Page 24 of Spotlight
“Olivia.”
I stop and glance back. He holds up the shirt in his hand and then tosses it to me. I don’t get my hands up in time and it hits me in the face. I inhale a waft of starched cotton and permanent marker. My hands grip around the fabric and I pull it down. Turning on my heel, I weave back through the line until I’m out on the sidewalk again. The line has only grown. I finally stare down at the shirt he gave me.
The front has the Mustangs logo and on the back, his last name and number eighteen. It’s the same number all his brothers wear for their mother. It was her birthday. I know this because I looked him up after our run-in at Sabrina’s engagement party. I know a lot about Flynn Holland now. Things I could have known months ago if I hadn’t demanded we not share any personal information that night we spent together.
Right next to the eight, Flynn signed it,Dick. And what I presume is his number is scribbled underneath.
* * *
“What is going on with you today?” Ruby asks as I remove every book from our front table, setting them on a cart to place back on the shelves. Every book lands with athump. I’m careful, but too much pent-up frustration is pumping through me to be gentle.
“Nothing. I just want to freshen up the table with some new books. Romance readers are voracious. They will find their favorite books no matter where we put them. It’s the more general reader we want to capture as soon as they walk in the door. We got some new recipe books in that I think will look great and appeal to a wider audience.”
Ruby takes the book in my hands before I can slam it down on top of the others. We both hold on until I look up into her emerald eyes.
“You’re spinning. Take a breath,” she says.
All the fight leaves me.
My sister smiles sweetly as I let go of the book and she puts it back on the table instead of the cart.
“The table is great. They’re always great. You have a fantastic eye for pairing books and creating beautiful displays. You need to lighten up. Who cares if some committee of people voted Plot Twist as the best bookstore in Lake City? We have a very loyal clientele, and since you took over last year, revenue is up. You completely overhauled the entire store. Gigi was thinking about closing and now look at this place. It’s thriving.”
“They were going to close?” I ask, feeling panic at just the thought.
“That’s all you heard from my big speech?”
I let out a breath. “Thank you.”
I’ve worked hard on this place, and it means so much that she sees it. I just can’t help but want everyone else to see it too.
“You’re welcome.” She eyes the remaining books on the table. “You’re still going to swap out the table, aren’t you?”
“Organizing keeps me sane,” I say with a more relaxed smile.
Together we put the books on the cart, and she walks with me as I place them on their shelves in various spots of the store.
“Were they really going to close the bookstore?” I ask her.
She nods. “I’m not sure if they would have gone through with it, but they talked about it. Gigi wanted to travel, and Grandpa thought it was too much for her to maintain on her own after she had that bad fall. But then you stepped in.”
Ruby gives me a smile that’s all admiration and pride. I know she loves this place as much as I do, but she never wanted to work here. Even as a kid, she did more writing than reading. I’d go through three or four books in a week and when I had nothing else to read, she’d sometimes let me read her stories.
The thought of the store closing, of not being able to walk in here every day, makes my chest ache. From the time I was little I knew I wanted to work here. Sure, I thought I’d go off to college first, maybe work at a library or for a publishing house for a few years, but eventually ending up here was always in the plans.
When I got pregnant with Greer the summer after high school, I decided to stay and take classes locally instead of going away to college as planned. Gigi gave me a job and I worked at the store full time until I had Greer. Then I transitioned to part time until she started pre-school.
This store really has been a lifeline for me in so many ways. At every phase of my life, it’s been here for me, the same way my grandparents always have been. It’s such a reflection of them and their unwavering support and love. What they’ve created is so much more than a bookstore. To imagine it closing breaks my heart.
The bell on the front door jingles as we finish putting away the last of the books. Ruby’s eyes widen.
“Oh no, what will they think of the empty front table?” she asks with mock horror.
“Shut up.” I backhand her lightly and then take off to greet our customer.
“Welcome in,” I say as I come around the corner. But when I see who it is, my steps come up short.
“You.” My hands go to my hips.
