CHAPTER 19
Maisie stared at her computer because she had nowhere else to put her eyes.
She was sad, disappointed, worried, and stressed.
India had just left the shop, and Maisie had wanted to go after her to tell her that she understood.
She had to own her part in this. She’d been so focused on India being inflexible and so wealthy, having a valet at her condo, that she had contributed to the barriers between them, making India jump through metaphorical hoops to prove that she could actually give in a relationship.
“God, what is wrong with me?” she said to herself because there was no one else there.
The coffees and cookies India had brought were still on the table, Lainey and Paige were still at their meeting, and the woman she liked had just left because she hadn’t felt comfortable telling Maisie that she had a brother who was running against her in the election.
When the door opened and the bells jangled, she stood and went to the front, where she saw two customers walk in, unaware of what had just happened or the fact that Maisie was running a campaign in the back of the shop.
“Do you have a bathroom that we can use?” the woman asked.
“Yeah, sure,” Maisie said. “Back and to the left.”
“Great. Thank you.”
“Any water?” the guy who was with her asked.
“No, we don’t sell water. Sorry,” Maisie replied.
“Yeah, okay,” he said and followed the woman back to the bathroom.
“Want to go get some from the place next door?” the woman asked him. “The Southern Roastery?”
“Yes. Let’s get some coffee, too,” he replied.
“It’s not a café,” Maisie offered. “That’s just their headquarters. And the coffee shop inside it is employees-only, but there’s another one down the block.”
“Oh, okay. Thanks,” the guy said.
The woman went into the one-stall bathroom first, leaving the guy to look at the books on the shelves next to it.
“So, how did you hear about us?” Maisie asked, trying to take her mind off the fact that India had just left.
“Hear about–” The guy turned to her. “Oh, we were just walking by and saw this place.”
“Oh,” she said. “Right.”
“Do you sell any manga here?” he asked.
“Uh… No,” she said.
“Too bad. I would have bought some.”
“Sorry,” she replied.
The woman came out of the bathroom then, and her companion went inside, closing the door behind him.
“Thanks,” the woman said to Maisie.
“No problem,” she replied and sat down at her table.
Minutes later, the two visitors left without purchasing anything.
Maisie really needed to post a sign that the bathroom was for customers only, but she’d always resisted doing so because when someone needed to go, they needed to go, and for the longest time, they’d been the only business in the area with a bathroom.
“Hey, we’re back,” Lainey said, walking in behind her. “You can go vote if you haven’t already.”
“That was quick,” Maisie noted.
“We’re just coaches, so we only had to find out that one of our players played a role in the stupid prank and is now suspended for a match.
Well, that was my decision, but they caused damage to the school, so she’s lucky she’s not off the team.
She’s one of our best midfielders, though, so I need to rework our lineup for the next match. Why are teenagers so dumb?”
Maisie laughed and replied, “I don’t know, but I’m not sold on the fact that adults are much smarter.”
“Why? What happened?” Lainey asked, sitting down next to her.
“Where’s Paige?”
“Parking. The lot is full, so she’s finding another spot. Where’s India?”
“She left.”
“Why?”
“Because her brother is Colter Stone.”
“What?” Lainey asked as she reached for the box of cookies.
“Her half-brother, technically.”
“Colter Stone? The asshole you’re running against?”
“Yes. India is his half-sister, and she didn’t tell me.”
“Shit. Really?”
“Yes. And I think it might be my fault.”
“It’s your fault she’s related to that jerk?”
“No, but it’s at least partly my fault that she felt like she couldn’t tell me about it.”
“And why is that your fault, exactly? She’s a big girl. She knew you were running against the guy and could have mentioned that she was related to him at any time.”
“That’s true,” she said. “But I’ve been giving her a hard time since we met.”
“About her brother?”
“No, the stupid stuff.” Maisie sighed. “We’re so different, and she told me about how she and her ex broke up because India…
wasn’t great at compromise, is the best way of putting it, I guess.
Like, if Finley wanted to do something and India didn’t, they just didn’t do it.
I think it got to me, and I’ve been acting like an ass myself by testing her.
I told her that, and she forgave me, I think, but I haven’t exactly given her any reason to tell me that she’s the half-sister of the guy I hate. ”
“Why are you even dating her, then?” Lainey asked.
“What?”
“Maise, if you keep testing the woman, that means you believe that at some point, she’ll fail, right?
So, it’s like you’re preparing for that failure so that you can hold it against her or something; like you want the thing to end before it begins if she doesn’t fit into whatever cookie-cutter image you have for the woman you want to be with. ”
“That’s not true,” Maisie said.
“Then, what is true?”
“I like her,” she answered. “She came over last night, and we talked for hours, Lainey. Yes, we’re pretty different, but that’s because the males in my family gambled away our money decades ago.
I’m doing all right, but I’m basically a few months away from closing up shop here all the time, and that’s not getting any better with more and more people reading on their phones or not at all.
I don’t know. I just… I like her. She’s sweet and really smart.
She’s beautiful and makes me laugh, and not just when she wears heels to a high school soccer game. ”
Maisie laughed at the memory.
“Have you ever thought about doing something more than just running for city council?”
“Huh?”
“You always talk about how this place is historical, and you want that status to protect it, but people use the bathroom here now more than they buy books.”
“I know. I’m working on adding water, snacks, and other things, too. That should help a little.”
“But what about working with the tour companies?”
“I’ve tried. I’ve made calls.”
“Like a year or two ago.”
“They told me they’d consider putting us back on their tours, but they didn’t. What am I supposed to do?”
“I don’t know. Call them again. Things change all the time, Maisie. And let’s be honest here: it’s a long shot. This race is a long shot for you. Colter will probably win.”
“And he might come after the shop,” she added.
“Maybe. Maybe not. But you’ll go back to just having the shop and trying to keep it running.
If you like India, that’s great. Stop testing the woman and give her a real chance,” Lainey said before she took a bite of the cookie she pulled out of the box.
“I still don’t like that she didn’t tell you something important like that, though. ”
“Me neither. But I sat here, trying to blame her for it, and I kept getting held up on the fact that I made her worry that she couldn’t tell me because I’ve never liked someone like her before.”
“It’s true. I’ve met your exes.”
“You are one of my exes.”
“And I’ve never worn heels to a soccer match.”
“Yes, exactly.” Maisie laughed. “I look at her, and I feel like I simultaneously want to kiss her and run the other direction to fix my hair and put on some fancy dress because I don’t understand why someone like her would want someone like me.”
“Finley isn’t exactly fancy,” Lainey argued.
“I know. I’m defying logic right now. Still, I can’t help but feel it.”
“Is it worth it to you?”
“Is what worth it to me?”
“India. Can you put some of that stuff behind you, push it away, and just give the woman the benefit of the doubt? She wants you, Maisie. She took the day off work to come here and help you with this election that she knows you’re likely to lose.
She brought the whole world coffee and cookies.
Seriously, how many coffees did she bring? ”
“Enough,” Maisie replied, laughing.
“There are also, like, a dozen cookies in here.”
“Yes, she must know you well already,” Maisie joked.
“Look, you’re making this way too hard, when it doesn’t need to be.
So, get through today, and then think about what you want to do.
I recommend that you at least talk to her.
Like I said, I like her for you. I saw you practically fall into her when she started massaging your neck.
You’re not usually a vulnerable person, and that’s especially true when you’re around other people.
Hell, we dated for six months, and I don’t think you ever let me massage your neck like that. ”
“Did you ever offer?” she teased.
“Yes, I did,” Lainey replied, laughing. “And I think the fact that you showed that side of yourself to her already, even with both Paige and me here, means something, Maise.” She shoved Maisie playfully in the shoulder.
“Now, go vote for yourself. Let’s try to win this damn thing and make you the next city councilor in the city of New Orleans. ”
Maisie smiled at her best friend, stood, and just as Paige walked in, she walked out.
The voting station was only a short walk from the shop, so instead of driving, Maisie decided to enjoy the fresh air and have some time with her thoughts.
She couldn’t push India out of them, though, which was surprising because she’d been so focused on kicking Colter Stone’s ass for months now that she had hardly been able to think of anything else.
Yet, the look on India’s face when she’d tried to explain and then left the shop was something she couldn’t keep out of her mind.
Maisie should’ve told her that it was okay – she understood, and she had played her part – but she hadn’t said anything.
She had let India leave, and now, she stood in line to vote for herself in some election that she had no chance of winning.
Even if the polls had her up a few points, that didn’t mean she was up on Colter, and he’d been running ads just like the one she’d seen with India in the family photo all last night and today.
Everyone would have his face on their mind when they went to vote, and Maisie would have to wrap her brain around this all being over soon and her life returning to what it had been before, which wasn’t bad, but wasn’t exactly fulfilling.
Maisie had her friends in Lainey and Paige, and she had the shop, but that was it.
She didn’t have money saved up in the bank to travel, buy a house, or even rent a nicer apartment.
She didn’t have a girlfriend or a wife to go home to at night.
She also didn’t have her family anymore, and for the past several months, she’d been able to ignore the relative loneliness she felt since Grams had died.
While she waited in line, she decided to do something about at least one part of her life.
She pulled out her phone, looked up the number, and dialed.
“NOLA Guides. This is Jill.”
“Hi, Jill. This is Maisie Lincoln. I think we spoke maybe about a year ago about your tours.”
“Okay. How can I help you?”
“I own Chapter give you all ten-percent-off coupons for them, or a free bookmark or something? Or maybe add some water and snacks to the shop to encourage people to buy?”
“Water and snacks for sure,” Jill replied. “But our tours are usually on tight schedules, so we can’t keep them there browsing for long.”
“What if you ended the tour here?” Maisie suggested as she moved up in line to check in.
“Maybe a tour ends here, and there’s a café next door that’s about to open.
It could be that they finish at Chapter & Verse and can get themselves a coffee or water there.
I might even be able to get coupons for Southern Roastery for them. ”
“Southern? I know people who work there,” Jill said.
“You do?”
“Yes. A few, actually. I hadn’t thought about using my connections there for coupons, but that could work.
I’ll have Melinda call you. I think she’ll like the idea of finishing the tour there and doing some kind of coupon deal for a percentage off books and maybe coffee.
If you don’t hear back from her today or tomorrow, though, just call us back.
She’s planning a wedding right now, so she’s a little scatterbrained. ”
“Okay. Thank you,” she said.
“Yeah, no problem,” Jill replied.
Maisie said goodbye and felt a little bit better about doing one thing good today.