Page 9 of Cooking Up a Demon
Seven
Turns out, I don’t have to worry about how people would react to Kallax. He opts to stay home and wash the dishes while I do the first of my errands. He promises to meet me at the bookstore by lunch with something to eat.
I remind him I didn’t summon him and I didn’t ask him to do those things, so he can’t steal days off my life. He makes a non-committal sound but doesn’t argue, so I take the win.
The grocery store is first. It’s fairly empty, and I’m able to get my supplies and get out without any issue.
I try to hit up the stationery store next, but have no luck finding it. I was certain it was by the performing arts center, but there is just an empty lot there. When I ask at the visitor center, the guy standing out front wearing giant wings tells me he hasn’t seen it yet today, but he’ll keep an eye out. He gives me a bright smile, and I question my life choices that brought me to asking a guy cosplaying a dragon-man for directions.
I have better luck at Grim’s Bakery. I have a lovely chat with the green-tinged baker, who is happy to work with me on cookies to match the themes I’ve come up with for my book club. Plus,I put in a standing weekend order for a variety of cookies to be delivered to the bookstore.
Feeling satisfied, I get a mixed bag of pastries. I head next door to my bookstore. The door is locked, but the lights are on, so I assume Kallax is already there.
Instead, I look through the large windows to see the lawyer who handled Nonna’s estate - a short mousy man with watery blue eyes and faded brown hair. With him is a tall, handsome man with greying light brown hair and pale green eyes. He’s broad, fit, and wearing a deep, familiar scowl.
I make a mental note to change the locks on the store before pushing inside. The bell over the door rings, and both men turn to look at me. I throw my shoulders back and prepare myself for whatever this is.
“Where the hell have you been?” The tall man’s scowl impossibly deepens. I bite back a sigh.
“Working.” I cross to the checkout counter and place my pastry bag and purse down before turning to face the men straight on. “Hello Father.”
“We’ve been waiting here for almost an hour, Beatrix.” My dad’s voice is weary, as though talking to me is the hardest thing on the planet. And for him, it might actually be. “It’s a business day and you don’t seem to be in business.”
“I need a day off too, and the weekends are better business than Mondays are.” I don’t know why I’m explaining myself to him. He doesn’t care.
“I don’t see how you could possibly know that,” his voice dripping with disdain. “From what I’ve heard, you’ve only been open for three days.”
I could explain to him that I’ve gone through all of Nonna’s books of sales history and analyzed the best and worst days. I could tell him about the many conversations I’ve had with other bookstore owners across the country who gave me advice onhours of operation. I could even tell him I am mostly sticking to Nonna’s schedule, with some minor tweaks. None of it will matter.
“I see you’ve made some changes,” Rodney Miller, the lawyer, says. I’m not sure if he’s simply admiring the wide, bright space or trying to break the tension between me and my father. I’m about to thank him when he goes on. “It will make selling the building much easier.”
“I’m sorry, what?” I can’t have heard right.
“The tenant agreements may prove to be a problem, but I believe we can make a case to break the leases.”
I bite back a growl. There are two small, one-bedroom apartments located over the bookstore. Both of them rented out by my grandmother and have maintained their leases since I got to town. They are lovely people, and I can’t think of a single reason to break their leases.
“Hold up, I’m not selling anything.” I say, propping my hands on my hips and glaring the men down. I am eye to eye with the lawyer, but Dad has about six inches of height on me. It’s something he uses to intimidate me into getting his way.
Not this time.
“Don’t be ridiculous, Beatrix.” My father says, mirroring my position and looking down at me in the most condescending way possible. “You know nothing about what it takes to run a business. You’re isolated from your family, your friends. This is absurd.”
I don’t bother to remind him I lost all of my so-called friends when I broke up with my girlfriend six months ago after she slept with my boss. I don’t bother to remind him I quit my job because my boss slept with my girlfriend. I don’t even bother to point out he’s a shitty parent who I never see, even when I’m only a few miles away. And since my mother is my father’s sycophant, I don’t have much of a relationship with her either.
“Absurd or not, I’m here and doing it.” I spread my arms wide to encompass the store with the nearly-empty shelves. It doesn’t look impressive at the moment, unless you know the shelves were full three days before.
“I’m sorry, I thought this had been discussed.” Mr. Miller says. “I was told you were interested in selling both the store and the house.”
“You were told wrong.” I keep my face impassive, even though I want to glare at them both. “I’m not going anywhere.”
“Don’t be foolish, Beatrix,” My father snaps. “You’re not qualified to do this. Do you even know the property values around here? We’ll sell the property, you can come home and stay with us until you can find a new apartment. I spoke to your employer and he’s happy to take you back.”
I stare at him in absolute shock. How dare he? How dare he think he can swoop in here and take my life away from me? I have worked hard for weeks to get the cabin and store into shape. And to assume I’d live with my parents and work for my cheating boss?
I want even an iota of the audacity of this man.
Before I can lay into him, the door to the back area opens. There’s only one person who could be back there, and my chest goes tight at the car crash level of disaster about to occur. Before I can shout out to stop him, Kallax is dipping down to work his horns out of the storage room door.
