Chapter 2
SPENSER
My office at the back of the store isn’t spacious, but it suits me.
And it’s big enough to conduct an informal interview, which is why Juliet Crawford is sitting across the desk from me.
She’s one of the most beautiful people I’ve ever seen, to the point that it’s distracting.
But her looks are not the reason she’s here, obviously.
I peruse her application. “Your experience is better than most,” I note. “Looks like you worked at a bookstore in college and then moved into a library position after graduation? Where you stayed until your branch closed?”
She nods. “Yep, I worked two jobs in school, so in addition to the local indie bookstore, I waited tables, which was a good way to learn customer service. I got my degree—double major in English and History, with a minor in Humanities—and then got hired at a library. I loved that job, but when my branch closed, I ended up moving here to Harmony Glen.”
I have more questions, but once again, I’m distracted by how striking she is.
Surprisingly tall, with unusual eyes. I think they’re hazel, but they shift with the light, going from green to brown to almost blue.
Her long, dark hair is pulled up in a neat bun, and part of me wants to yank the pins from it, just to watch it spill down her back.
What the hell? I’m not usually like this. But my antennae are pointing straight at her, detecting her pheromones, signaling to me that she’s a potential mate. No, no, no. Bad antennae.
That is not why she’s here.
I clear my throat and try to refocus. “What is it you like about working with books?”
She smiles, leaning back in her chair. “I love to learn. It’s something I got from my dad.
Every day is an opportunity to acquire knowledge, you know?
And sure, I suppose I could just sit around on the internet all day, but what’s the fun in that?
I like the sense of discovery, of picking up a book and unearthing facts.
And when it comes to fiction, well, what can I say? I’m a sucker for a good story.”
“Who are your favorite authors? And what’s your all-time favorite book?” I ask.
She shakes her head, a few tendrils coming loose from her bun. “Nope. Sorry, I know this is an interview, but I can’t get sucked into that game. I refuse to play favorites. There are too many that I love, and many more that I’m still finding. It’s possible I haven’t even read my favorite book yet.”
I can’t help my grin. That’s the perfect answer. “Well said. If you’re interested, the job is yours. I think you’ll fit in quite well here.” Though with her looks, brains, and dizzying pheromones, I imagine she’d fit in anywhere.
A huge smile blooms across her face, making her even more beautiful. “Really? Just like that?”
“Yep. Just like that. Are you available in the evenings for training?” I ask.
“I usually work the late shift, and I prefer to train new employees myself. Say, noon to eight-thirty, with a half hour lunch break? At least for the first month. I don’t usually come on shift until one or two, but I can make an exception if it works for you. ”
She nods. “Sure, that should be fine. May I ask why you prefer the night shift?”
The corner of my mouth tips up in a half smile. “I’m mothfolk. We’re nocturnal.”
She shakes her head, clearly dismayed with herself. “Of course. I know that about moths, obviously, but didn’t put two and two together. Makes complete sense.”
“It’s fine. Why would you know anything about my kind? You’re a human, I’m assuming? Have you met many monsters? Am I the first mothman you’ve known?”
“Yes, no, yes. I didn’t know any monsters before I came here, but since I’ve been in Harmony Glen, I’ve met a couple, including Gillian at the café and my cousin’s partner. Gabe, from the hardware store. But you’re my first and only mothman.”
I process what she said. “Wait, you’re Maggie’s cousin?
” I blink, looking for a family resemblance that doesn’t seem to exist. Maggie is a cute, bubbly blonde.
Juliet is a goddess of academia, I’m pretty sure.
She’s statuesque and well-spoken and smells like night-blooming jasmine.
“Of course, I should have noticed the last name.”
She nods. “I recently found myself at a…loose ends, let’s say. Maggie and Gabe took pity on me and loaned me the apartment above Harmony Hardware. I’ll be staying in Harmony Glen while I get back on my feet. And I guess maybe longer, depending on how things go.”
“Well, I certainly hope you’ll stick around.
” I tuck her application into my desk drawer.
“So, with you on board, there will be a total of six employees here, including myself. Agnes is basically my assistant manager. She always opens the store. She has twelve grandchildren, the temperament of a battleship, and has read pretty much every mystery, suspense, and thriller ever published.”
“She sounds perfect.”
I smile. A compliment for Agnes is an easy way to get on my good side. Not everyone can see through her grumpy exterior to her kind heart and expansive book knowledge.
“Jin, the other full-time employee, usually picks up the swing shift, as it’s their preference. For us, that’s 10:00 to 6:30. The two part-timers, Kelly and Coby, fill in the gaps as needed.”
“Once I’m through the training period, will I have a set shift?” she asks.
“If that’s what you want. I find that some people like a predictable schedule, and some like to mix it up. It’s certainly something we can revisit in a few weeks.”
“That works for me.”
“Great.” I stand and reach out to shake her hand, which is softer than kitten fur. “Welcome to Moonbeam Books, Juliet. You start on Thursday.”
“Looking forward to it.”
JULIET
My first day at Moonbeam Books starts with a tour.
The shelves have been set up to create cozy nooks, so that every time you turn a corner, it feels like a discovery.
In a way, it reminds me of a garden, where you never know what kind of plant or fountain you might stumble upon.
There are regular overhead lights, of course, but also the twinkle lights strung all over the place, creating an ethereal glow.
It would be easy to lose yourself in the magic of this place.
The store is loosely divided in half, with non-fiction like history, gardening, health, cookbooks, and art on the left, alongside children’s books.
The right half of the store is bursting with literary fiction, romance, fantasy, science fiction, and horror.
Poetry, self-help, religion, and educational books are near the checkout counter, and in the back corner are mythology, fairy tales and fables, and short stories.
I make a mental map.
“Okay, I think I have the general layout in my head,” I tell Spenser.
“Great,” he says. “But that’s the easy part. Now we focus on shelving.”
At first glance, the shelving looks fairly straightforward: fiction is organized by genre and sub-genre, and alphabetized by author. Non-fiction follows the same general pattern, organized by subject. But upon closer inspection, I find things are more complicated than they seem.
“Our system is based on three factors,” Spenser explains.
“Genre is the first, of course, like any bookstore. But you have to remember, this store isn’t just for humans.
We have to factor that in. So beyond genre, we also categorize by texture and scent, because many of our customers utilize smell and feel as much as by sight. ”
“Okay,” I say. “I think that makes sense.”
“Take Contemporary Romance,” he says, walking to the section. He points to a dark shelf with books that tend to lean red, pink, and purple.
“Here, we have hardback books with embossed covers, because they provide tactile feedback for customers who prefer raised textures.” He pulls out a book called ‘Festival Flirtations’ with an illustrated band on the cover and hands it to me. “You can feel that, right?”
I nod, running my finger over the raised title, and he keeps going.
“Both hardbacks and paperbacks with smooth covers are here”—he gestures to a shelf—“while the contemp romance books with floral scents like rose and lavender are one shelf over. Those tend to be favorites for our fae and nature-oriented customers. There are other species who prefer darker aromas, so those are shelved separately from the floral ones.”
“So…the same book could appear on multiple shelves depending on which versions we have?”
Spenser nods, leaning against the walnut bookshelf.
“Yes, assuming it’s something we have multiple copies of.
For example, I know we have two copies of ‘The Boss Games’ in stock.
One is here in the scent section because it has a soft bergamot aroma, and the other is over with textures because the hardcover is embossed.
Not every section is this complicated, though.
Romance is one of our biggest sellers. Non-fiction tends to be simpler. ”
I stare at the shelves, trying to organize all the information in my brain. “How do customers know which copy to get?”
Spenser grins. “That’s the best part. They either know what they want when they come in, or they wander around until they find whatever appeals to their senses.
Which includes the human customers. It turns out they often have a preference, even if it’s something as simple as color or paperback versus hardback. ”
I absently twirl a strand of hair, filing all this in my head. “It makes sense, at least theoretically. I guess as I shelve new stock, I’ll get the hang of it.”
“I have no doubt you will,” he says warmly, his antennae fluttering slightly. “Like anything, it just takes a little practice.”
Once he finishes showing me around, we head to the register so I can learn the system. Luckily, it’s very simple and intuitive.
“Okay, this is much easier than the shelving method,” I tell him.