Chapter 6
Chapter Six
MADDIE
T he bell above the door rings, but I carry on with inventory.
I can be a bit of an untrusting grump, and no one wants a Karen stalking them around the store, so I leave them to it.
If they decide to buy something, I’ll meet them at the counter, and I always make sure I’m available if they have any questions, even if I do grumble about it.
I slide the newest arrivals onto the shelf as soft footsteps come closer. I leave the other books in their box and glance up. A teenager stands in front of me, offering a warm smile.
“Erm, hi?” I ask, confused.
I don’t know what to do around kids. I mean, I don’t even know how to act around adults, so kids are even worse. How do you talk to them? Can they understand me? I honestly don’t know.
“Hi,” she says, still smiling.
I fidget, scratching my head and shifting from foot to foot. “Can I help you?”
“Amelia.”
“Huh? ”
She laughs before clarifying, “Amelia, my name’s Amelia.”
Oh .
I give an awkward wave. “Maddie.”
“Is this your shop?” she asks as she tilts her head, looking around.
Needing something to do and wanting to stop feeling so awkward, I pick up a book and add it to the bookcase, mumbling, “Yeah.”
“I love reading. It’s one of my favorite things to do,” she says. “Can I look around?”
“Yeah, just don’t touch anything.”
Amelia nods her head, her eyes lighting up before she heads off to the children’s section.
“And stay away from the back aisle, that’s for over eighteens only,” I shout to her retreating form.
She puts her hand in the air to let me know she heard me.
I’m fussing around with the books and lining them up when I hear, “Why don’t you have any Christmas books?” hollered across the shop.
“Because I hate Christmas,” I call back.
Finishing up with the books on the shelf, I collapse the box and walk over to the register and add it to the pile of cardboard hiding behind my desk that is waiting to be taken out to the dumpster on my next trip.
The mountain of receipts overflowing on my desk needs to be sorted. I only need to throw them away. I catalogue everything monthly. I just have a habit of rolling them into a ball and flinging them across the room instead of putting them in the trash.
“Why do you hate Christmas?” a voice says from behind me, and I jump six feet in the air .
“Jesus H Christ,” I exclaim, clutching my chest. “Give a girl some notice before you shave ten years off her life,” I pant, trying to catch my breath.
“Sorry,” she giggles from behind me.
Turning, I look at her. Amelia’s taken off her outdoor coat and is in a bright pink jumper and blue jeans. Her dark hair is pulled into a ponytail, showcasing her baby face and button nose.
“What did you ask… you know, before you tried to give me a heart attack?” I ask, crossing my arms over my chest.
Her eyes narrow, and she tilts her head. “Why do you hate Christmas?”
I shrug my shoulders as I lean back against the counter. “Just do.”
“There’s got to be more to it than that,” she probes, her brows furrowed. “Everyone loves Christmas.”
Amelia sits down opposite me in one of the chairs I have spread around the room. You never know when you’ll get to a particularly good part in a book and just need to perch.
I sigh. “Look, kid, you’ll learn as you get older that everything isn’t as black and white as it seems.” I push away from the counter and walk over, sitting in the opposite chair. “I have my reasons for not liking it.”
“My dad loves Christmas, and my grandma too,” she says, smiling. “They go nuts for it every year.”
“Then you’re lucky, kid.” My lips lift slightly. “Enjoy it while you can. Being an adult sucks.”
“Are you always this happy or is it just this time of year?” she asks.
I laugh. That’s the fourth time in two days that someone other than Zoey or Arty has made me feel something… has hell frozen over? Am I coming down with something? What is this kid do ing to me?
“Nah, I’m miserable all day, every day. It’s a gift of mine.”
“Dad said I can buy a book. Can you help me choose one?”
Her big doe eyes look up at me, and for just a fraction of a second, I feel my heart de-icing slightly.
“Yeah, kid. What are you after? I have all the greats.”
We stand up together, walking through the aisles to the children’s section. Books line the walls, row after row, and I feel that familiar calm settle in. This is my spot—the one that always makes the noise fade.
“I don’t know what to choose; there are so many,” she whines, eyes wide.
“That’s where I come in handy,” I tease.
Stepping forward, I walk over to the bookshelf that holds my favorite book. I have special editions after special editions of this book, as well as having it in different covers. I slide it off the shelf and hand it to Amelia.
“ Howl's Moving Castle ?” She turns the book over in her hands to read the back.
A smile sneaks onto my face the second I see her eyes light up.
Amelia’s face right now—one full of wonder and awe—is exactly why I love doing what I do.
Watching the excitement of another person loving a book, watching their world open to another realm or two, always leaves its mark on me.
I just don’t tell anyone that, it’s a secret I’ll take to the grave.
“Have you read it?” she asks, still not having looked up, as she flips through the pages. “Is it good?”
I scoff. “Is it good? It’s only one of the greatest stories of all time and a personal favorite of mine.” I perch on the chair opposite her. “ They even made it into a film.”
The shop door opens, and a voice calls out, “Amelia, honey, you here?”
“Yeah, Grandma. I’m in the back with Maddie,” she shouts, eyes still firmly on the book.
I spin around as the newcomer walks through the aisles. “You were only supposed to be ten minutes,” the woman chides with a smile. “I should have known I was going to have to come in and fetch you.”
Amelia’s grandmother turns to me, her brown eyes warm and friendly. “Hello, dear. I’m Samantha, Amelia’s grandmother.”
I give an awkward wave, but she hauls me in for a hug instead. “Oooh, you’re just how I imagined.”
Not for the first time today, I scratch my head and say, “Huh?”
Does this duo enjoy confusing people?
“You’re new in town, aren’t you?” she asks, drawing back.
I shift on my feet, uncomfortable under her scrutinizing gaze. “Yeah, moved here six months ago.”
“I’ve been dying to come in here, but with school, I haven’t had the time,” Amelia pipes up. “I was so excited knowing the bookstore was reopening.”
I flash her a tentative smile. “Glad I could help.”
“Where did you move from?” Samantha asks, moving to stand next to Amelia.
Not comfortable giving out any personal information to a stranger, I reply, “Here and there.”
Samantha beams, her eyes twinkling with mischief, and a bead of sweat forms above my eyebrow at what she might be up to. I find out seconds later.
“I’m organizing the Christmas food drive, and we could use some more volunteers. ”
“I, uh?—”
“Excellent, I’ll add you to the list,” Samantha says before ushering Amelia to get her coat. “Well, we’d better get going.”
I feel like I’ve been railroaded into something here, and I’m not sure what. My head spins from the encounter with both grandmother and granddaughter.
“Don’t worry, she’s always like this. You’ll get used to it.” Amelia chuckles, shrugging her coat on.
“I heard that,” Samantha replies jokingly. She turns her gaze to me as she says, “How much do we owe you for the book?”
I don’t know what comes over me, but I blurt, “Erm, you know what? Take it. Just promise to come back and let me know what you think.”
Amelia’s eyes sparkle as she clutches the book to her chest. Samantha’s knowing eyes watch me, and her lips tilt, almost like she’s holding back a grin.
Samantha ushers her granddaughter out the door with a wave and a promise to be back, finally leaving me in silence and a stunned expression on my face.
Shaking my head, I tidy up the store and deal with the rush of Christmas shoppers for the rest of the day.