Chapter 21
CHAPTER TWENTY-ONE
“Excuse me, ma’am, but this is a hardware store, not a courthouse. You’d be surprised how often people make that exact mistake though.”
Eleanor narrowed her eyes at Garrett, who was looking far too pleased with himself over that joke.
“Hardee har har, mister,” she said dryly. Then she spread her arms. “I take it to mean that you think the outfit is a bit much, then?”
He looked her over. “You could probably stand to lose the blazer,” he allowed, taking in her extremely professional outfit.
“It’s a small-town clerk’s office, not actually going to court.
” Then he gave her the expression that Eleanor always thought signified a blush hiding behind his beard. “You look real nice though.”
Now she blushed, with no beard to hide it.
“No distractions,” she chided. “I’m getting ready for battle.”
She brandished her file folder which had, by her reckoning, every bit of paper that anyone could ever need when it came to proving that she was legally allowed to keep working on her house and open her bookstore.
It was, she knew and as Garrett had hinted as she’d worked on it late into the night, possibly a tiny bit overkill.
But Eleanor didn’t care. She didn’t care if Winnie Burnett had good intentions, bad intentions, or no intentions at all.
Eleanor was more concerned with the effect than the cause.
And she simply could not bear the worry any longer.
She had to know, once and for all, that she would be permitted to keep working.
So she’d gathered all the paperwork, all the town codes and the state restrictions, and she’d highlighted all the areas relevant to her project.
She’d printed everything in duplicate, so that she and the clerk could both have a copy.
She’d checked and double checked that everything was complete and correct.
And then she’d checked it again for good measure.
“The Magnolia Shore town counsel isn’t going to know what hit ‘em,” Garrett said.
She let a tiny bit of her bravado drop, showing him her true feelings.
“I’m just worried,” she admitted. “I feel like I have every permit on the planet. But I don’t have a PhD in town law like Winnie does.”
“Wouldn’t that be a JD?” he mused. When he saw the look on her face, he quickly backpedaled. “Not that it matters. What matters is that you have everything. You did your research. You’re going to get it all sorted and good to go. And then your bookstore will be a huge success.”
“Good pep talk,” she said with a grateful smile.
“Anytime. For now though, are you ready to go?”
Eleanor supposed there was no use stalling any longer.
She tugged the buttons on her shirt to make sure none were threatening to slip loose.
She did abandon the blazer, in the end. It was summer, after all, and the jacket was a little too warm.
Besides, she still felt like she seemed serious enough in her shirt and slacks.
She and Garrett made a funny pair as they walked down the street, her in her dressy business clothes, him wearing his regular flannel, t-shirt, and worn jeans combination. Even so, she felt immeasurably boosted by his presence at her side.
When they arrived at the municipal building that held most of the town’s official business, including town council meetings, the historical society’s offices, and the clerk’s office, Winnie was already inside, as if she’d been waiting for them.
This was ridiculous, Eleanor told herself the second the thought crossed her mind.
Winnie had no way of knowing that Eleanor planned to come in this morning.
If anything, it was the opposite. Eleanor knew that there was a historical society meeting that morning, and Winnie was one of the most vocal members of the group.
Eleanor also had it on good authority, which was to say, from Miriam, who knew everything, that Winnie tended to linger after these meetings.
To meddle, Eleanor assumed. She didn’t care if this was uncharitable. She was right and truly annoyed with Winnie.
“Oh, Eleanor, hello,” Winnie said. “How are you this morning?”
She sounded friendly enough, but this only put Eleanor on her guard. Maybe that was a cover up for some strange reveal yet to come, like Winnie’s hand in passing a law that made bookstores illegal on Tuesdays, Thursdays, and every third Sunday.
This was probably ridiculous too, but Eleanor was not taking any more chances. Her fat folder of paper showed that.
“Good morning, Winnie,” she said. “I’m good, thank you. I’ve come in to submit all the paperwork to make absolutely, one hundred percent sure that there is no issue with any of the construction or zoning for my bookstore.” She paused meaningfully. “Or for the fence.”
Winnie’s eyes went wide with surprise. Eleanor couldn’t decide if she could trust that expression or not.
“Oh, well, that’s splendid,” Winnie said. Then she held out a hand. “I can review it for you.”
Eleanor clutched her folder to her chest like she feared Winnie might try to snatch the folder from her fingers.
“It’s for the clerk to review, thank you,” she said primly.
She had the distinct sense that Garrett, who was standing silently at her back in a show of support, was amused by all this.
“I read it in the town bylaws. Only the clerk is responsible for confirming the validity of the paperwork.”
An expression flashed across Winnie’s face. Annoyance? Or something else? Eleanor couldn’t be sure.
Winnie snatched back her hand like she’d been burned.
“Of course,” she said tersely.
Still, she trailed behind Eleanor and Garrett as they continued on to the clerk’s office.
Eleanor was tempted to remind Winnie that she had no reason to follow them but decided against it.
Maybe if Winnie saw for herself that there was nothing amiss with these reams and reams of paperwork, she would stop whatever strange campaign she was on to interfere with Eleanor’s project.
The clerk, a soft-faced woman with long, graying hair, smiled pleasantly at the trio as they entered her office.
“Good morning,” she said. “How can I help you today?”
Eleanor opened up her folder and began removing paperwork. It was one of those accordion-style folders, the kind she had seen her ex-husband, a lawyer, use when he really meant business.
She hoped that Winnie recognized that this was a very serious folder.
“Good morning,” Eleanor said. “I am here to confirm that I have the paperwork so that my home can be turned into a combination residence and bookshop.” She cut a sidelong glance at Winnie. “All the paperwork.”
Winnie pressed her lips together. Eleanor almost hoped she would say something.
The clerk seemed entirely oblivious to the tension.
“Ooh, a bookstore? Oh, Magnolia Shore is long overdue for a bookstore. I know you can get anything online these days, but I do just love the part where you browse the shelves and find a hidden gem, don’t you?” She beamed at both women. Eleanor beamed back. Winnie did not.
“I absolutely agree,” Eleanor said. “I’m so glad I’m going to be able provide that service to the town. I am a newcomer here, but I love Magnolia Shore, and I am looking forward to being part of the business community here.”
Eleanor recognized that she might be laying it on a bit thick, but she couldn’t resist.
“And we’re going to be so pleased to have you,” the clerk said, already beginning to shuffle through the paperwork. “Winnie, are you involved in this project? This paperwork is precise. Looks like your usual kind of work.”
Goodness, this was one of the best days Eleanor had enjoyed in a good long while.
“No, I’m not involved,” Winnie said primly.
The clerk paused her shuffling. “Oh,” she said. Why are you here, then? It was the unspoken question. The clerk might have been too polite to say it, but Winnie clearly heard it.
“All right then.” The clerk returned to looking over the paper. “I see you’ve got your Articles of Organization, your Employer Identification Number, and your Incorporation Application.”
“That should include a copy of the Director Identification Number,” Winnie said, leaping on the opportunity to point to a blank field.
“I included the entire DIN approval document, if you’ll see Appendix C,” Eleanor said sweetly.
Winnie didn’t say anything else after that.
The flicker in her expression made Eleanor briefly pause in her internal celebration to wonder why Winnie was so focused on Eleanor’s bookstore.
It couldn’t be personal, after all. They hadn’t even met before Winnie had come over to tell her all the things she felt Eleanor was doing wrong.
What inside Winnie was satisfied by sticking her nose in? It had to be something.
“And Magnolia Shore Book Shop,” the clerk said, drawing Eleanor’s attention away from wondering about Winnie, “that’s the business name, right? Or just a placeholder for now?”
“Just a placeholder,” Eleanor said, a touch sheepishly. “I read online that that’s okay, as long as it’s an accurate descriptor of the business.”
“As long as you get your change of name form approved before you open, yes,” the clerk confirmed. “But if you end up sticking with this, you won’t need it.”
“Amazing,” Eleanor said.
The clerk tapped the pages into a neat pile. “Actually, you’re the amazing one. This is as tidy a stack as I’ve ever seen. Have you ever worked in municipal government?”
“Nope,” Eleanor said, inwardly preening. “Just did a lot of research.”
“Well, nice work. I’ll get these filed and double-checked, but I really don’t see any problems that are likely to crop up. If they do, I’ll call right away so you can fix them.”
“Even the waiver about the fence location?”
“Oh yeah.” The clerk looked wholly unconcerned. “It’s only a few inches. I can’t imagine anyone kicking up a fuss about it.”
Eleanor knew it was the tiniest bit petty, but after all her anxiety, she felt she was entitled to an itty-bitty touch of snark.
“I can’t imagine that either,” she said.
“Congratulations, Ms. Ridley,” the clerk said warmly.
When Eleanor walked out with Garrett, she was walking on air.
“I’m going to have a bookstore!” she cried happily, throwing her arms around his neck. He wrapped his arms around her waist, picked her up, and spun her in a circle.
“Oh, put me down,” she scolded with a laugh. “We’re too old for that kind of thing. You’ll throw out your back.”
“Hush, woman,” he said. “You’re going to have a bookstore. Let me celebrate, old age and all.”
“Let’s celebrate like this, instead,” she countered, pulling him down to press a quick kiss on his lips.
“Oh, yeah, that works too.”
After releasing Garrett, Eleanor thought to glance around for Winnie. She didn’t plan on gloating. She’d come out on top, after all. Bragging about it would be bad form. But she figured that she should say something that might help them bury the hatchet, even if just a little bit.
But when she tried to find the other woman, Winnie was gone.