Page 11 of Driven Daddy

“Lots of new faces in the Cove these days. I didn’t see her though.”

“Do you have a back door to this place?”

She frowned. “No.” She did a slow turn, scanning the store. “I haven’t seen anyone, to be honest.” She faced me again. “You catching a ghost?”

I laughed. “My parents told me about the ghost action out at the old mansion. The town has been talking about it since Nolan bought it.” I lowered my voice. “We used to go out there in the summer. Me and my brothers would try to freak each other out.”

“Did you ever see her?”

“Harriette? Nah.” It was easier to say no, when I did, in fact, see her a few times wandering on the rocky beach. Back then, I’d been young and dumb and probably drunk or high.

At least that was what I told myself.

Her lips twitched. “I don’t believe you.”

I laughed. “Maybe she was a harbinger to what drove me to scary stories.”

“Now that’s a good story to tell during the signing. I can’t convince you to read for the people a little?”

I shook my head. “No, that is not my talent. Besides, there’s not a chunk of text to read such as a book has. A lot of my drawings tell the story.”

“The prologue is pretty damn scary.”

“Did you read it?”

She nodded. “Freaked me right out, but the artwork is wow. It makes everything even worse.”

“Thanks. Speaking of, I stopped in to check and make sure the boxes arrived safely.”

She led me over to the window. “I put half of the stock up front to lure people in and the rest is on the shelves at the back.” Then she nodded to the back of the store where there was a step up to a large picture window. “I’m going to set up you and Ryan here.”

I climbed the two steps to where a huge, battered leather couch took up most of the space. It was perfect for settling in to read for a few hours in the waning sunlight.

I glanced out the back, surprised to see a lot of the trees had been cleared out. “When did that happen?”

She followed my gaze. “I miss all the trees,” she said wistfully. “Crescent Cove is growing by leaps and bounds. They’re making a new park for the kids back there and just beyond will be a new development.”

“Wow.”

“Progress.”

“Evidently.”

“Anyway, I’m going to move the couch out and will set you guys up at tables.”

I’d been in smaller venues, but not for a long time.

“I really appreciate you doing this. I’m clawing for every dime I can to expand the store. We’ve had a ton of interest for you and Ryan to come in for the signing. I’m hoping that will expand to a few other sales.”

“I’m sure it will. I’m just happy we have a space for the books somewhere in the Cove.”

“Yes, but you could have done this at the library easier.”

I sighed. “I could, but I love this place. And so does my dad. He requested some special modeling glue for his new hobby.”

“Hank has me special ordering planes, trains, and the occasional car. C’mon, I’ll show you where it is.”

I followed her over to the small area of puzzles, games, and the models my father was obsessed with. I don’t know how he put the damn small things together with his big ham hands.

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