Page 3 of The Story of Us
Something bigger and supposedly better; something shiny and new.
But where would that leave True Love Books?
A lump formed in Jamie’s throat as she looked around her very lovely, very empty store and realized the truth. This shop she’d adored for as long as she could remember might be in trouble.Realtrouble.
Rose-colored glasses could only do so much.
Fortunately, Jamie had never been one to wallow.
Her usual sense of optimism might have taken a hit with the surprise appearance of the horrid blue flier, but she had no intention of hiding among her books and waiting for the situation to go from bad to worse. In this one instance, her lack of customers was a good thing, as it gave her a chance to get out of the shop and do a little investigating while Lucy kept an eye on True Love Books.
She went door to door, up and down the sun-dappled sidewalks of the business district in a furious whirl of polka dots and clicking heels. For a moment, she’d been tempted to head straight to her aunt’s flower shop, but then she’d thought better of it. Her aunt was almost like a second mother, especially since Jamie’s parents had packed up and moved away from Waterford in their new RV. But there was no reason to alarm Aunt Anita until she had a better idea of what they might be up against.
Which turned out to bea lot. Or at least, it certainly seemed that way.
By the time Jamie finally stepped up to the door of Anita’s Flowers, she had a sneaking suspicion the entire business district was in serious danger. Even the heady scent of pink parfait roses and blush-hued peonies failed to cheer her up. She closed her eyes and took a deep inhale, lingering outside her aunt’s shop for a moment. Row upon row of cut flowers arranged into bouquets in buckets of water flanked the entrance, and hanging baskets of lush ferns and ivy swayed overhead. The names and prices of the blooms were all written by hand in tiny chalkboard print. Ever since Jamie had studied French back in high school, the corner boutique had reminded her of one of the charming flower stands that dotted the streets of Paris in her textbooks. The business district’s cobblestone streets added to the old-world flair, but who knew how much longer those would last?
Jamie tightened her grip on the offensive flier as she pulled open the shop’s glass door and the tinkling of delicate bells announced her arrival.
Her aunt looked up from a potted violet plant and smiled. “There’s my favorite niece.”
Not for long.Ugh, Jamie hated being the bearer of bad news. But the fact that she was Aunt Anita’sonlyniece probably cemented her status as favorite.
“Your parents Skyped me last night. From Winnipeg!” Anita chattered away as she wiped her hands on her ivory linen apron and strode behind the counter. Her hair was in its standard loosely curled bob, and she wore a crisp pink button-down shirt with dark jeans. Aunt Anita had the same kind eyes as her sister, Jamie’s mom, which always made Jamie feel a little bit less lonely—especially since her mom and dad had embarked on their big cross-country retirement trip six months ago.
Anita shook her head and let out a soft laugh. “I swear, they’re going to put a hundred thousand miles on that RV by the end of the year if they…”
Her voice drifted off once she met Jamie’s gaze. Anita stared at her for a beat, smile fading.
Note to self: work on my poker face.
“What is it?” her aunt said.
A huge cluster of red heart-shaped balloons bobbed behind Anita’s head, making her sudden frown seem even more at odds with the cheery surroundings. February was also the busiest month of the year for Anita’s Flowers. Jamie’s aunt had spent weeks already preparing for Valentine’s Day. Pink and red decorations covered just about every surface, from romantic Hallmark Valentine cards to glittery gift bags and pink carnations.
So. Many. Carnations.
It was lovely, really—if you were into the whole romantic hearts and flowers thing, which Jamie definitely was. Just not the actualromancepart of the equation. Or at least, not for her. But why was she thinking about her love life, or lack thereof, at a time like this?
She slapped the flier onto the counter for her aunt to see.
Anita’s eyes grew wide. “When did you get this?”
“This morning. And I checked—every shop in the business district got one too.” Every single store. What were they planning on doing? Mowing down the entire neighborhood? “I’ll bet if you check your mail, you have one.”
Anita gathered her stack of mail from the end of the counter and flipped through its contents. Sure enough, a blue flier identical to the one Jamie had received was tucked among her other, less-intimidating mail.
It trembled in Aunt Anita’s hand as she unfolded it. “What do you think this means?”
Jamie took a deep breath. “I guess we’ll find out at the meeting.”
She read the bold print on the page one more time, just in case the letters had magically rearranged themselves into a more pleasant message.
Nope, no such luck. “But if this Ridley is a propertydevelopmentcompany…”
Anita sighed. “No, that can’t be good news for any of us.”
Chapter Two
