Chapter Two
Brooks
”Holy shit,” I mutter under my breath as I get my first good look at the old bookstore my grandpa owned and ran for nearly thirty years. I loved spending summers with him as a kid and helping him out while I was here, but this is not the store from my youth.
The bookstore is in a strip of buildings that house all kinds of businesses on the main street in Sparrow Falls. What used to be a crisp black and white awning is now a tattered, torn, dull gray that hangs depressingly over the ornate wood door leading into the bookstore. The front windows that used to be filled with fanciful displays are covered in dust and dirt, making it hard to see inside. The only thing still looking good from the front is the dark red brick, in direct contrast with the light gray and white washed buildings that share a wall with the bookstore on each side. Like the other buildings on the block, the bookstore is on the skinnier side, but what it lacks in width, it makes up with its length.
Stepping in, I pause as my eyes adjust to the sun filtering in through the dirty front window. This place was always so magical to me, but now it looks like a nightmare instead of a dream.
I blow out a slow breath as my eyes ping-pong from one dust-covered shelf to another, all in pieces on the floor with books scattered around. I massage the pain in my chest that’s growing with the more I see of what used to be one of my favorite places in the world.
I knew my grandpa had to shut the store down when his health started declining, but I assumed he packed everything up. I never thought he would leave his beloved books to sit and collect dust instead of having them safely tucked away. It breaks my heart to see all of his hard work in such disarray, but I”m also pissed. Not at the way the shop is in ruins but at myself that it looks this way. I took my grandpa and this place for granted, instead focusing on building my career and my own life. While I was busy schmoozing people to support the college I worked at, my grandpa was slowly losing his independence and his second love after my grandma—the bookstore.
I knew I needed to make a better effort to come visit him, but I always told myself I would have more time. None of us knew that he was living with a ticking time bomb until he passed away from a massive aortic aneurysm. My mom informed me that he was having heart issues, which was why he originally closed up the store, but none of us expected to lose him so suddenly. He never mentioned needing help when he was closing, to make sure everything was done the way it should be. Part of me thinks he wasn”t ready to accept that it was the end of an era for him.
If I would”ve had my head out of my ass, I could”ve been here to help him with the transition. Hell, if I wouldn”t have been so worried about making tenure at the college, I could”ve been here and given him a hand so he didn”t have to close the shop down in the first place. Instead, I was selfish and didn”t keep in contact or take the time to visit like I should have. We always talked about me taking over once my grandpa was ready to retire, but as I got older, the bookstore fell lower and lower on my priority list.
So, I”m fucking mad—at myself.
Even after his passing, it took me months before I made the drive to Sparrow Falls and stepped back through these doors. Standing here now, I realize the last time I came to visit was in college, which was over ten fucking years ago.
How could I have let that much time slip away, keeping me from the place and one of the people I love the most? I”m here now, and I”m determined to make my grandpa”s store the best it can be and breathe life back into this place.
Holy hell does it need some light. Looking around, I”m not even sure where to begin. It obviously needs a good cleaning, but I can also see exposed wires in the ceiling and what looks like water damage along the back wall, by the office and stairwell leading to the apartments above. I decide not to try the electric, in fear of it causing more damage than already done.
It”s summer break and I am not teaching any classes, which frees up my time to work here. I teach English, literature, and grammar at a local community college about an hour and a half from Sparrow Falls, and I also help out at the library there. I was lucky to snag the position with only my master”s degree while I finished my doctorate online. I”m enjoying the benefits of being a tenured professor. My only regret is that I didn”t prioritize my relationship with my grandpa while I built the future I longed for. It”s because of him I have my love of books and why I wanted to teach literature.
Making my way towards the back of the shop, I use the flashlight app on my phone to check out everything around me. The office is just as tidy as it always was, with nothing out of place and the older monitor still sitting on the desk. My grandpa was meticulous with his inventory and books, so that will be helpful when I go through the inventory on the shop floor.
Unfortunately, I can”t say the same for the old breakroom or small storeroom, where extra books and displays for the shop are kept. Everything seems to be haphazardly thrown about in the storeroom while it looks like some kind of critter has made its home in the cabinets below the sink in the old breakroom. I make a mental note to not only have someone inspect the electric but to also get an exterminator out to see what could be lurking here.
I unlock the back door, which opens to the stairs that lead to the apartments above. There are three floors total in this building, the first being the store and the second and third being apartments. My grandpa lived on the second floor after my gram passed away and rented out the third for extra income, but nobody has lived there in a year or so.
I head up and unlock the door to my grandpa”s old apartment. It”s like taking a step back in time. Once my grandpa”s health started to decline, he accepted my mom”s offer to move in with them. They have a ranch house, which was much easier on his aging knees. Their house was already fully furnished, so my grandpa left all of his furniture here with the possibility of renting out this apartment to someone else.
The apartment has a burnt orange shag carpet, cream walls, and a kitchen that looks like it”s straight out of the 80s. He never bothered updating it because he said he didn”t need all the fancy new gadgets everyone had these days. The light from the floor-to-ceiling windows highlights the feeling of emptiness that seems to permeate the air around me.
Being surrounded by the home of my hero, who will never walk through the door again, sends pain shooting through my chest. My limbs feel heavy as the crushing weight of guilt pushes down on me, for not spending the time with him that I so wish I could now. I thought I was finally ready to face being here, but there”s so much of the old man in this space that I can”t fight the tears streaming down my cheeks.
I slowly meander through the old apartment and can”t help but smile at all the little touches that made this place my grandpa”s home. Books are on almost every surface as if he picked them up to read then left them to finish the next time he sat down. There are also pictures everywhere—of my mom and her siblings as kids, of my grandma who lost the fight to breast cancer when she was still way too young, and of me and my brothers.
I have no idea why my mom never packed this place up while he was still with us, but I”m glad she didn”t. As painful as it is to be in his space, this is the closest I”ve felt to my grandpa in years.
I return to his bedroom and smile. I swear I can smell cigar smoke hanging in the air. My mom hated his cigars, but the scent—along with that of books—will always remind me of my grandpa. I even light one up every now and then myself, when I”m feeling nostalgic and missing him, but I”d never tell my mom that.
Making my way back to the door, I take another look around the apartment and feel more content. I”m planning on staying here while I get things up and running, and walking through his space has really helped in ways I didn”t know it could. It”s hard seeing everything just as he left it, as though he would be coming back, but it also reminds me of some of my favorite memories with him and why I love him so much.
I do a quick trip upstairs to the apartment above the one that will be mine and make sure it”s in good shape. The space is cleaned out, and the hardwood floors, gray-painted walls, and updated kitchen are in excellent condition. The bathroom and bedroom also seem to have been updated within the past few years. Maybe I can stay here while I get my grandpa”s old apartment updated instead of staying down there.
I leave the apartment, making sure to lock up behind me, and then head back downstairs. Unlocking the back door, I step out into the alley behind the rows of businesses on main street. Three parking spaces back here are designated for the building, which will come in handy. I”ll be able to leave a dumpster in one of the spots while I gut the inside.
Back inside, I pull out my phone and make a list of everything that needs done to not only make the apartment upstairs livable but also get the shop running again. Now that the shock of seeing the store in disarray has faded, I”m able to take a closer look around. Even though it looks like hell, a lot of the work that needs to be done is cosmetic.
I make a note to look into a contractor to help me get some of the bigger jobs done, along with an electrician and a plumber. I”m still not sure where the water damage is coming from, and the last thing I need is for a pipe to burst and cause more chaos in this place. I also need to call for a dumpster I can rent while I clear some of the books and broken shelves out. Glancing around, I add supplies that I can grab in the meantime to the list, so I can start cleaning up and get stuff out of the way for the contractors.
Feeling a little better now that I have a plan, I lock up the store and call my mom while I explore Main Street. Sparrow Falls isn”t big by any means, but there are definitely more stores here now than I remember. Hitting Call on my phone, I only have to wait a moment for my mom to answer.
”Hi, sweetheart. Have you made it to Sparrow Falls yet?”
”Yeah, I made it.” I blow out a breath as I find patience to have this conversation with my mom. I”m sure she has a reason why she left the shop in this state, but I can”t help being a little mad at her for the way it is now. ”I just did a walk-through of the building.”
”Oh, was everything okay? It”s been a few years since I went and checked on it.”
”Not really. It”s a fucking eyesore from the front, and the inside isn”t much better. Why the hell did Grandpa leave all of the books here? It looks like the place was ransacked at one point.” I can”t keep the edge out of my voice but feel like an ass when I hear my mom gasp and then sound like she”s crying.
”I didn”t know, baby. Your grandpa told me he had paid a company to do regular maintenance and checks on the entire building. As far the books go, he always hoped you”d come to him, ready to take over. I trusted that he had it taken care of and didn”t really think about it after everything happened. I”m so sorry, honey.”
”Shit. No, I”m sorry, Mom. I didn”t mean to accuse you of letting the shop go. I wish he would have told me. I could”ve prevented it from getting as bad as it is.”
”He didn”t want to disrupt your life. Grandpa was so proud of you for pursuing your dream of becoming a professor. Knowing you were doing what you loved, he didn”t want to pressure you into taking over the store if it wasn”t what you truly wanted.”
I can tell she”s trying not to cry, by the way her voice shakes and cracks, and now I feel even worse.
”But you”re there now, and I know you will do what”s best for not only the shop but also for yourself. Whatever you decide to do, your dad and I will support you.”
”Thanks, Mom. I want to fix it up and make it even better than it was before. With no courses to teach this summer, I can give this my undivided attention. I may even be able to work remotely next semester and teach online classes if I need to.”
”That”s great, honey. You know dad and I will help you any way we can. Your brothers can probably help too.”
”Eh, I can handle it without them. You know they never really loved the bookstore like I did. Besides, they might be professional athletes who seem to have a cushy life, but I know how hard they all work to be the best they can in their sport. I don”t want to take them away from that.”
”Well, just keep it in mind. I”m sure they wouldn”t mind helping you here or there if you needed them.”
”I will. I”m gonna go, Mom. I just made it to the local brewery to snag something to eat. I”ll talk to you soon.”
”Okay, sweetheart. Talk soon. Love you.”
”Love you too, Mom.”
I hang up as I pull the door open and step inside the bar. It”s bigger than it looks from the outside, with open ceilings exposing the duct work, piping, and the support beams for the roof. The walls are a raw brick, giving the whole space a cool industrial vibe.
I head up to the bar, where I”m greeted by a man who looks like he could be part of a biker gang.
”What can I do for you?”
”What would you recommend to drink and eat?”
”Hmm, that depends. How do you feel about fruit in your beer?”
”Um, can”t say I”ve had any beer with fruit in it, but I”m open to try anything at least once.”
”Awesome. I”ll snag the lemon wheat beer for you and bring out an appetizer. It”s one of my best beers, but I usually only have it during the summer, which doesn”t go over well with my sister or my girl.”
The sheepish look on his face makes me chuckle low under my breath. He reaches his hand across the bar towards me, and I give it a firm shake.
”I”m Maverick.”
”Brooks.”
”Nice to meet ya, Brooks. Are you passing through or new to the area?”
”Not exactly new, but I haven”t been here in years. My grandpa owned the bookstore just a few shops down. I”m going to fix it up and get it back to its glory this summer.”
”Oh, that”s awesome. I hate having to order all of my books from the Zon or wait until I go to the city. Please tell me you”re going to stock some indie romance authors.”
My eyes widen as I try to figure out if he”s serious or not. I don”t judge anyone for their choice of book genre, but romance is the last thing I would expect someone who looks like him to read.
Seeing my expression, Maverick starts cracking up. ”Yes, I”m serious. I have a younger sister who loves to read. She went through a tough time a few years ago, so I snagged one of her books and then forced her to discuss it with me. After that, I was hooked. I actually got my brother-in-law to read some too, with the help of his wife”s best friend. Now, we have a ‘guys only” book club.”
”That”s fucking awesome. Book clubs are one of the things I want to do once the bookstore is up and running. I need to find a contractor, plumber, and an electrician first. Oh, and an exterminator or animal control because I”m pretty sure some creature has made the breakroom their home.”
”Well, hell. I don”t know about the last part, but I can help you with the contractor. The brother-in-law that I mentioned owns a contracting business. Actually”—Maverick scans the bar before his eyes settle on a table of guys in the corner—”that”s him over there, with his partner and a couple of their crew. Let me go snag him for you.”
”Oh, you don”t need to interrupt him. If you could just give me his number, I can call him and set something u—”
Maverick cuts me off with a wave of his hand as he heads towards his brother-in-law. After a minute of talking, Maverick returns with two guys following him.
I stand to greet them.
”Hey, man. I”m Cash, and this is my best friend and partner, Reid.”
I shake both of their hands before introducing myself.
”Maverick said you”re looking for a contractor to bring your grandpa”s bookstore back to life. We”re both avid readers and would love to see a bookstore back in town.”
Reid nods with a smirk. ”Hell yeah, we would. Lord knows Landon, my fiancé, would go gaga if he found out a bookstore was coming back to the area. So, what kind of work do you need done?”
”Most of it is going to be cosmetic, but it looks like there might be some water damage and maybe some electrical work.”
”We can handle all of that since we have licensed electricians and plumbers on our crews. We”re booked up for the next few days but could probably swing by on Friday, to check the place out and work out an estimate for you.”
”That would be awesome. Would you be able to check out the apartments above the shop too, just to make sure they are up to code and safe?”
”Absolutely. Were you planning on staying there during the renovations?”
”Yeah, that was the plan. The third-floor apartment has been recently updated and seems to be in great shape, but the second-floor one could use some work.”
”Hmm…” Cash turns to look at Reid.
You can tell these two are close as they have a silent conversation right in front of my eyes. I look over at Maverick, who shrugs, apparently used to these two doing this.
”We can send our electrician over in about half an hour if that works for you.” I start to object, but Cash raises a hand to stop me. ”Before you try to convince me we don”t need to, don”t. I don”t want to put anyone in a dangerous situation when we have the ability to prevent that. It won”t take him long to do an assessment, and then you’ll know whether you can stay there as planned or need to find a hotel for a few nights.”
”Wow, thank you so much. I really appreciate that. My family and I didn”t know how bad the shop and my grandpa”s old apartment actually were. A company was supposed to take care of the building, but that wasn”t the case. I didn”t plan on having to stay somewhere else.”
”It”s all set, then. Tex will be over after we”re done eating, and we”ll see you Friday at, say, 11am. Sound good?”
”Sounds great. I really appreciate it.”
We shake hands again before they walk back to their table and Maverick heads behind the bar. I sit down and take another sip of my beer, getting lost in my thoughts. What feels like only seconds later, Maverick plops a bag smelling like heaven down in front of me, along with a six-pack of what looks like a variety of beers.
I go to pull my wallet out but stop when he waves me off.
”It”s on the house. Welcome to Sparrow Falls, Brooks.”
I shake his hand with a smile on my face. There”s something to be said about small towns and the welcoming people who live there.
”Thanks a lot, Maverick. Stop in if you have a chance, and I”l have a book waiting for you for your next book club.”
”Fuck yeah, I will definitely do that. See you around.”
”See ya.” I wave.
With my beer and food, I make my way out the door and back to the bookstore.
I”m only there for a minute before a jacked-up truck pulls up and a giant of a man steps out. He introduces himself as Tex, and after twenty minutes, he gives me the all-clear to stay in the third-floor apartment. He shut off the electricity to the store and the other apartment, but otherwise, it”s safe for me to stay here.
I make sure everything is locked up before heading out to buy some supplies and an air mattress to sleep on for the time being. This was not how I expected my day to go when I rolled into Sparrow Falls this morning, but I”d be lying if I denied how excited I am to get started on turning the bookstore back into my dream.