I don’t say any of this out loud as I bump along with Nai Nai and Ace. The security bros are at the café setting everything up, so we head out to give them space.
The town is very charming in the daylight. Every building is an old house that’s been converted on the first floor, but has apartments on the two floors above them. It’s encouraging to see a lot of small businesses thriving around us. There’s a lot of trinket stores, too, so I’m guessing we’ll get a good amount of tourism. We’re notthatfar from the beach, so fingers crossed!
We drop off the trailer at the local Haul-It-Urself, then head into the heart of town. It’s a main street and one more that runsparallel with about thirty different shops and a few restaurants, not including the Dough Dome we saw on the way in.
We find some public parking, then take to the streets. It’s all manicured gardens, colorful trees, and a fair amount of tourist traffic—but they’re all about as old as Nai Nai. We pass a pop-up shack called “The Clam Stand” advertising lobster rolls, and the scent makes my stomach groan hungrily.
“Oh, the crafts store!” Nai Nai points and starts heading that way with more speed than I’ve seen from her in months.
She’s had a lot more energy since we left Boston, and Ace seems excited about the prospects of a new school—despite missing his friends. He’ll get a fresh start, no prior reputation, and I’ll get a clean slate for a while, too. Maybe this place will be good for us. Our little getaway.
The door to the craft store dings merrily as we step inside. It’s not a Michael’s, but it’s got a decent variety. There are six rows, all labeled neatly. Plastic flowers are arranged in cute bouquets at the front, and the seasonal section is set up for Halloween. A woman a little older than me with blond hair and pale, freckled skin greets us with a cheery welcome.
“I’m Lacey, one of the owners. Can I help you find anything?” she asks.
I shake my head. “Nope, just looking—”
Nai Nai steps in front of me. “I need red yarn; wooden tiles, preferably pine; black lacquer; and green, red, and yellow paint. Wall mounts, a hammer, brown twine…” She trails off for a second, then pulls a list from her cardigan pocket. “Oh, yes, and storage jars!”
Lacey smiles. “I like a woman who knows what she wants. Let me get you a cart.”
Ace pops in his earbuds and wanders off into the aisles.
I follow the pair around while they chatter. Nai Nai tells her all the plans to ward off demons and stop interdimensional cockroaches. Lacey laughs in a good-natured way but looks at me with casual skepticism. I shrug.
Nai Nai gets into the weeds on picking her paints—they have to be the right consistency!—so Lacey comes to stand next to me.
“You guys move into the café at the end of Main?”
“Yep,” I say popping the “p” as I rock back on my heels. “I’m Jade, my grandma’s lackey. She’s Mrs. Feng—or Nai Nai if she likes you.”
“Good to know.” She chuckles and takes my offered hand for a shake. “That place has been empty for a while now. Need any help getting it in shape?”
What is she selling…
“Nai Nai’s got big plans, and as you can see,” I say, gesturing to the woman comparing labels on two exact same shades of green, “she’s going to want to do it herself. Or rather, make me do it herself.”
Lacey laughs again. Damn, I’m not that funny. This girl is just full of joy.
“When do you think you’ll have it open again?”
I blow a raspberry. “No idea. I’ve been making tea for a long time, but coffee is a different beast. I’ve got a lot to learn. And the café itself is in desperate need of a facelift.”
And I don’t have a single dime to my name to do it. Those damned cops didn’t give me my illegal winnings back. Thank goodness Ace entered Nai Nai in several sweepstakes that suspiciously paid off, too.
Lacey grins over-wide and squeals. “Oh, please let me help!”
What’s this girl’s angle?
I try not to scowl. “Thanks, but we’re going to have to do everything ourselves.”
“You don’t have to pay me.”
The scowl comes anyway now as I grunt incredulously, “What?”
Her eyes practically sparkle and she gets a far-off look. “It would be like a pet project for me. I do charity for the local church sometimes, but too few people in town need help with interior design.”
She wants towork? Forfree? No way.
