Chapter 18
It feels like I’ve traveled back in time when I enter Viv’s on Sunday morning. It’s like I’m sixteen again and back in my childhood hometown.
Viv has given me detailed instructions, so without any difficulty, I find the light switch behind the counter, the small kitchen at the back of the store, and the vacuum cleaner in the cleaning cabinet next to the changing rooms.
I’ve come here way too early, so I’ve got plenty of time to vacuum, get familiar with the cash register, and figure out how the speakers work. Once again, I’m struck by how much I like this place and how grateful I am to be here.
I go through the racks of clothes and memorize every single piece; it’s important that I know what’s here when the customers start arriving.
And because of my work-brain, I also need to memorize everything so I can create a plan to maximize the potential here.
Because, oh, this place is so full of potential.
And after I find the note on the counter saying, Feel free to do whatever you want.
Pretend it’s yours. Xx, Viv, I’m not holding back.
Time disappears when I lose myself in here. I love it. I love everything about it. The strategy. Creating the aesthetic. The challenge of predicting what customers will want to buy and how to make them buy it.
As a teenager, I dreamed of having my own store. Spend all my days there. Inspire people. Work with both my hands and my brain.
I used to picture myself biking to work early in the morning.
Turning on the lights. Brewing a pot of coffee.
Putting on some music. And then getting my hands dirty.
Because a clothing store is all about strategy; nothing is a coincidence.
It takes a lot of hard work to make it work—and that’s what I love about it.
When I’m done, I lean back against the counter, examining my work. Sure, I wish she had a more seasonal selection of clothes, but it’s still good stuff. Viv knows about good quality, and I really appreciate that about her.
“What do you think?” I ask Cactus, who’s lying next to my feet. She was done sniffing a long time ago. “Pretty good, huh? But we’re missing one thing. Music. Because customers appreciate some good ol’ music, don’t they, sweetie?”
I’ve noticed that Viv never plays music in here, and she should, because music helps people get in the right mood for shopping.
So, I put on my happy playlist, and when the music fills every corner of the store, I smile out of pure satisfaction.
All of a sudden, it all feels weirdly close to my childhood dream. I just need to brew a pot of coffee.
It’s with a tingling chest that I unlock the door an hour later.
I smile as I wave to the other store owners and feel happy when they return both my wave and my smile.
It seems like Viv has already told them I’d be here, because they don’t seem surprised that it’s me and not her today.
I also spend a few minutes chatting with Dave from the hardware store, who tells me he’s received the world’s best super glue and wonders if I need any.
I don’t, but I promise to come by next week to buy a tube.
He looks so pleased I almost blurt out that I’ll buy two. Almost.
I’ve dressed myself in the sweater I bought here the other day and paired it with my favorite linen shorts. It’s a cute but casual look, just what I aimed for. I feel very satisfied when a woman comes in and asks about the sweater. And I feel even more satisfied when she buys one for herself.
The day flies by so fast. Too fast. And even though it’s a Sunday and the sun is shining, there’s a steady stream of customers.
I urge them to try on the clothes they’re looking at and offer coffee to anyone who came along with them.
And I don’t know how to best describe my feelings other than saying I enjoy every second of it.
I really, really do. I’m having so much fun.
And it gets even better when Iris shows up with iced tea from Gertrude’s. She waits by the door while I help a lady buy a green pareo and then comes to greet me with big eyes.
“Wow, I’ve never seen this much activity here!” She looks around. “And what a great idea to keep the door open—it looks so much more inviting!” She hands me the plastic cup. “And I love what you’ve done in here.”
“It’s not too much? Viv said it was okay but . . .”
“It’s perfect. So much better than before. Now you can actually see what’s in here.”
The last customer leaves, and Cactus follows her out. Iris looks at me. “It’s amazing what you’re doing, I know it means the world to her. Thank you.”
“She’s really doing me a favor. I think this is so much fun. This is how I first fell in love with clothes.”
“You fit so well in here. It suits you.”
I place a hand dramatically over my heart. “Stop it—that’s the finest compliment I’ve ever gotten. What a freaking honor to fit in here.” I shoot her a smile to emphasize how much I mean it. “Viv has really done a fantastic job. She’s invested her soul in it, you can tell.”
Iris nods in agreement while sipping her iced tea. “She really has.”
A sound from outside catches my attention, and I turn to the door the moment Cactus walks back in, followed by Benjamin and Jake.
My eyes lock with Benjamin’s for a split second, and something low in my belly quivers from sudden heat.
I avert my gaze but even though I no longer look at him, it’s like my whole body is aware of his presence because my skin gets weirdly on edge. I feel him.
“What have we walked in to? Some kind of town meeting?” Jake says and looks between us with a slow grin.
“Yeah, we’re deciding on whether to let you stay or not,” Iris says.
“Oh, and what did you come up with?”
“Nothing yet. You interrupted us.”
Jake flashes her a boyish grin. “Bummer.”
Iris nods. “I know.”
I cast a quick glance in Benjamin’s direction and notice his eyes are still on me. He looks relaxed, not as tired as the last time I saw him. Once again, I get the feeling that he sees right through me. Like he can see what’s inside. Really inside.
“What are you up to?” Iris asks.
“Same as you, probably. Strolling through town,” Jake says.
“We’re not strolling through town. Well, I am. June works here today.”
Benjamin looks surprised. “You work here?”
I nod. “I’ve offered to help Viv keep the store open on Sundays.”
He watches me more intensely, narrowing his eyes, as if to see if I’m lying (I guess?) before he slowly nods with a Huh.
“Wow, that’s nice of you, June,” Jake says before he narrows his eyes at Benjamin. “Don’t you think that’s nice of June, Ben?”
Without taking his eyes from me, Benjamin lowers his chin. “Very.”
I meet his green eyes again. It’s a green sea, traveling all over my face.
“How’s Cactus?” he finally asks.
“Good.” Thanks to you.
“Yeah?”
“Yeah.”
“She’s eating normally?”
“She is. She misses grilled cheese sandwiches, though.” Wait, who am I talking about?
“She should get more, then.”
“She should.”
“Anyway . . .” Jake says, pinching his eyebrows low. “I’m hungry now.”
“Me, too,” Iris mumbles.
“Join us for a late lunch? You too, June. Aren’t you closing soon?”
Averting my gaze from Benjamin is like waking up. There are more people here?
“Um, that sounds nice, but I’ve got a date.”
Iris and Benjamin turn to me simultaneously.
“You’ve got a date?” Benjamin’s jaw flexes as he crosses his arms over his chest.
“Yes,” I say, meeting his stormy eyes again. “With my sister.”
Benjamin’s shoulders drop.
“She’s here?” Iris sounds excited.
“Unfortunately, not. FaceTime.”
“Still cozy, though.”
“Yeah, it is.”
Jake’s smile is crooked. “Next time, then. What about you, Iris?”
“Sorry, I’ve got a lesson in thirty minutes.”
“With a date?” He grins at her.
“Nope. With an older lady who insists on calling me Inez.”
Jake chuckles before turning to Benjamin. “It’s you and me, then.”
Benjamin nods without shifting his gaze. “How many episodes have you watched this week?”
I can’t stop my mouth from turning into a smile. “Too many. You?”
“Same.”
Jake looks confused. Then he shakes his head, like he’s given up on understanding. “Food, man!”
Benjamin nods one last time, squatting down to pet Cactus. “Audrey misses you,” he says and rubs her behind her ear. She leans into him.
Jake walks for the door, he’s obviously done. “It was good seeing you, girls. Come by Lost & Found soon.”
“We’ll do,” Iris says and checks the time. “I’d better leave, too. I need to pick up my board.” She hugs me, and I thank her for the tea. “Anytime, babe.”
Benjamin holds my eyes one last time. “Take care, Collins.”
“You too, Reyes.”
“I can’t believe you’re working in a store again, Juju.”
“I know,” I say, swallowing some roasted chicken. “And it was so much fun. I don’t think time has ever flown by so fast.”
Clara smiles, popping her mouth full of meatballs. “Sounds amazing.”
I’ve told her everything about the day—even the part about selling three knits in the middle of summer. She swallows.
“You sound happy, Juju.”
“I am.”
She smiles again, looking at me thoughtfully. “That makes me happy.”
“What about you? Tell me everything.”
She shrugs. “Not much to tell, actually. I’m working. There are a lot of tourists here and they eat a lot of oysters.”
“No sexy sailors . . . ?”
She pouts before emptying her glass of milk. Clara is the only grown-up person I know who still drinks milk with every meal she eats. “No. What about you? No funny men in Pearlband Beach?”
For a reason I can’t explain, Benjamin Reyes pops up on my retinas. I shake my head. “No.”
Clara stops in the middle of filling her mouth with more food. “Wait, you hesitated?”
I move my fork from one side of the plate to the other. “I did not.”
“You so did.”
“No.”
“You’ve met someone?”
She’s staring at me now.
“What? No!”
She narrows her eyes, leaning closer to the camera as if trying to see if I’m lying. “There’s something you’re not telling me,” she says after a minute of scrutinizing.
“There absolutely isn’t. There are no funny men in Pearlband Beach. Only arrogant veterinarians.”
“Arrogant veterinarians? Sounds sexy.”
I shake my head. “It isn’t. It really isn’t sexy. Sexy is the last thing it is.”
Clara looks at me in astonishment. Then she smiles. A big Clara-smile, covering her whole face. “Wow, Juju. Wow.”
“Wow what?”
She’s grinning now. “You like someone.”
I stare at her in horror. “What? I absolutely do not like someone. Absolutely not. I can’t be, because I’m done with men. They’re all boring.”
“Not the arrogant veterinarians. . .”
“Especially the arrogant veterinarians.”
Clara doesn’t look convinced. Not at all. But she’s started eating again. “Sure,” she says. “Sure. Now tell me, have you talked to Mom lately?”