86. Chapter Eighty-Six
Chapter Eighty-Six
Beau Drewitt
A Month Later at Crimson & Quill
It’s well past closing. The street outside has gone quiet. “Hurry up, Levi,” Lydia calls from the front desk. “Pick one. Beau has things to do.”
Levi groans dramatically, clutching three paperbacks to his chest like they’re priceless artifacts. “I can’t decide.”
“You have five seconds,” she says. “Four.” He panics, shoves two books back onto the shelf, and sprints toward the counter with the remaining one. He nearly collides with me on the way.
“Thank you, Mr. Sir,” he says, wrapping his arms around my leg without hesitation. I laugh before I can stop myself and pat his head. His hair sticks up in every direction, stubborn and defiant.
“You’re welcome, kid.” I smile down at him. Kai coughs pointedly from the back room. I shoot him a look. He holds up a stack of research papers in surrender and goes back to shoving them into a crate.
Lydia herds Levi toward the door, tugging on his sleeve. “Say goodbye.”
“Bye,” Levi says, waving with his whole arm. I follow them to the entrance and reach for the lock, already planning the next steps in my head: pull the shades, check the lights, budget the drawer, and make sure nothing is out of place.
Lydia stops me with a gentle hand on my wrist. “Thank you again,” she says quietly. “For the money. You’ve changed my life.”
I shake my head. “Think nothing of it.”
“I will think something of it. You saved my family from a lot of problems,” she says, smiling. “And thank you for letting me work occasionally, so it feels a little more deserved.”
“Well, thanks for bringing Levi along. It was fun watching him run rampant in my store today. Makes me want one.” I try to hide my sadness.
She gestures toward Levi, who is now examining a crack in the sidewalk like it holds the secrets of the universe. “Take him!” She lets out a big laugh.
“Gigi! Look at the worm! I think his name is Ray!” Levi pulls the earthworm from the crevice in between the two panels of sidewalk where the earth is.
“Oh geez, Levi! Put that down. Okay, we’re leaving. Bye, Beau. Bye, Kai!” Once they’re gone, the store shifts. Kai reappears, already stressed.
He huffs in frustration at me. I put him to work doing more research on Empusa today for the hundredth time.
His job has shifted from bookstore consultant to research consultant.
“You know they’re eventually going to find out, right?
About Empusa! About Kalevala! About all of it.
The secrets are eating me from the inside out. ”
I don’t look at him as I pull the shades down. “Shh. Keep your fucking voice down, Kai.”
He follows me anyway. “I’m serious, Beau.” I turn then, just enough to let my eyes sharpen.
“What did I say about ripping out your tongue?”
He throws his hands up. “Okay. Okay, fine. Fuck it. Just let me wither away because I want to be a good person. Message received, jackass.”
“Good,” I say. “Now go make sure the upstairs is in perfect order so it’s right for Elowen.” Kai grabs a broom from the supply closet and scoffs as he goes upstairs.
An hour later, the lobby looks nothing like it did before.
I manage to clean everything on my own. I gave Lydia that check so she could be with her family.
Be with them while she has plenty of time left on this Earth to live.
I only let her come in and work because she insists it makes her feel better.
Kai and I sit near the front desk, glasses in hand.
The drink burns just enough to keep me anchored.
The lights are low and the store hums with anticipation, aware something is about to be revealed.
“You’re nervous,” Kai says.
“I am not,” I reply.
He snorts. “You renovated an entire section of the building in secret. You are absolutely nervous.”
Before I can respond, there is a soft knock at the door.
Three quick taps. Imani. I set my glass down and move fast, unlocking the door and pulling it open.
She steps inside first, smiling because she’s in on my devious behind the scenes plan.
Elowen follows behind her. The moment she crosses the threshold, she freezes and I flip the lights back on.
Her eyes lift and widen so much I worry they may pop out of her head.
The new spiral staircase gleams in metallic green, different from its previous tarnished black color. The entire upstairs lobby is blocked off beyond it, hidden, intentional, and a place just for us. It’s complete with two bedrooms, one bathroom, a living room, and a kitchen.
I don’t give her time to speak.I cross the room and take her hand, grounding myself in the familiar warmth that her skin brings me, un-dead or not.
I look into her eyes and let myself feel it fully.
Her mind is flooded with love and certainty.
“A month,” I say softly. “That’s how long it took to renovate. ”