Page 29 of Wolfish
As soon as the Silvers arrived, they had the ribbon-cutting ceremony. And then Selena invited them into the shop.
A table was set up in front of the shop so guests could have food and drinks while shopping.
“I love the way you decorated it,” one woman said.
“It’s beautiful and just what we needed,” another said, carrying some Halloween decorations in her arms.
“Yes, I’ll be here a lot,” another said. “You have some adorable things. Love your personal display also.”
Selena glanced at Daniel and saw him eating another chocolate chip cookie. He looked sheepish. She smiled, wanting another cookie too, but she didn’t want to eat in front of all the customers.
The guests began picking out merchandise, and she thought this was going to be a fantastic sale day. She just hoped that it wasn’t just one day, and tomorrow, and the rest of the days, she would continue to sell.
But the more time she spent selling items, the more she thought she was in the right place to have opened a shop.
She was so busy checking people out that Daniel began packing up their belongings and carrying them out to their cars.
Silva and the MacTire sisters were helping to serve punch to the customers. Roxie and Kayla were showing customers different merchandise.
Even though she thought they would be done by four, more customers kept coming. Some were humans, not local. That was beneficial because they would be passing through, and she would have more sales as a result. She glanced at the chocolate chip cookie plate, and nothing but a few crumbs were left. She sighed. They would have to make more tonight.
When the last customer left and the ladies who had helped her went home, Selena said, “The shop is a mess.”
“Yeah, but you sold a ton of merchandise,” Daniel said.
“Yeah, it was great. I’ll have to buy more merchandise and straighten up the shop.”
“Tomorrow. We’ll take care of it then. I think you have a great shop full of merchandise that everyone wants. We’ll go home and eat dinner now.”
“And make more chocolate chip cookies.”
He chuckled, then drove her to his house while she ducked down and pretended not to be in his SUV.
“It was a success,” Selena said.
“It was. Would you like some steaks on the grill to celebrate? I have corn on the cob that I can grill too. And champagne I picked up for tonight.”
“That sounds like a winning combination. I’ll make some more cookies while you’re doing that.”
“Just don’t eat them before dinner’s ready.”
She laughed. “Like you were eating them at the shop?”
He smiled. “I’m addicted to them, what can I say?”
“I know. Me too. I would have been snacking with you if I hadn’t been selling merchandise. Though Silva’s meatballs were great. I had to grab one of them before we opened. Do you want to go to another cemetery tonight?”
“Are you a workaholic?”
“I’m just so excited about making all those sales. I won’t be able to sleep after dinner right away.”
“I totally understand. We’ll enjoy a starlit walk through another cemetery.”
Then he began grilling the steaks and corn on the cob while she made a salad for dinner and started baking cookies for dessert. She was so glad he was agreeable about another stroll through a cemetery. She didn’t figure most men would be.
Once they sat down for dinner, she asked, “When Peter brought in the files they found in the woods, they smelled of the three brothers’ scents.”
“They did, which confirms they broke into the storage unit and took them.”
