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I couldn’t afford to hire a second employee to hang out all day so I wasn’t alone. I couldn’t afford a whole bunch of security cameras—although maybe I needed to look at that more seriously. It had to be cheaper than a salary and benefits. And I didn’t want to close down the bookstore and find yet another career to pursue.
I could go back to social work.
Ugh. Just thinking that had my insides knotting. It was good work. Important work. But I’d been close to burning out when I finally listened to my friends and switched to running the bookstore. I loved it here. I loved being surrounded by books and interacting with customers.
I glanced over to see Reuben settling on the couch with a small pile of books beside him and sighed. I guess that should bemostcustomers.
The bell jingled and a young mom pushing a double stroller came in.
I smiled. The tow-headed kids were either twins or close enough in age that they might as well be.
“Good morning. How can I help you?”
“Hi.” The mom blew out a breath, sending the tendrils of hair that had escaped her messy bun flying. “Is it okay if we look at the kids’ books? Their hands are clean and I’ll watch them.”
“Of course.” I gestured to the shelf where the kids’ books were all at a kid-accessible height. There was even a small, kid-sized table with two chairs there. I didn’t have the room for a true kid play and read space, but Whitney and Beckett said this worked well enough. “Let me drag a chair over for you.”
“Oh, you don’t have to do that.” She shook her head. “I’ll just sit on the floor. I’m used to it. Thanks.”
I watched as she maneuvered the stroller closer, then parked it sort of out of the way before releasing the kids from their seats. They squealed—but it wasn’t overly loud—and bee-lined for the books. Before long, they were at the table with a pile of books teetering between them. Mom alternated kids on her lap, reading a page or two, before their attention span waned and they were up and swapping out the book for something else.
I left her to it and, determined to avoid the area where Reuben was staked out, started on my daily rounds of checking the shelves to fix all the little errors that happened when browsers put books back.
I made notes in my phone about gaps in the sections. I’d get more from the back to fill in. It was a good problem to have and it actually made me feel a little better about the store’s bottom line in general. Maybe I’d be able to make this work after all.
I worked steadily, while keeping an eye on Reuben and the mom. After about a half hour, Reuben finally stood. He collected the pile of books. I hurried over to the register. I didn’t actually expect him to purchase any of them, but stranger things had happened.
“This one is good.” Reuben dropped it on the counter in front of me. “I need to finish it, so I guess it’s your lucky day.”
I smiled and logged in to the register so I could scan his book. “Just the one?”
“No. It’s a series. I’ll get them all since you have them.” He pushed the small stack toward me.
I made quick work of scanning the books and told him the total.
He grumbled a little as he worked a credit card out of his wallet and shoved it into the reader.
I slid the books into a bag, collected the receipt, and added it before offering him his purchases. “Thanks so much. Have a great day.”
He scowled at me before giving a curt nod and striding from the store.
I blew out a breath.
“Does he hassle you?”
I started and glanced over at the mom. I hadn’t seen her get up and approach. “I don’t think it goes all the way to hassling. Yet. I texted my lawyer about him this morning though.”
“Oh, good. My stepdaughter works at the café after school. She said he’s not allowed in there unless he can prove he’s meeting someone.”
My eyebrows lifted. “You’re sure it’s the same guy?”
“Pretty sure. She pointed him out one afternoon when I was there. Sometimes, if she’s feeling generous, she’ll get her brothers a cookie with her discount.”
“That’s nice of her.” I wasn’t sure whether it was or not, honestly, but it seemed like the thing to say. Blended families had to be a challenge, but it sounded like this mom was doing her best to make it work. At least from a two-second conversation, it did.
“Anyway. Keep in mind that the other merchants on the street are all wary of him. They’ll have your back if you need to ban him from the store.”
“Thanks.” I hadn’t thought of talking to the other store owners. I just assumed Reuben was a problem for me, not one for the retail spaces in general. “I will. Find any books you need to take home?”
