Page 104 of The Now in Forever
Robin comes over, and each of them grab one of my hands. I’m overwhelmed with love for these two women, showing up for me no matter what. I want to bask in it, but there is shit to do!
“Let’s get started!”
I go to the counter and light the small vanilla candle. The familiar scent of dusty books, leather, and vanilla fills my senses. I open my planner on the counter, and we divide up the tasks.
Grandma calls around nine, and I give her and Uncle Rob a FaceTime tour.She’s still recovering, staying in Hermosa Beach with Uncle Rob. The farmhouse sold last week, and when she’s back on her feet, she has her eyes on a condo.
At ten a.m. on the dot, I turn on the neon Open sign and set out thesandwich board on the sidewalk. Anh runs down the street with a bundle of shiny pumpkin balloons billowing behind her. She hands them to me, and I tie them to the sign.
I smile at her. “We did it.”
“You did it, babe.”
A tear forms in the corner of my eyes. “You know, without you, none of this is possible.”
A small tear falls from her cheek too. “Okay, I know.”
We both laugh and wrap each other in a tight hug.
Story Club Books is open for business.
It starts out slow but steadily picks up. Nathan mans the espresso station, Anh is at the register, Robin is taking tons of photos and uploading them to Story Club’s Instagram—turns out it’s pretty handy having a social media genius as a best friend—and I greet the customers, offer recommendations, and restock. Every jingle of the bells, I turn, hoping to see Ed’s face.
Around noon, my mom comes in with her boyfriend. They’re staying in Seaside at a spa. She wraps me in a tight hug. “Honey, I’m so proud of you.”
“Thanks, Mom.”
She oohs and ahhs and buys five Nora Roberts books.
I talked to my dad. He can’t make it this weekend, but he and his family are planning on visiting during the kids' Christmas break.
A little after three, Anh comes to find me. “Hattie, we’re nearly out of ones.”
I nod, adrenaline spiking my heart. The bank is still open. This is not a big problem. I can do this. “I’ll run to the bank.”
The Fall Festival is in full swing. The air smells heavy and sweet with the scent of caramel corn. Outside the antique store, kids are bobbing for apples in vintage metal washtubs, the late-afternoon sun sparkling on the sloshing water.
The yoga studio across the street is offering a free flow. I can’t go today, but it occurs to me that Anh might want to.
The toy store has set up two tables on the sidewalk—one with tiny pumpkins, paints, and brushes, the other with larger pumpkins andcarving tools. Which reminds me I haven’t gotten pumpkins for the store yet. A little girl with big brown eyes and long blonde hair is dipping her brush in the black paint, but instead of daubing it on the pumpkin, she glides it over her eyelid like makeup.
I laugh and think about calling out to the adults nearby who must be her parents, but before I can, I nearly run smack dab into Kyle.
He grabs both my arms to steady me. “Whoa.”
Any awkwardness we had after our walk on the beach has dissipated. I’ve been in The Vern many times since, and we’ve become friends. “Sorry. On a mad dash for change.”
“Congrats on the opening. I’m headed that way.”
“Great. I’ll see you there in a bit.”
On my way back from getting the change, I peer into each face I pass, scanning the crowd and hoping my eyes land on dark tousled hair and moss green eyes. No one fits the bill.
I check my email.
Nothing.
Scrolling over, I go to Instagram and am overwhelmed by the numbers popping up in the corner by the heart. Story Club is tagged over and over. Selfies on the porch steps in front of the faux bookshelf, pictures of beautiful lattes made with Nathan’s expert hand, pictures of smiling customers with Story Club Books totes. We have nearly 30,000 views and over 300 hundred likes on the reel Robin posted an hour ago. We’re going viral!
