m not doing a good job at pretending to be normal. I try to relax my lips and look casual.
I’ve never been so aware of my face in my entire life.
“There’s one part I need for the sink in the public restroom.
The knobs and faucets are in good enough shape, but if you want to update that bathroom, I could help you with that next week.
I have a free afternoon, it wouldn’t take much to make it nicer in there.
” He holds up a finger, adding one with new additional item.
“New light fixture, new pedestal sink, new mirror, and a new toilet would go a long way. The tiles need a good scrub, and it could use a paint job, but replacing those fixtures would really update it.”
That’s like, seven fingers, though he’s only holding up five. Well, I guess five is what he’s offering to do. For a price.
Sure, the bathroom is functional, yeah, but he has a point.
“Oh, yeah, that would be great, actually. When could you get it done?”
“It shouldn’t take me too long to do it. Shouldn’t take me more than half a day. I’d advise if you want to wallpaper or paint or do anything like that, do it between demo and install. It will just be easier to rip it out, paint, and then replace.”
“Good advice,” I say, thinking about the paint I bought last night with Aiden.
Warmth rushes into my cheeks, and it has nothing to do with the temperature.
“The other thing I think you might want is a dehumidifier,” Colton continues.
“You can get one of those little stand-up ones, or I can install a system that will drain for you automatically and be hardwired in. Your books and all these wood shelves will thank you for it. Shouldn’t need it much in the winter, so I could schedule you in for a spring install. ”
I blink, overwhelmed by the sound of cash registers ringing in my ears.
“Can you send me an email with uh, a what’s it called?”
“Yeah, I’ll bring by an estimate when I do your bathroom reno next week.” He grins at me, scratching his jaw. “You can always get more than one quote, too.”
“Quotes,” I repeat the word faintly. “I guess I should ask what you’ll charge for the bathroom stuff.”
“I’ll give you cost on supplies and then install will be the same as today, my hourly rate.”
I might have spent another significant chunk of my inheritance money on furniture and décor today, and on all of Colton’s hard-work.
I might be getting a little too used to spending money like it’s nothing.
Well, at the very least, I didn’t break out into a stress sweat like the last time I made a purchase.
Growth.
“Okay, sounds good.” I manage to inject my voice with a confidence I’m sorely lacking.
I’m also just plain sore.
“I sent the invoice to you,” he says, looking pointedly at the phone in my hand.
“Right,” I say, then bark out a laugh. “You need me to pay you.”
“Exactly.”
“Sorry, Colton—”
“Nah, don’t apologize, Sylvie. I know you worked hard today and you’re tired too.”
“Running a business is hard,” I tell him, wide-eyed and probably too honest for both of our comfort.
“You’re gonna do great. Just take it one day at a time. And look what you did today.” He gestures to the sparkling store.
I sniff, and he looks profoundly disturbed at the sudden emotion welling in my eyes.
“Thank you.” I pull up the invoice and pay the poor man, who’s clearly had enough of me, and his phone dings as the money goes through. “I’ll see you next Friday.”
“Yep. Just send me pictures if there’s anything special you want for the mirror.”
I purse my lips, thinking it over. “Can you get like, that antique-looking gold? Something that will look good with the rest of the store?”
He gives me a real grin of appreciation. “That would look real nice. Good choice.”
“And just a mirror that matches is fine. I’m not going to be picky about the public bathroom. I’m sure it will be better than what’s there.”
“You got it.” He gives me a wave, and then picks up his bag of tools and odds and ends and heads for the door.
The bell, freshly polished, of course, jingles as the heavy wood door shuts behind him.
“I like him,” a voice says.
I nearly jump all the fucking way out of my skin. My hand slaps against my chest, and I gasp in a breath. “Cheese and crackers, Prudence, you scared the shit out of me.”
She makes a hissing huff noise, and for a second, I squint at her, wondering if she’s working on a hairball, before I realize she’s laughing.
“I like him too,” I tell her.
Her body turns into a glossy black blur as she jumps to the counter, then rubs her face on my arm. “Pet me,” she says.
I oblige, naturally, because she might be rude, but she’s still a very cute cat, and the simple creature comfort of stroking her soft kitty fur melts some of the tension out of my neck.
“So which spell from the books Tara gave you did you use?” she asks, her purring staccato between words.
I freeze, my eyes going wide.
Her purr abruptly stops. “You’re kidding me.”
“I meant to do it, I had one all picked out, and then Colton showed up—”
The lights go out, and somewhere above us, a door slams.
My heart tries to jump out of my chest, and for all intents and purposes, I’m frozen to the spot.
A cold wind kicks up, lifting my hair, and my stomach sinks.
My nose wrinkles. “I’m in deep shit, huh?”
It wasn’t an overactive air conditioner yesterday. Evil spirits are chilling this place, free of charge.
I tilt my head, considering how I might be able to channel that evil into savings on my energy bill. Shitty Texas power grid versus evil spirits. Vaguely, I wonder if that’s not a metaphor for the state’s current political nightmare.
“You are incompetent, and frankly, I’m furious with myself that I didn’t force you to focus.” Prudence punctuates that remark with a low, throaty growl. The hair all along her spine stands on end.
“You think we could like, trap them and use them in the summer?” I ask.
Don’t get me wrong, I’m just smart enough to be scared, but there has to be a practical application for all that delicious cold air.
Prudence bites me and I sigh, annoyed, as her raspy tongue licks over the same spot she just clamped onto. “While I have to say that is an incredibly devious idea that makes me think there is hope for you yet, we need to tackle this problem now.”