Page 12 of Solitude

“It won’t happen again. Promise.” I say as I cross my heart with my finger.

She huffs with a roll of her eye and grins, leaning over the counter. She looks left and right then beckons me closer. “I got your book in, and this cover… There’s tentacles on this thing, Winifred!”

“Edith!” I look around and lean closer, whispering, “What did you think was going to be on the cover ofWrapped in Tentacles?”

“I didn’t think that far ahead, I guess.”

I make grabby hands at her. “Well, give it here. I’m so excited.”

She laughs and pulls a rather large rectangle wrapped in butcher paper out and slides it across the glossy counter to me. “You and Gwen need to have your heads checked after reading this thing.”

“We’re just fine, thank you.”

She points toward the classic literature section and purses her lips. “What ever happened to reading Jane Austen and Charlotte Bronte?”

I lift a brow and tap my chin. “Do they write about werewolf mates or something?”

“Ugh!” Edith throws a paperclip at me, and I can’t stop my laughter. “Get out of here, girl. Go on!”

“I’m leaving! I’m leaving!” I shout through my laughter as I run away and dodge her paperclip assault. “Thanks, Edith!”

She waves me out with a grin on her face, and I walk the ten steps next door to Sugar, where Gwen, my boss, is wiping down the display case with the most intense look of concentration on her face. Her nose scrunches, mouth twisting as she inspects her handiwork.

I crouch beside her and inspect the case. She pulls back and watches with me, frowning when I hum disparagingly.

“What? What do you see?”

“Nothing,” I sigh. “It’s perfect. I could eat a cupcake off this glass.”

Gwen smacks my arm with her rag, and I laugh as I set my things in the backroom.

“Come look what Edith just gave me!”

“Wrapped in Tentacles?” Gwen shouts, already stomping toward the back, and I’m nodding rapidly when she hurls herself into the room and makes grabby hands at me and the brown paper package.

She squeals, “Ah! Open it already, Winnie!”

“Okay, okay!”

I rip open the butcher paper Edith wrapped it in just to make sure no one saw it and pull out the blue and green book. Sure enough, on the cover purple tentacles wrap seductively around a brunette woman in a ripped white gown as she looks to be in the throes of passion.

Flipping the book around, I show Gwen.

“It’s beautiful…” I say in awe.

She runs the tips of her fingers down the cover and nods. “How can a cartoon cover be so good? How do people draw like this?”

“I know. Look at the detail on his tentacles!”

Gwen clicks her tongue and points to the woman. “Her belly button is pierced! Look! Just barely there between his tentacles.”

“I see it!” I look up at her and smack my mouth. “Tentacle is starting to feel like a nonsense word.”

She snorts. “Take a shot every time one of us says tentacles.”

I shove the book into my bag and shoot her a grin. “We’d be drunk by now, Gwen.”

“True,” she agrees, and we both lift our heads when the bell dings above the door. “I’ll go take care of it while you finish getting settled.”

---