Chapter Five
Tawny
Janis definitely knew how to help me get established in my new town, and she insisted I stay with her rather than get my own place. “You need to save your funds where you can. Who knows what you’ll want to do once you’ve had a chance to rest up.”
And recover. Even without all the information, Janis seemed to know how traumatized I was.
She made sure I slept enough and ate good meals, refusing to take a dime for any of it.
But I couldn’t just use her, so I helped out around the store as much as she allowed in the mornings.
My benefactor also insisted I take long walks in the afternoons to help me destress.
She made excuses to get me outside. Little errands around town, picking things up from the store or donations.
Nothing big, but how could I say no when Janis asked?
She’d made everything possible for me.
“I just realized I forgot the spaghetti for tonight’s dinner,” she said on this particular day about a week into my tenure in her place. “Would you mind…”
“With as great as the sauce smells?” She’d put it in the slow cooker before we came down to work. “Anything else? Garlic bread?” The one thing I insisted on was paying for what I picked up. It was usually very little money, but it gave me some sense of self-reliance.
“That sounds good. Go to the Italian deli and bakery at the other end of Main Street in that case. They have so many delicious things.”
“I’ll do that.” And bring one of those delicious things for dessert. “You sure you don’t need me in the shop this afternoon?”
“Oh no. I have staff coming in. You go bring us some of that yummy bread. My mouth is already watering.”
I left laughing. Never before had I lived in such a happy, relaxed environment. No, I couldn’t impose forever, but while I stayed, I could enjoy knowing what it was like to be happy. Yes, I’d bring the bread and pasta and delicious pastry to my friend.
Usually, I went to the regular market, which lay in the other direction, so it was fun to check out the shops on the way to the deli.
Nobody would ever call Pleasant fancy, but who would want that anyway?
On this day, I passed a shoe store, a boutique with a cute array of summer dresses in the window, and a kitchen store, among others.
It must be so nice to be a merchant in this town, getting to have a store to decorate and take care of.
Janis had introduced me to some of her chamber of commerce friends, and they all had such great ideas for working together for the good of the whole town.
On the way back, lost in thought, I walked right into a fire hydrant and nearly tipped over.
Glancing around to see if anyone noticed, I straightened and smoothed down my yellow cotton summer dress.
Since I’d been with Janis, she’d made sure I had a wardrobe from stock, calling it advertising for the store.
She’d do anything to help me, but when I said something about it, she just told me if I wanted to repay her just to pass it along when I met someone in need.
It made me feel even more empowered to think I could help someone like she did.
Somehow, even when she was telling me to help others, she helped me.
Janis!
Safely past the hydrant, I paused to look in a window to see how rumpled I looked, but the window I chose reflected nothing.
Unlike the shiny clean glass of every other store, this one was filthy.
In my old area, I wouldn’t have been surprised, but in Pleasant?
I stepped back and looked to see if there was a sign.
What kind of place was this? The dirt store?
No. The sign dangling from one chain read, Pleasant Pages.
Pages? I found a spot on the window where I could see inside.
It was a bookstore. The shelves were full, but it seemed as if it had been abandoned for a while.
How sad. Growing up, I hadn’t had a lot of access to books, and each one I did get hold of was precious.
Peeking into the dusty store, I allowed myself a little regret at my small collection left behind.
Maybe someone on the lands would find them and enjoy them.
I continued to the thrift store, wanting to get back with the cream pastries before they got warm.
Janis was busy with a customer, so I took my goodies upstairs and put on the water to boil the spaghetti, preheated the oven for the bread, and sat down to relax for a few.
Janis came up a half hour later, and over dessert—which she was thrilled about—I told her about the bookstore.
“Oh, that’s Inga’s place. She ran it for decades, but finally her kids convinced her to move in with them in Florida.” Janis took a bite of her pastry and hummed in pleasure. “You’re such a thoughtful roommate.”
“You’re one to talk.” I placed a second Napoleon on her plate. I was pretty sure it was a French pastry, but they’d looked too good to quibble over. “Is she going to sell the place?”
“Not until she finds someone ‘worthy.’ Her word. Why? Are you interested?”
“Oh no, I don’t know how to do anything like that.
The only retail experience I have is what I’ve gotten here this week with you.
It’s not enough to own my own business, much less be ‘worthy.’” I sighed.
“I sure love books though. And I could just see how the place would look with a little TLC. There are thousands of books already there.” The idea made me hungry, wondering how many I could get through if they were all mine.
“You need to have more confidence in yourself.” Janis reached for her phone. “Let’s call Inga now, before it gets too late.”
Turned out, Janis’ recommendation held weight. No surprise there. Although I really thought she oversold me. In any case, Janis had the keys, and Inga suggested I go by and take a look, see if I really wanted to buy it.
I couldn’t sleep all night, tossing and turning in alternate bouts of excitement and nerves. I’d never wanted anything more than to run a bookstore. How had I never realized it before now?
Easy. Omegas in my past didn’t get to have dreams of their own.