Page 58 of Maybe This Christmas
“I had an online shop for a little bit, where I sold my work, but it got too overwhelming to keep up with.Maybe I will in the future.”
“That reminds me.”Lainey slipped into the booth opposite her.“I was going to head back into town.I could get the keys to look at the potential space for your stationery shop, if you want?”
“Seriously?”
Lainey reached over and grabbed Emma’s hands.“You’ll find that there isn’t much I can’t do, darlin’.I’m in the habit of helping people’s dreams come true.”
“That makes you sound like something of a fairy godmother.”
“What makes you think I’m not?”She slid out of the booth and squeezed Emma’s shoulder.“Stay put.I’ve got to wrap up a few things before we head into town, okay?”
* * * *
Lainey made the forty-five-minute drive down the mountain pass in what felt like a moment.She was the epitome of Southern charm.Normally, when people pried into her personal life, Emma put up a boundary.She hated the pitying looks she’d get when she told people she’d grown up in foster care.They wanted to know the whole rigmarole of what happened to her parents, what she’d gone through…it was exhausting.
Surprisingly, Lainey didn’t press for many details, except for one.
“So, you don’t know any of your birth family?”
“I never knew my dad.My mom tried to stay sober, but eventually addiction won.My grandma raised me until her death.Then I went into foster care because there was no one to take over kinship care.I’ve thought about doing one of those online DNA tests to see if it drops anyone off my family tree, but I haven’t worked up the courage to do it.”
Lainey pulled her SUV into a prime spot in front of the Ellis & Daughter office and cut the engine.
“Well, darlin’, sometimes family is what you make of it.I’ve been blessed with mine.Everyone’s always welcome in the Ellis family.”
A knock on Lainey’s window spared Emma from answering.She wasn’t sure how she would, anyway.Maybe she’d spent too long in the city.People here were just kinder.
Lainey unrolled the window and waved to the woman on the other side.“Hi, Tinesha.She’s one of the biddies,” she told Emma.
“One that doesn’t get as involved in their schemes, I promise,” Tinesha added.“I’m just here to drop off the keys.I’ll pick them up from you tomorrow morning.”
“Do you own the building?”Emma asked.
“No, Mayor Ford does.I’m his assistant.He’s not a bad landlord if you want to stick around.”She gave a wave.“Nice to meet you, Emma.”
“I didn’t tell her my name,” Emma muttered.
“You should know by now, in a place like this, you don’t have to,” Lainey said.
It took Lainey some wiggling to finally open the door.“Here we are.”
Lainey pushed the front door open.Then Emma noticed the floral stained-glass detailing at the top of the door.The late afternoon sun sent rainbow-colored sunbeams across the old wooden floor.
Lainey flicked on the lights and closed the door behind them.
Emma took a moment to breathe in the old space.It had that aroma that old buildings often did.Dust, layers of old paint, and the battered wooden floors mixed to give off a scent you either loved or hated.
Emma was the former.She inhaled.
She turned to Lainey.“What has this space been over the years?”
“Well, it was the running store until earlier this year when they moved to a bigger space around the corner.Then, before that, it sat empty for a few years.No one wanted to be next to the Weird Sisters’ metaphysical shop two doors down.”Lainey rolled her eyes at that.“As much as I love this town, sometimes the stereotypes can be true about some folks being closed-minded, you know?”
Emma only nodded as Lainey carried on speaking.“It was an optician’s office and a candy store when my kids were little.It could use some fresh life in these old walls.”
Emma ran her fingers over the long, battered, dark wood shelves running along the left wall.She could see displays of curated pens, pencils and art supplies, small gifts, cards—the mental list went on and on.
“You’ve got a faraway look in your eyes.Come, let’s look at the space upstairs.”
