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“Thank you,” Derek said, not taking his eyes off the stove.
Linney ruffled Leo’s hair and took knives and forks to the table.
After they finished their meal, and the dishwasher was loaded and counters wiped down, Derek sent the children off to watch television. He refilled coffee cups, and the adults sat down in the living room. The rain had picked up now—it looked like it was going to be an inside day. Linney absentmindedly rubbed her hip. He wondered if the rain made it ache.
“Can I ask you something?” she began.
“Anything.”
“I think I need a lawyer. Your practice includes real estate and commercial work, right?” Derek sat up with a worried look on his face. Was she going to sell the house and move to the city? “I want to buy Page Turners.”
“Page Turners?” Derek was slow to catch up. “That’s a big decision.”
Linney nodded, and he caught the excitement in her eyes. “I’ve talked with Kirsten’s parents and I’ve run all the numbers. I have so many ideas to bring it back to what it was—and even more. I really want to do this.”
Derek ran his fingers through his hair, a little stunned at the news. “I didn’t even know it was for sale.”
“It’s not really. Not yet. But I spoke with the owners. They know they made a mistake and are ready to wash their hands of it. They haven’t officially put it on the market, but I’m sure if I make them a fair offer, we can do a quick private sale. I just need a lawyer. Are you interested?”
He was, and within a couple of weeks, the deal was done. Soon, Linney would have a huge bank loan and would own both the Page Turners business and the heritage house it was in—including Kirsten’s apartment.
* * *
The week before Christmas, Linney signed the last of the legal documents, and shook hands with the previous owners of Page Turners. They were anxious to leave Silver Lake and put the chapter behind them but Linney was giddy with excitement. Page Turners was officially hers and she was brimming with ideas. Her hands shook as she opened the store’s front door in the middle of the afternoon and stood there taking it all in.
Kirsten came downstairs in her nurse’s scrubs with champagne flutes in one hand and bottles under her arm. “I thought I’d better get in the good books with the new owner so she doesn’t make changes to my tenancy,” she joked.
Linney whirled around. “I can’t believe this is all mine!” She was like a kid in a candy store.
“I can’t wait to see what you do with it.”
“The first thing I’m going to do is close for a few weeks. I have so much I want to do in here. Then I’ll have a grand reopening event!” Linney had already spoken with the aging editor of the Silver Lake News, who was planning to run a story on their local “celebrity” who had returned home and was about to make a big splash. Linney was counting on that story to help raise interest. She’d quietly set up social media channels for the store and couldn’t wait to start building an audience and teasing about what was coming. Then there were the comfortable reading chairs she’d ordered last week, the painting she was planning, and of course an overhaul of the store’s inventory system.
Kirsten popped open the bottles—champagne for Linney and an alcohol-free version for herself. “Here’s to your new adventure!” They raised their glasses with a satisfying clink. “And I’ll pitch in however you want.”
Linney pointed at a roll of thick brown paper, scissors, and tape. “If you’re serious, you can help me put this up in the window before your shift. I want the transformation to be a surprise.”
Anna turned up just as they were finishing, with an armful of flowers. “I thought you were making improvements, not shutting the place down,” she jested.
“Run while you can,” Kirsten joked, “or she’ll put you to work!” She headed upstairs for more champagne flutes.
Anna found a vase for the flowers in the old kitchen, where they’d all done homework together. She came back and put bouquet on the checkout counter. “I can’t stay long today, but I’m at your service all weekend.”
Derek arrived with a congratulatory hug, just as Kirsten returned and they all toasted Linney’s new adventure.
Slowly the friends dispersed. Derek had to get home before the school bus dropped the kids off, Anna had after-school ballet to teach, and Kirsten headed to work. Then it was Linney alone in the store. She got to work, scrubbing all the wooden trim she wanted to keep, and then taping it so she could start painting in the morning. She covered bookshelves near the walls with drop cloths and moved mobile displays.
It was dark when Linney flicked on the store’s ancient computer—another thing she needed to upgrade—and she started reviewing orders that had been placed before the old owners knew they were selling, and noted dates of their expected arrivals. The old bulky monitor flickered badly and Linney rubbed her eyes behind her glasses as she started making notes of titles she thought were missing. Hours passed without her knowing, and she jumped when her phone buzzed.
Do you know what time it is?
OMG. I lost track of time.
Don’t work too hard on your first day!
I’m just so excited. But you’re right. Locking up in 5 minutes.
Drive safe.
