Chapter 16
Chapter Sixteen
RENLEY
This is stupid. Why am I this nervous?
My hands are practically shaking as I pull the keys to the store out of my bag, my eyes latched on the wooden door covered in gold filigree in front of me.
How many times have I opened this door, my dad right behind me?
How many times have I skipped across the worn-down, splintering wooden floors?
How many times have I snagged a candy bag only to fill it up with all the jelly bean flavors the store had to offer, adding a touch more pear because I knew how much my dad loved them?
And now, I’m the one in charge. I’m carrying on the tradition to make a sanctuary for other kids to create memories. A place where they will be able to forget the disappointment, embarrassment, and uneasiness they experience and rather…just enjoy being a kid.
The thought of it almost feels too grand. But if there is one thing I know about myself, it is that even though I might be intimidated, it won’t stop me from proving people wrong.
So I slip the key into the lock, turn it, and then open the door to a dark store.
“Sorry I’m a little late,” Tilly says, coming up behind me. “I had a paint spill I had to clean up before it stained.”
Her words register in my head, but they mean nothing to me as I flip on the fluorescent lights. They flicker, buzz, and then illuminate the timeworn space.
But even seeing it at its worst, I’m inundated with memories.
The smell—sweet with a hint of mustiness.
The old soda shop bar where drinks used to be served but which was transformed into a sticker bar where sticker rolls are hung on dowels.
The wall of canisters full of candy—candy that I’m sure isn’t edible anymore.
The red and white sign in the back that says Rudder’s Sweets.
The lollipop wall.
The fudge counter.
It’s all so…perfect.
Tilly’s arm goes around my shoulders and she pulls me in tight. “Remember the time you brought me here and you bumped a kid out of the way to get the last giant gobstopper? They’re not even good, Renley.”
I laugh. “I didn’t bump the kid out of the way, he bounced off me because he wasn’t looking where he was going.”
“His hand was halfway in the jar.”
I chuckle some more. “I choose to see it differently.”
“That’s why I love you, because not even a child’s wish to have a gobstopper will prevent you from taking what you want.”
“Just teaching valuable lessons to children about getting in the way of adults and their wishes.”
She laughs and shuts the door behind us, locking up so no one will come in, not that they would.
The windows are papered over with newspaper and the door has a Closed sign on it, but you never know.
With my luck, Theo will pop in and claim he was looking for the clothing store but in reality was trying to gain a little more face time with me.
“So what is on the list from the committee that you need to do?” Tilly asks, dragging her finger over a ledge that’s holding a few canisters of candy.
“From the list they gave me, windows have to be replaced, there are a few places that have been leaking, which means I need to go up on the roof and see what needs to be patched. There are some plumbing issues as well and the bathroom has to be upgraded. But I’d like to redo the floors, I think they can be a little dangerous with how uneven they are, especially with the splitting. ”
“Agreed. You don’t need a liability on your hands.” She taps a jar. “I’m assuming you’re going to throw out all of this candy.”
“Yeah, unsure how long it’s been in there, and in two months it won’t be good anyway.”
Tilly pulls out a pen and a notebook from her back pocket and starts writing things down.
“And you’re going to want to clean these canisters, right?”
“That’s a must. You can see how foggy they are; they should be clear.”
“Ira, may he rest in peace, doesn’t seem like the kind of guy who took into mind food safety.”
“Not so much.” I take in the accumulated dust, unsure if it’s from Ira not taking care of the place or the fact that it’s been closed for a month while the town processed applications for ownership.
Either way, the store needs a total overhaul and thorough cleaning.
“This whole place needs to be scrubbed. The shelves are actually sticky with dust.”
“That’s what humidity and sugar will do to you.” She turns toward the sticker wall. “Please tell me you’re going to keep that. It’s so precious.”
“I’d never get rid of the sticker wall. I think I’d want to add more, along with some stationery.”
“Ooh, I love that idea.” She gasps. “Oh wait, what if you had a mailbox in here too and the bar could turn into a correspondence section. Buy some stationery, have stamps available for purchase, and markers and pens for everyone to use. Wouldn’t that be so cute?”
“I actually love that idea.”
“I’m writing it down.”
I take in the mahogany bar with a pink quartz countertop, a smile coming to my face as I envision it all.
I can see the people lined up at the bar, cards in front of them, drawing and writing their loved ones from Cape Meril.
We can install an adorable red mailbox in the corner where people can slip their letters.
Envelopes can be filled with stickers, maybe a candy or two; we can have a whole mailing section.
And then we can make a big deal about it because Cape Meril already has a thriving tourism account.
It could be one of the “must dos” when visiting Cape Meril.
“I can do some really cute social media with the letter angle in mind. And I don’t know, maybe my artist friend could have a line of cards she sells here.”
Tilly perks up and then looks around. “I don’t know…my aesthetic might not work here. Unless I do something completely different. Something vintage that will go with the theme here. Ooh, can I do some erotic cards? Something like ‘want to milk my duds’?”
A snort pops out of me as I cover my mouth. “Oh my God, that would be so funny, but also…inappropriate. This is a kids’ store, after all.”
“That’s why you have those cards at a higher level that’s out of reach of children; keep them behind the bar. Make it a whole thing where people have to show their ID to have access to them.”
I chuckle. “That’s an even better hook for social media marketing.”
She taps the side of her head. “Full of good ideas up here; just let me loose and I’ll come up with whatever you want.”
“And that’s why you’re here and not my aunt Kitty.”
Tilly takes a seat at the bar. “Has she been bothering you lately?”
“Yeah, more so now that the boys showed up next door. She seems to think that it’s wise that I spend more time with Theo, encouraging the idea of me actually taking him up on his offer of marriage.”
“Wait, seriously?”
I nod while I open a jar full of bubble gum. I try to pick up a piece, but they’re all stuck together. Has it always been like this and I didn’t notice how dirty and grubby the store was, or is this something new?
“Seriously. She has this idea in her head that I need to be in a relationship, which I don’t need to be.
I’m perfectly content, happy with where I am in my life.
I have bigger things to worry about right now, you know?
Either way, she’s been getting on my nerves lately and I think I just need to take a breath before I say something I don’t mean out of frustration.
I know she has good intentions and she doesn’t ever want to hurt me.
I mean, I’m all she has at this point and she’s really all I have. ”
“I get that. Smart that you’re separating the store from her.”
“Well, not entirely. Just for a time so I can breathe and get my bearings. After all, this is a project we agreed to do together. I just need to ease her in.”
“Good idea. Create those boundaries and stick to them.”
“Hopefully I can.” I glance toward the back of the shop. “Should we see what kind of disaster is waiting for me back there?”
“Frankly, I’m a little scared.”
“Yeah, me too. But at least you’re here if something jumps out and scares me.”
Tilly’s brow turns down. “What on earth could jump out and scare you?”
“I don’t know, a candy monster.”
Tilly hops off her stool. “Love the imagination, but there is no such thing as a candy monster.”
“You never know, it could be dwelling in the back and we have no idea. What if…” I lean in and whisper, “What if it ate Ira and that’s how he really passed?”
“Renley,” Tilly chastises. “Don’t speak ill of the deceased.”
“Sorry.” I chuckle as I loop my arm through hers and tug her toward the back of the shop.
We have to step over some boxes and push aside some old tissue paper and gift bags, but when I find the light and illuminate the back room, I’m actually taken by surprise.
“Wow, it’s so organized. I wasn’t expecting that at all. ”
“I’d have bet the commission on my next painting that this back room was a hoarder’s lair. But it’s as if the Home Edit came in, did their best, ate, and left no crumbs.”
“Speaking of crumbs, not a single one in sight.” I drag my finger over the shelf and say, “How is this so clean when the front is—”
“Oh, it’s about time you got here,” Aunt Kitty says, coming out of a dark hallway, scaring the shit out of both me and Tilly.
“Holy…shit,” I say, breathing heavily as I lean against the wall of the back room, attempting to calm my racing heart.
Tilly has her hand clamped over her crotch as she says, “I think I might have just peed everywhere.” She lifts her hand and looks down, then releases a sigh of relief when she realizes she didn’t. “What the hell are you doing?”
“Organizing,” Aunt Kitty says.
“How did you get in here?”
“Oh, I made a key to the place the other day. I’ve been sneaking in here to clean up.
It was a real trash hole. How this place wasn’t shut down is beyond me.
” She whispers, “Between you, me, and the walls, there was a little family of mice that I carefully rehomed. Brought them out to the field to live a better life.”
“They probably were plucked by a hawk,” Tilly says, still trying to catch her breath as well.
“Now why would you say that?” Aunt Kitty asks.
Tilly shrugs. “I don’t know, why were you hiding in the hallway when we were out front? I thought you were a murderer.”
“I was just trying to finish up my organizing before you came back here. Wanted to surprise you.” She holds her arms out. “What do you think?”
And this is how Aunt Kitty has always been—she will drive me crazy, she will drop the ball, she will do everything in her power to go against my wishes, and then she goes and does something like this, something so kind, even though I didn’t ask for it.
“It looks…kind of great. Where did you find the time to do this?”
“Been sneaking out at night. I saw how you were giving up on the project and I didn’t want you to have that train of thought. I thought if you could see what the potential could be, then you wouldn’t give up. We’re in this together, kid.”
Now I feel bad for not saying the best things about her earlier.
“Thank you,” I say softly. “And I wasn’t really giving up, just upset about the entire process, you know? I didn’t have the money, wasn’t sure how I was going to get the money, and it felt so overwhelming.”
“Well, you have the money and the help now.” Aunt Kitty smiles brightly at me.
She’s right. I have the money, I have the help, so it’s about time that I take this store and bring it back to life.
Cape Meril needs Rudder’s Sweets—not some big-box store—and I plan to prove to everyone in this town that this family is capable of more than they believe.
We can do great things. We will succeed.