“How long have you worked here?”
“I’ve been working here for over three years now.”
“Wow, so you’ve lived in the Cove for a while. What made you move here in the first place? It’s not exactly an oasis.”
“The Cove is what you make of it. I’d wager that any place could be an oasis to someone.” I pause, contemplating how to answer his question. “I wanted to live closer to my family. My family lives upstate, just a couple hours away in the mountains.”
“Fair enough, I mean, the Cove is… fun.” I can’t contain my laughter. “Look, I’ve lived here almost my entire life. Forgive me if I can’t fully understand the allure.”
“I get it, I feel the same way about my hometown.” I scoff. “How does it feel being back?”
“As good as it can feel, given the circumstances. It may sound strange, but coming back to the Cove almost feels like it was meant to happen. I don’t really believe in fate, but being back just doesn’t feel coincidental.”
I find myself wanting to know every little detail, but something tells me not to dig for more this time—he will tell me more if he feels inclined to. I peek at my watch, noting the time. I don’t want to take up too much of his afternoon, so I decide we can table the conversation for now, regardless of what Ireallywant.
“Well, I don’t want to commandeer the rest of your afternoon. You’re free to go, Mr. Alcott. Just keep an eye out for the contract, our Legal team will email it to you.”
“And what if I want to stay?” His question catches me off-guard.
“Oh, well, you’re welcome to hang out at Soi! Whatever works for you!”
His lips tug upward into a smile.
“I’m kidding. If that’s all for now, I’ll leave you to it and see you Wednesday.” He stands up, walking toward my office’s exit. “Oh, and Iris? Don’t be afraid to call me by name, too.”
I gawk. “What?I’m not afraid to call you by name.”
He smirks, clearly amused by my reaction. “I’ll be waiting for you to prove that.”
Puffy clouds stretch across the midday sky, covering the sun once again. Typical for this time of year. Joy picks me up from the office on the way to Aged Emporium—this is a great real-world experience for her to shadow. I’ll also confess I did not want to go alone.
Joy, similar to Callie, is great at keeping a conversation alive even if the other party would be fine with it sizzling out. We talk about everything from the weather to TV shows she’s currently watching. By the time we arrive, I know her sister’s name and zodiac sign. I love building connections, and Joy’s warmth is contagious, but my nerves are making it challenging to focus.
It appears his car is the only one in the parking lot other than Joy’s. Aged Emporium’s exterior has a classy, timeless feel, with its varying shades of brown bricks meshing well together. Sure, it could use some tender love and care, but this shop has been open for decades. Quite frankly, I’m surprised it still looks this good.
We approach the wooden doors to enter, each door including an arched window that allows visitors to see inside. As we step inside, the familiar scent of Everwood pine greets me. I move further into the shop, seeing Jasper behind the front counter, and suddenly, I’m transported to a different time—a warmer time.
The yellow lights brighten the entire front entrance. Christmas music plays throughout the establishment, and a fresh plate of chocolate chip cookies rests on the front counter, sitting beside an epic gingerbread house.
I venture deeper into the shop, looking for him, taking in all the novelties and gems of Aged Emporium. I brush my fingers across the vintage scarves, marveling at the different prints and patterns, knowing I can’t pull these off but choosing to try them on anyway. I pick a blue scarf with embroidered suns on it. After putting it on, I rush to find him, calling out his name. I’ve always loved vintage items, especially the ones I’ve collected from Aged Emporium. I can’t wait to show him this one.
I hear creaking coming from deeper into the store, so I approach that area and stumble upon a small rocking chair with a Victorian glass doll propped in it, the shelves behind it filled with even more glass dolls. My imagination must be playing tricks on me, because the chair is most certainly moving. Yep, now I’m most certainly getting out of here. I’m not going to be one of those girls who investigates it only to lose her life. I back away, not taking my eyes off the doll, beginning to panic when I bump into something—no, someone. I slowly turn my head to see him.
“Gotcha!” He lets out a maniacal laugh. “I swear, you were breathing so hard that the man at the front probably heard you.”
Kai. To think, I was so excited to show him this scarf only for him to repay me by scaring the living daylights out of me. It all starts to click. I couldn’t find him because he was too busy preparing for this scare. Ugh. He’s good. I’ll have to get him back for this one.
“Okay, I’m leaving.” I rip the scarf off and walk past him to exit Aged Emporium, then he grabs my arm.
“Wait, there was something I wanted to show you.” He practically drags me to the jewelry counter. “Look at this.”
He holds up a dainty rose gold jewelry box with an intricate flower engraved on the lid. “It’s an iris.” He hands it to me, and the second it touches my fingertips, I fall in love. I turn it around to look at the price tag and fall out of love as quickly as I fell in love.
“Wow, this is so stunning! I love it.” I pass it back to him. “But I haven’t saved up enough at Soi to buy something like this yet.”
“I saw the price; I just thought I’d show you.” He softly smiles and sets it down. “Maybe another time.”
Another time.That’s right. This is another time.
