Page 2 of The Story of Us
Better him than me.
“Happy deciding!” Jamie grinned.
Being single had its benefits, even during this month of hearts and flowers. The last thing Jamie needed was a Valentine. What she needed was a cure for her recent bout of writer’s block. And maybe a chocolate raspberry mocha…with whip.
But a significant other? Nope. Been there, done that, got the T-shirt. Never again.
Alex, however, proved himself completely devoted, because mere seconds after their exchange, he turned up at the register withbothbooks. Maybe he was simply hedging his bets. Either way, Jamie thought it was sweet—doubly so.
He set the books on the counter and slid them toward her. “You are a lifesaver.”
“Well, I hope she likes them.” She placed his purchase in a crisp white bag decorated with the True Love logo and smiled.
“Thank you, Jamie.” Alex heaved a sigh of relief.
Definitely hedging his bets.
“Of course,” she said. “Bye.”
“Bye.” He gave her a wave as he headed toward the shop’s door, passing Lucy Baxter, Jamie’s sole employee, on his way out.
“Hey, Luce.” Jamie felt her smile widen.
Lucy managed True Love’s small café and helped out with other odds and ends as needed, but she was more than just an employee. In the three years they’d been working together, she’d become Jamie’s closest friend and confidante—aside from Jamie’s aunt, Anita Vaughn, who owned the business district’s only flower shop.
Lucy tossed a stack of mail onto the sales counter and jammed a hand on her slender hip. “Did you know Lennox Music closed?”
“What?” Jamie blinked. “When?”
“I don’t know. I just saw the place is empty, and there’s a ‘closed for business’ sign on the front door.” Lucy shook her head, sending her loose cinnamon brown curls swinging.
“That is the third business on this block since the beginning of the year.” Jamie bit her lip and tried her best to ignore the fact that there wasn’t a single customer in the store at the moment. Her charming little bookshop suddenly seemed cavernous.
And excruciatingly empty.
Lucy arched a brow. “Four, if you count Cassidy’s Candles in December.”
“What is going on?” Business had been a little slow lately, but Jamie had managed to convince herself there was nothing to worry about. Because therewasn’t. People loved books, and True Love was practically a Waterford institution.
But four businesses closing up shop in less than three months’ time wasn’t a good sign. Not at all.
Jamie felt sick all of a sudden. Even the raspberry mocha she’d been dreaming about held little appeal.
She took a deep breath as she sifted through the mail Lucy had brought in. Everything would be fine. Of course it would. Since True Love was a romance-focused bookstore, February was always their busiest month. Any day now, business would start booming.
And surely other shops would move in to fill the empty storefronts. The business district was Waterford’s crown jewel—a little slice of cobblestone heaven. Who would rather shop someplace slick and impersonal like Portland when they could soak up the rich history of a place that had remained virtually unchanged since 1902?
No one with any sense, that’s who.
But when Jamie unfolded the light blue flier nestled among her bills and junk mail, she had a horrible feeling that things were about to get worse instead of better.
“What?” she muttered, heart pounding as the innocent-looking slip of baby blue shook in her hands.
The flier was from the City of Waterford, notifying shop owners of a special town council meeting.
To discuss business district project by Ridley Property Development.
She read the words once…twice…three times, until the initial shock wore off. Then her heart seemed to sink straight to the soles of her red patent-leather kitten heels. Property development companies didn’t move into historical districts to help preserve the past. They moved in to tear things down and build something else.
