Chapter 9 #2
“Humans are fallible. I need to have a heart-to-heart with my spiritual advisor and see if his needs are messing with Jim’s decision-making in this matter.
Les is a good guy. He just doesn’t like change.
” She smiled at me. “One more task on my to-do list. What’s on your schedule today?
Are you coming into Bakerstown with me?”
“I think I’ll stay home. I need to run with Emma after work, then do some reading or maybe laundry.
Or multi-task and do both.” I also wanted to figure out how I could find out more about Chip without hanging out at his bar and talking to the long-term customers.
Besides, I didn’t think it would be open.
Not for a while. If Chris was his heir, wouldn’t she need a court order or something to start running it again?
Maybe Amy would know. “When are you going to Bakerstown?”
“I’m going to head over early if you’re not coming. Probably around nine or ten.” She played with her spoon. “I’ll be back to cook dinner. Maybe something creamy and baked. Anything you guys don’t like?”
“We’re pretty much open to anything.” I stood and put my empty bowl into the sink. “Especially if I’m not cooking. You don’t have to do that though.”
“It helps me think. And I’ve got a lot on my mind between this manuscript, the new job, and, well, Jim. I might just bake all of your Christmas cookies before I leave.”
“Knock yourself out.” I grabbed my tote and said goodbye to my dog. “I’ll see you sometime tonight. Call if you’re going to be late. I worry.”
“Yes, Mom.” Beth grinned and shook her head. “I want to be part of a family again. What am I, crazy?”
“It’s a possibility,” I teased back as I headed outside. As I walked into town, I texted Amy to see if she could have lunch with me at Diamond Lille’s. I didn’t get an answer until I was almost at the shop. It was short but positive.
Sure. Noon?
All the businesses in town were bursting with holiday décor, ready for a busy holiday season Saturday.
We’d had a sale at the bookstore last week for Black Friday and the sales for this week were just as high.
People liked buying books for gifts. Especially since we had a huge local charm section where we had cookbooks, travel books, and even fiction that was set in our geographical area.
I’d also ordered a few touristy items like South Cove pillows, jackets, T-shirts, and magnets.
People loved magnets to put on their refrigerators.
This morning, I’d mostly sell coffee and paperbacks to the tourists staying at the bed-and-breakfasts scattered around the area.
Holiday shopping traffic would pick up just as I was leaving.
Which would make it Deek’s problem. He loved working Saturdays.
He was our one true extrovert in the bookseller group.
The rest of us would rather just be there in case someone wanted to buy something.
Deek reached out to everyone who walked into the store and had a high rate of success by talking to them about books.
Books he loved, books they’d read, and what they were looking for.
I’d watched his magic once, amazed at the way he brought even the most reluctant buyer to the register with at least one book, if not more, in their hands.
I thought it had a lot to do with the way he read people. Well, he’d say he read auras, but I knew his secret. He was a people watcher and could tell who was responding to his banter, changing it up when it wasn’t working. He knew what people wanted most. To be seen. He saw everyone.
As I opened the bookstore, I was surprised to see the purple van of Sadie Michaels, my friend and owner of Pies on the Fly, pull up in front of the shop. “I didn’t think we were getting a delivery today.”
“Evie called in another one yesterday. She said they’d had a run on the snowman cookies, so I made you up a special batch of snowmen, snow angels, snowflakes, and even some pretty snow-covered cabins.
Those are gingerbread. Since I had made the batter, you have gingerbread people as well.
I went a little crazy.” She glanced at her watch.
“Come help me unload these before the parking police find me and gripe to the mayor.”
“Hold on a sec.” I hurried inside, then turned on the lights and tucked my tote behind the counter. As I came back out, I said, “The ban doesn’t start until nine, and besides, I don’t think Josh is open this early.”
“I can handle Josh. It’s that Matty Leaven. She’s horrible. She complained that the choir practice was too loud last week. A church choir. She just thinks she is in control of everything and everyone.”
“I’m not too fond of that woman either. She’s not nice to Josh. I mean, he’s an acquired taste, I get it, but don’t be nice to his face, then laugh at him behind his back. It drives me crazy.” I grabbed the two trays of cookies that Sadie handed me. “I have no respect for the woman.”
“She’s trouble with a capital T. I’m so glad I can say these things to you.
If I said it to Bill, he would tell me I should turn the other cheek or see things from her side.
But I could tell the choir thing didn’t settle well with him either.
He’s just better at hiding his emotions. ” Sadie followed me in with four trays.
The discussion I’d had with Beth this morning came to mind. “Hey, would Bill ever tell his secretary not to take a better job? Or more specifically, tell her soon-to-be husband to tell her?”
“You’re kidding, right? Bill is always without a secretary because he finds them better jobs. Church employees don’t make a lot of money, so after they get the experience of working in an office, he makes it his mission to place them in a better-paying job. He sees it as his calling. Why?”
I told her about Beth’s problem. I probably shouldn’t have, since it wasn’t my story to tell, but I trusted Sadie and I knew she wouldn’t tell anyone else.
“If he’s doing that, it’s for his benefit, not God’s.
” Sadie shook her head. She was in a class for spouses of members of the clergy.
Her engagement ring sparkled on her left hand as she pushed her hair out of her eyes.
“You tell her to stand her ground. God gives us talents for us to serve him, not hide them under a barrel.”
“Maybe you guys could have coffee together some afternoon before she leaves?” I wanted Sadie and Beth to have some time to talk. I knew Sadie wouldn’t lead her wrong.
“How about Wednesday? I have to be up for my women’s meeting that afternoon. We could meet at three. Do you mind if we meet at Lille’s? That way I can eat an early dinner while we talk and then crash before I have to be back up and baking.”
“That’s perfect. Thanks for making time for Beth.” I hugged her. “And for all of these adorable cookies. I’ll get them put away.”
I’d meant to get them put away, but I started getting busy. I found myself selling off the baking tray sitting behind the counters as soon as the shoppers saw the cookies. I didn’t think we would be as stocked up as Evie had hoped when she called in the extra order.
When Deek came in for work, he didn’t say anything. He put on an apron, then took a tub out to the dining room to clean tables. When we finally had a breather, we were both putting cookies in the display case. “Good to see you.” I grinned as I picked up a snow angel and broke off her wing to eat.
“I think we’re going to be busy until New Year’s,” he said as he slid an empty tray under a full one.
“Not a bad problem to have.” I glanced at my phone. I had lunch plans with Amy in ten minutes. “You good here?”
“I’m fine, but Jill, I think we need to talk about me taking some time off. I need to get a few things done.” He picked up the cookie trays to put them in the back. “Before Christmas.”