Chapter 37
Karla
“You can’t scare me like that,” I scolded Grandma Claire after I was allowed into her hospital room about two hours after she was admitted. She looked exhausted as she lay in bed, but there was a small smile on her lips. Leave it to Grandma Claire to still find smiles in the hardest of times.
“What’s life without a little suspense?” she joked.
“Calm. Life is calm without a little suspense.”
Grandma Claire waved me off. “It was nothing serious.”
“You had a heart attack,” I stated. “That’s pretty serious.”
She waved me off once more. “A mini heart attack.”
“Which is still a heart attack. Grandma Claire, you scared the crap out of me. We need to do some more research to see what happened. Dad is already talking to a few doctors. I was searching for answers or tips to change your diet and—”
“Karla,” she said, placing her hand against my forearm. “Maybe life changes tomorrow. I’m not ready to talk about turkey bacon and crap. Maybe just grandmother-granddaughter talk tonight.”
I wanted to argue with her and talk to her about her addiction to all things cheesy and deep fried, but she was right. It wasn’t the time. I just selfishly wanted to shift into improving her health as much as possible. Because I wanted her to be around as long as possible.
I forced a smile out to hide my nerves. “OK. Grandmother and granddaughter talk it is.”
“I feel awful for ruining the event. What a scene I caused. Plus, now you’re here with me instead of tending to your new bookshop . . .”
Now it was my turn to wave her troubled thoughts away. “It’s fine. The bookstore will be fine without me for a little while, anyway.”
“Karla—”
“Truly.” I took her hand into mine. “There’s nowhere else in the world I’d want to be than right beside you.”
She closed her eyes for a moment and took in that truth. I was certain she’d feel guilty for the incident for a long while, but I figured it was the burnt toast theory playing out in full force.
It was Lorelai who taught me the concept of “burnt toast” theory.
It was the idea of a person being in a rush, and something going completely wrong, for example, burning your toast on the way to work.
So you had to take the extra time to make new toast. Then on your way to work, you see that you missed a massive accident on the road.
Therefore, the burnt toast of the morning saved your life.
My bookshop opening was Grandma Claire’s burnt toast. If the event wasn’t taking place, she could’ve been home alone. She could’ve had the heart attack with no one else around to call 9-1-1. She could’ve died.
I’d throw a million bookshop openings that went sideways if it meant that she’d be OK.
Plus, a bonus to the burnt toast theory: Ash.
If we didn’t call the ambulance, he would’ve never shown up to the shop. And I would’ve never been able to see his eyes again.
“You won’t believe who saved you today,” I told Grandma Claire.
She arched an inquisitive eyebrow.
I smiled. “Ashish Banks.”
She sat up straighter. “You don’t say?”
“I know. I was as surprised as you.”
“What a sweet boy he’d been. You two were quite close for a while there.”
“Yes,” I agreed. “We were.” Were. Past tense.
“This feels like kismet. Did you exchange numbers with him?” she asked. “I’d love to thank him for saving me.”
“No. It all happened too quickly.”
Grandma Claire frowned. “Oh, what a shame.”
I couldn’t stop thinking about seeing Ash. He looked so different, but also . . . the same. He was a bit more built, but he still had the same smile as always and the same light, yet sadder brown eyes. His eyes made me wonder how hard the past few years of his life had been for him.
Grandma Claire’s eyes faded shut as she released a small yawn.
I patted her hand in mine. “You should get some rest.”
“Will you stay until I’m sleeping?” she quietly requested.
“Of course, and I’ll be back in the morning.”
“Thank you.”
“Always.”
She allowed the heaviness of her exhaustion to flop her head to the left of her pillow. She whispered, “Well, I’ll be . . . Ashish Banks saved my life, huh?”
“Yes.” I smiled as I thought about how he had saved mine, too, all those years before.
* * *
After leaving my visit with Grandma Claire, I headed straight to the bookshop. Ellie was behind the register, selling a few books to a customer. I was grateful when she’d swiftly stepped up to help run the shop that morning so I could spend time with Grandma Claire.
It was quite a dream come true to see a solid number of customers browsing the shelves of Second Chance.
There were even individuals sitting at the coffee bar that became a whiskey bar after five in the afternoon.
They were reading their newest purchases and sipping on some of the most delicious coffee creations known to mankind.
It all still felt unreal to me.
“How’s Claire?” Ellie asked me the moment she finished ringing up the customer’s order.
“Good, even though she’s not thrilled about her new food plan.”
“Yeah, my dad wasn’t thrilled about the shift in his meal plan either after his health issues. But I swear, it’s like he’s a new person. She’s going to feel so much better after some time. Let me know if you need help prepping anything for her.”
“Thanks, I’ll keep you posted. And thank you for running the shop while I was gone this morning.”
“Hang out in a bookshop surrounded by novels? I’m an easy sell for that,” she joked.
I knew I loved novels, but Ellie loved novels.
She inhaled storybooks at a reading pace that I couldn’t even keep up with, which was saying a lot because I read a lot.
I could easily get through five novels a week. Ellie could do ten without issue.
If you sliced her skin open, I wouldn’t have been shocked if words tumbled out. I bet her words would always end with happily ever afters, too.
“Oh! Crap. With all the madness of everything yesterday, I didn’t get to show you my HEA corner,” I told Ellie. I wrapped my arm around hers and pulled her toward a corner of the shop that was still covered with big white sheets.
“You have a happily ever after corner of the shop?” she asked.
“Something like that,” I replied. I removed the sheets and revealed the corner.
Against the wall was writing that said, “Happily Ellie After.” Below the title was a small plate that read, “A corner made for the woman with the best recommendations. Here is a list of books deemed as Ellie’s most beloved Happily Ever Afters. ”
On the shelf were the books that Ellie loved and tirelessly recommended to anyone who was willing to listen. There were hundreds and hundreds of books that Ellie had recommended to me.
“Karla . . .” Ellie beamed as her eyes flashed with emotions. “You made me a recommendation corner?”
“Of course. It would’ve been a shame to waste all these great recs.”
She walked near the shelf and studied the books. “Some of these are so old. How did you remember them all?”
“I had a shelf on my book tracker. Whenever you’d recommend one over the past ten years, I’d add it to my ‘Ellie Recs’ folder.”
She pulled me into a hug. “This means so much to me. Thank you, Karla.”
I hugged her back. “Thank you. Without you, this wouldn’t exist.”
“It would, but that’s sweet of you to say.” She took a few photos of the corner before pulling me into her side and taking a selfie of us in the corner. Then she headed back to the front to help customers.
I spent the rest of the day flipping between thoughts of my grandmother and thoughts of Ash.
A part of me was beating myself up for not asking Ash for his number so we could reconnect.
Another part of me wanted to rage at him for the way he ended things with me.
I knew after he lost his father, he probably lost himself.
I hated that I understood why he pushed me away.
I understood more than most. Grief made some people open up and live life to the fullest, while for others it made them retreat into their loneliness.
Still . . .
He could’ve been alone with me.
Us crossing paths at Second Chance was so very short-lived and wrapped up in a very traumatic situation. My mind couldn’t fully grasp that it was him who was in front of me when Grandma Claire had her incident. He felt like a dream that I was trying to make come to life.
“That’s it for me, Karla,” Daniel said as he finished wiping down the bar counter. “Everything is good to go. Is the front door locked up? Want me to go out the back to leave?”
“No, I haven’t locked anything up yet. You can go out the front without issue.”
“OK, but just to be safe, lock it up right after I go. I don’t feel comfortable with you behind here alone without things being locked up.
” He grabbed his jacket and his umbrella before he paused.
“Well, actually, I could wait for you to lock up, so you aren’t alone.
And maybe if you’re hungry, we can grab a bite. ”
I smiled but shook my head. “Rain check on dinner. I’m a bit spent after the past two days. I’ll lock up right after you head out. I promise.”
Daniel gave me his sweet smile and said good night.
Out of our friend group, he was the one who always initiated us hanging out.
Often, he’d ask me to dinner or lunch, but over the past few months as I prepared to open the bookshop, I was always so tired.
I probably owed him at least fifteen lunch and dinner dates.
He never seemed upset with the rain checks, though, and when I worked long nights in the shop, he’d show up with dinner for me and help me paint the walls and set up bookshelves. I truly valued his friendship.
As Daniel walked out of the door, the bell overhead rang, signaling his departure. I held a stack of bookmarks in my hand as I sorted through them to place on the counter.
Just then, the bells over the door rang again.
“You forget something, Daniel?” I questioned, still looking down at the bookmarks in my hand.
“Oh, uh, sorry. Not Daniel.”