Chapter 39
The Christmas Shop and Stroll had finally arrived. But not so much at the bookshop. Shelby finished shelving Liane Moriarty’s
recent release and glanced around the quiet store. Zuri restocked the shirts on the apparel rack and Janet had slipped off
to the restroom.
No hurry since there were only two customers in the store. Shelby went downstairs and propped open the front door, hoping
the warmth and smell of books would draw customers inside.
She frowned as she recalled the act of vandalism perpetrated on Gray’s house two nights ago. One of the Remingtons, she assumed.
Probably Mason’s doing since, naturally, he’d been the first cop on the scene. It was obvious he felt above the law. He was
quick to suggest it was likely a teenage prank, and the childish act certainly reinforced that theory. But Mason could’ve
committed the crime with the intention of throwing suspicion elsewhere. It seemed he’d be a thorn in the side until Gray left
town.
Gray went through the motions of filing a report, but neither of them held out any hope the police would actually do anything
about it. Yesterday they’d talked about the situation as the two of them spent hours scrubbing off the paint.
“We should go to the station and tell the chief what’s been going on.” Shelby was infuriated that the harassment he’d experienced as a teenager was recurring. “You’re being bullied again and we’re not kids anymore. We have to do something.”
“If there was anything I learned about being bullied, it’s that telling only makes things worse. I have to leave at the end
of the month, and I don’t want the blowback coming on you after I’m gone.”
“I can take care of myself. Gray, we’re in this together. And I know you’re leaving soon, but you should be able to visit
me here without being harassed.”
He’d looked at her for a long moment, scrub brush still. “All right. But let’s get through the Christmas Stroll first. I’ll
go to the police station Monday morning.”
A wave of relief washed over her. “I’ll go with you.”
Shelby’s thoughts scurried from her mind as Janet returned from the restroom. Her gray hair was caught up in a youthful ponytail,
and her red readers swung from a chain around her neck. “This is strange. We’re usually so busy during the Stroll.”
“I was thinking the same thing.” It was after eleven and they’d only had a dozen or so customers. Fridays, especially in December,
were usually busy. And the Shop and Stroll was the second busiest holiday weekend.
“Maybe everyone did their book buying on Black Friday.”
“But the sidewalks are teeming with shoppers.” A feeling of dread swept through her. “I might as well send someone home if
we’re going to be this slow.”
“Zuri has finals coming up. She’d probably be grateful for the extra study time.” She winked at Shelby. “Plus I haven’t had
a chance to get the scoop on your date the other night.”
Shelby appreciated her efforts to lighten the mood. “Now, Janet, I’m not one to kiss and tell.”
She snorted. “Since when? Throw an old girl a bone. Who can I live vicariously through if not you?”
“Isn’t that what romance novels are for?”
“Well, sure, but seeing it play out in real life is even better.” Her gaze darted toward the stairs. “He’s such a hunk.”
Shelby’s lips twitched. “Hey, eyes off my—” Boyfriend? Was Gray officially her boyfriend?
“Go ahead and say it, honey. Anyone can see he’s head over heels for you.” She sighed dramatically. “I remember when Charlie
used to gaze at me that way.”
“He adores you. You guys are great together.”
“We are. But there’s old-shoe comfortable love and brand-new sizzling love.” She waggled her eyebrows.
Shelby chuckled. “On that note...” She headed toward the front of the store to let Zuri know she could head home.
“You’re just gonna leave me hanging?” Janet called. “I thought we were friends.”
When noon came around the next day and they’d only had a dozen customers, that dread turned to terror. She sent Theresa and
Janet both home and checked the sign to make sure it was turned to Open. Then she peeked out the front door for the third
time. The town was overrun with shoppers, flowing in and out of galleries and boutiques. People were spending money—just not
at the bookshop.
Francine Walsh (literary fiction) passed by on the sidewalk with a large shopping bag in one hand and her goldendoodle’s leash
in the other.
Shelby beamed at the woman. “Hi, Francine! Beautiful day, isn’t it?”
The woman glanced her way. “Shelby.” She didn’t even offer a smile as she swept past.
Strange. Worry gnawed as Shelby went back inside. She found Gray in the office scanning titles into the system. He’d been
shut up in here all day so he probably didn’t realize today was just as slow as yesterday. Which was even worse because today
was the Saturday of the Stroll—there were only two more Saturdays before Christmas!
He looked up at her entry, and his warm smile wilted as he read her expression. “Still slow?”
“Worse than yesterday. We’ve only had a dozen customers all morning. We always keep three or four booksellers busy on the
floor throughout December, and even more during the Stroll.”
Gray leaned back in his chair. “What do you think is going on?”
“I don’t know. This has never happened before. We have slow days like this in January or February, but not in December. And
this is the second day in a row. I have a bad feeling about this, Gray.” Especially coming on the heels of that vandalism.
“Maybe it’s just a fluke. It’s been nice and sunny, unseasonably warm. People could be out enjoying the weather.”
“They’re out enjoying all the other stores! The town is swamped with shoppers.”
Frown lines crouched between his brows just as the bell over the door tinkled.
“Finally, a customer.” Shelby offered him a half-hearted smile, then turned to go sell some books. But it was Liddy who’d
entered the store. Shelby stopped her before she went upstairs, noting her somber expression. “What’s wrong? Is Ollie okay?”
“He’s fine. Everyone’s fine. I just came from The Big Tease. Glenda Something was doing my hair...?”
“Glenda Ellsworth.”
“Right. Well, shortly before I came in she had RaeAnne Something in her chair, and in the chair next to her was... Imogene
Mae?”
“Ida Mae. She and RaeAnne are in the Garden Club together.”
“Okay, well, they were talking, and Glenda overheard everything they said. Long story short—the Remingtons are hatching some
plot to drive Gray out of town. They’ve been using all their influential friends to spread the word. They were careful about
what they said, so she only got the gist of it, not the specifics.”
The news sank like an anchor in Shelby’s stomach. “Oh, I think I have the specifics. We were unusually slow around here yesterday, but today has been absolutely dead. They’ve talked all their friends into boycotting my store.”
“Surely not. Why would they want to hurt you?”
“Now that I’m with Gray, I’m consorting with the enemy, I guess. And they’re afraid Gray will move back to town.”
“Well, so what? It’s a free country.”
“You don’t understand these people. They hold a grudge against Gray’s family because of what his dad did. And then there was
that cheating scandal in high school.”
“That was eons ago!”
“The Remingtons don’t want Gray around and are pretty used to having their way.” They’d done things like this before—manipulating
and scheming. Nothing outside the law. But they knew how to use their money and influence to gain the upper hand.
“But you didn’t do anything wrong! This is not okay.”
“They think if they hit my bottom line I’ll bow to their pressure. But boy do they have another thing coming.” That was the
anger talking. The more rational side of her sang a different tune. She needed sales now more than ever. She was on the verge
of losing the store!
“Atta girl. You need to stand up to these bullies. Anyway, they can’t have the whole town in their back pocket.”
Maybe not quite all. Her family had their own set of friends. But, yes, the Remingtons were pretty influential. Recently they’d
put up the cash for the new museum. “The patriarch of the family, Richard, is part of the chamber of commerce that has brought
a lot of businesses to the area over the past twenty years. He’s been a big part of the town’s growth. His wife, Renee, serves
on city council and has her own influential circle of friends.”
“They’re the parents of the man Gray’s dad killed?”
“Troy, yes. And of course their grandson Mason is a police officer.” It all felt pretty overwhelming.
“The one who pulled Gray over without cause.”
“And possibly vandalized his house.”
Liddy set a hand on her arm. “It’ll be okay. You have a loyal clientele, and readers need their books!”
They did have loyal buyers. But there were plenty of other places to purchase books. And this store—all stores—depended on
holiday sales to get through the year. Twenty-four percent of their annual sales happened during the Christmas season. They
depended on the last three months of the year to keep the doors open through the slower months—and they were digging out of
a deep hole.
“I just can’t believe the town would treat you this way, especially now when you need the sales so badly.”
“They don’t know how dire things are. They just think if they turn up the heat for a while, I’ll cave and then everything
will return to normal.”
Liddy scowled. “Well, we can’t let that happen.”
“What can we do?”
“Let’s get our heads together and figure something out.”
It would need to be ASAP. Each day they went without business, they were digging themselves deeper. “Tonight?”
“Your dad has some big meeting at the college. How about tomorrow?”
Her brother and Dad might very well think Gray’s leaving town would be best for everyone. But that wasn’t on the table. “Gray
was talking the other night about having the family over. Let’s meet at his place for supper tomorrow night, and we’ll come
up with something.”
“Sounds like a plan. We can’t let these people push you around, Shelby. We will come up with something.”
Shelby hoped she was right. Because the Remingtons’ actions were jeopardizing everything she held dear.