Chapter 6
Shelby spotted Logan Shackleford (biographies and memoirs) at a table for two. A smile spread across his face as he caught
sight of her. His short light brown hair was carefully combed, and his businesslike glasses perched on his nose, framing his
hazel eyes. His crisp white shirt was fitted to his lean torso, and a maroon tie, fashioned in a Windsor knot, finished the
look.
Logan was a loan officer at HomeTrust Bank, which meant that, except for Saturdays, their work schedules were almost identical.
Meeting at Becca’s Bakery before work on Mondays and Fridays had become a regular thing since they’d begun dating five months
ago.
Her chocolate croissant and steaming cup of coffee waited at the table from which he rose and offered her a brief hug. “How
are you doing?”
“As well as can be expected, I guess. Thank you for the croissant and coffee,” she added as they took their seats.
They’d spoken on the phone only briefly since the funeral. Shelby felt guilty that she hadn’t accepted his many offers of
company, but she hadn’t had the emotional bandwidth to deal with one more thing.
Logan’s gaze drifted over her face and shirt. “You look nice.”
“Thank you.” His expression revealed an assumption that she’d dressed up for their brief date. But he was wrong. Knowing Gray would be at the bookstore had her all messed up. It was a normal inclination, wasn’t it? Since her ex-boyfriend had arrived in town he’d only seen her at her worst.
“So do you,” she added belatedly, then tore off a piece of the flaky croissant and tried to enjoy the rich, buttery flavor.
They made small talk while they ate and sipped coffee, the conversation mostly revolving around Gram’s funeral and plans for
Thanksgiving. It was only mid-October, but the holidays would be here before they knew it.
When she finished her pastry, she wiped her hands and dropped her napkin on her plate. “What’s on your agenda today?”
“A few meetings, one of which is with Leo...”
“About the promotion?”
“I think so, but I’m trying not to get my hopes up.”
“You deserve it. You work so hard.” Logan came from a prominent family. He was smart and dedicated to his job, but she suspected
he was sometimes overlooked. He was an introvert and didn’t socialize much with his coworkers—something she’d begun encouraging
him to do. “I’ll say a little prayer for you.”
“Thank you. You’re always so encouraging.”
He wouldn’t like what she had to say next. She should’ve told him last night during their brief phone call, but she’d still
been overwrought about the whole thing. “So I didn’t really go into details about the will reading yesterday, but there’s
something I need to tell you.”
He set down his mug, giving her his full attention. “What is it?”
Logan knew her history with Gray—the entire town did. Over the course of her relationship with Logan, she hadn’t divulged
much beyond the basics. “Everything went pretty much as we expected with the bequeathments except one thing—the ownership
of the bookshop. It seems Gram left me only 51 percent of the business.”
His brows furrowed. “Did she leave your brother the rest? He doesn’t even live here.”
“No, she didn’t leave it to Caleb.” The reality of the situation hit her fresh. Gray was going to be all up in her business—literally—every day for the next two weeks. She cleared her throat. “She left it to Gray.”
His head jerked back. He searched her eyes for a long moment and didn’t seem to find what he was looking for. “Grayson Briggs?
But why? That doesn’t make sense.”
“I know. I’m still processing it. Gram had kept in contact with him over the years. You know she and Dorothy were lifelong
friends.”
“I knew that. I just didn’t realize your gram still communicated with him.”
“I think she felt she owed it to Dorothy to look out for him.”
Logan grunted. “There’s looking out for him, and then there’s giving him half her bookshop.”
“I think she may have done that with my best interest at heart. I think she wanted me to have closure.” Guilt tweaked at the
partial truth. She suspected Gram had hoped for far more than closure. But there was no reason to worry Logan when those hopes
would never come to fruition. “I know we were young back then, but his leaving left a mark, and I made no secret of how I
felt about the whole thing.”
“You have good reason. He was callous. No one blames you for having ill will toward Gray. I guess that explains why he’s still
in town. People at the bank were talking about it yesterday. Is the will contestable?”
“Not according to Mr. Greenwood.”
“So what then? Will you have to buy him out?”
“I don’t have that kind of money. And it won’t come to that anyway. We made a deal yesterday. He offered to stay and take
Gram’s place for a couple weeks. Then he’ll sign his 49 percent over to me.” With that legal document she’d be formally undoing
her grandma’s final wishes. Maybe Gram had been meddling, but another prick of guilt stabbed her hard just the same.
“Do you really trust Gray with the finances of your business? What if he embezzles money from the shop?”
“He currently owns half of it. Wouldn’t that just be stealing from himself?”
“You can’t trust him, Shelby.”
She didn’t trust him with her heart. But according to Gram he’d completed a bachelor’s degree in business with a minor in
accounting from the University of North Carolina. He was filling a couple of roles for some construction company and apparently
doing quite well.
“I’ll keep an eye on him.”
Logan frowned. “I don’t like it.”
“I don’t either, but I really don’t have much choice.”
“At the very least I hope you got that deal in writing. He’s not exactly known for keeping his word.”
“I had Mr. Greenwood draw up the papers. Gray will sign them this morning.”
“Would you like me to look them over?”
Shelby glanced at her watch. “Thanks, but I’m supposed to meet him at the store in ten minutes. Anyway, I’ve already read
the contract. It’s pretty thorough. I hate to dash, but...”
“No, it’s fine. I’m due at work too.”
They deposited their trash, then exited the bakery.
When she started to say good-bye, he took her hand. “I admit I’m not crazy about the idea of you and Gray tucked away in that
bookshop for days on end.”
“You have nothing to worry about. I only agreed to this to get the bookshop back.”
“Yeah, but why did he agree to it? Giving up two weeks of his time plus the ownership?”
That question had been swimming around her head the past twenty-four hours. “I think he wants to respect Gram’s wishes.”
Logan smirked. “Forgive my cynicism, but I think it’s more likely he knows what he’s lost and wants it back.”
“That’s not gonna happen. Even forgiveness seems like a stretch at this point. He’ll be sequestered down in the office auditing the books and doing Gram’s job while I find a replacement. That’s all.”
He searched her face and nodded. “Okay. I’m here if you want to talk.”
“I’m sure I’ll be ready to bust by the end of the day.”
At five-nine Logan was only a couple of inches taller than Shelby. So he barely had to lean over when he offered a peck on
the lips—as much of a display of public affection as he ever offered. “I’ll call you tonight.”
“Okay.” She headed the opposite direction, pulling her jacket against the cool breeze. She nodded hello to friends and acquaintances,
shop owners, and tourists. It was a friendly, bustling little town. She loved the colorful canopies jutting over the walkway
and the red, white, and blue Open signs. She adored the brick sidewalks and the pretty lamps and maple trees that lined the
street. It was a picturesque sight, captured on many canvases in the art galleries sprinkled throughout town.
The area had become something of an artists’ haven in the past ten years or so. The chamber of commerce had done a lot of
work toward that end. And the giant mural on the side of the old train depot was one of the most photographed spots in town.
In the distance the lake shimmered under the sunlight. The area was mostly flat but for the small hills surrounding the lake.
The deciduous trees on those hills burst with autumn colors, a lovely contrast to the deep green evergreens.
“You sure are pretty today, Shelby,” Miss Lucy called as she set a pot of yellow mums outside her florist shop.
“Thank you. Enjoy the beautiful fall day.”
“You do the same, honey.”
Not likely. She dreaded the hours ahead. Maybe Gray wouldn’t show up—he hadn’t exactly proven himself reliable in the past. But then she’d be stuck with him as a partner—and what would that look like? She didn’t even want to know.
Surely he wouldn’t move back to Grandville where he and his dad were town pariahs. People, especially the Remingtons and their
elite circle, hadn’t forgotten what Ferris Briggs had done. Even before he’d accidentally killed Troy Remington, he practically
had his own branch on the town grapevine: public intoxication, drinking and driving, disorderly conduct.
And the antics of the Briggs boy also lived in infamy, some of them gross exaggerations or totally fabricated. Gray had always
taken the public scorn with resolute silence—almost as though he felt he deserved it. But the injustice used to drive her
crazy.
The grapevine was apparently already abuzz with his presence in town. It surely wouldn’t take long for news of Gray’s share
in the store to circulate. That wouldn’t be good for business. Perhaps she should circumvent the possible fallout by sharing
news of their deal. She’d mention it in passing to Miss Glenda or Miss Tammy and the rest would take care of itself.
As the sign for the bookshop came into view, Shelby’s heart quickened. She clung to what she’d said earlier—that Gray would
be down in Gram’s office and Shelby would stay busy assisting customers upstairs.
Being a Friday, it would likely get busier in the afternoon, and that’s when Haley (fantasy and graphic novels) would arrive.
Hiring the eighteen-year-old as a favor to Shelby’s former English teacher hadn’t been one of her better ideas. But she was
grateful she and Gray would have a buffer for the second half of the day.
She passed Cedar Lake Gallery, then rounded the corner of Patsy’s Boutique, her gaze going straight to the man standing on the shadowed porch.
Gray wore a blue half-zip sweater and khakis, accented with a brown belt and matching suede dress boots.
He appeared every inch the businessman, and for just a quick second a bubble of pride swelled.
He’d gone off and made something of himself.
At one time that had been so important to him.
Then she remembered his sudden departure and her long tear-filled nights. She raised her chin a notch and mentally slid that
barrier into place.
He slipped his hands into his pockets as she approached. “Good morning.”
“Morning.” Her heart thumped like mad as she unlocked the store. Seriously, why did he make her so nervous? It ticked her
off. She shoved open the door and flipped on the lights.
She headed up the stairs to grab the office key, Gray on her heels. She breathed in the calming scent of books as she went,
the stairs creaking under their feet. Once upstairs she fetched the key.
“This place hasn’t changed a bit.”
“Only the inventory. As you probably know, Gram wasn’t a big fan of change.”
“You always had such creative ideas though. I figured you’d have talked her into all kinds of things by now.”
“You underestimate her stubbornness.”
His low chuckle, as familiar as her reflection, stirred something inside. She used to love the sound of it. Even more so when
her cheek was pressed against his chest and it rumbled right through her. She pushed the memory away.
She headed toward the back stairs, Gray following. Once she stood in front of the office, she unlocked the door and moved
inside. The citrusy smell of Gram’s favorite essential-oil blend filled her senses. Boxes of books were stacked in every available
nook since Gram hadn’t been here to keep up with inventory.
Shelby could almost see her grandma sitting at the old, scarred desk, her fingers tapping the keyboard, her readers halfway down her nose. It was impossible to be in the bookstore or even think of books without thinking of Gram—she’d passed her passion for reading right along to Shelby.
“A good novel is like a vacation for the mind.” Gram’s voice rang in her head. “And who doesn’t need a vacation?” Shelby missed her so much. Her chest gave a hard squeeze.
“You okay?”
“I haven’t been in here since...”
Gray stepped up behind her so close she could hear him breathe. “I’m sorry for your loss. I know the two of you were close.
She loved you so much.”
Shelby did not want to talk about this with Gray. The last thing she wanted was to be vulnerable around him. Best keep to
business matters. “Thank you. As you can see, things are pretty backed up.”
“I’ll focus on inventory for now. Once I’ve caught up on that, I’ll start on the audit.”
“Sounds good.” She opened her purse and withdrew the contract. “I brought the paperwork. After you sign it you can bring it
up to the front desk. If you have any questions about our system, I’ll try my best to answer them.”
“Right. I think I can figure it out, but I’ll keep that in mind.”