“Yep.” I shut the door and waved my green coupon in the air. It was like Christmas all bundled up in one little green rectangle of paper. And it was all mine.
“So how much money did you bring?” Madison asked as we made our way toward the warehouse, eyeing the empty canvas bags I’d slung over my arm.
“My credit card.”
Her eyes nearly popped. “I can’t remember the last time you didn’t bring one of those little envelopes with cash in it. You must really need some shopping therapy.”
“Books are therapy.”
She shrugged. “This is true.”
As we neared the door, though, she paused and pulled out her phone. “Sam wants to know if we’re still coming to the Back to the BASICS Summit. And if we are, he wants to know if he can just book all our seats together.”
I laughed. “How’d he know I was with you?”
“He said he texted you but you weren’t answering.”
“Oh.” I reached into my purse but found only my wallet, makeup, and a granola bar that was Jade’s. “I must have forgotten my phone. Tell him sure and sure.”
“You know,” Madison said, giving me a sideways glance as she texted back, “it’s definitely not me he’s interested in getting a seat next to.”
I rolled my eyes. “Can you please just answer so we can go buy books?”
“Are you telling me you didn’t feel something when he stole you away from Tanner the other day?”
My stomach did a stupid little somersault, but I wasn’t quite ready to talk about that. At least, not in earnest. “I will be forever grateful for his daring rescue. But he still hasn’t actually asked me out yet. So nothing is official as…why are you giving me that look?”
“Your rules are going to get you in trouble one day.”
“Books, lady.” I clapped impatiently. “I’m here for books.”
We approached the door with the green piece of paper that said, Educators’ Summer Warehouse Book Sale. A woman with snow-white hair and a t-shirt with a cartoon hog on it greeted us as we walked in.
“Educator passes?”
We both handed her our coupons, and she pointed us at a folding table covered in stacks of thin green canvas bags filled with catalogs. Another woman sat behind it.
“Go over there to Autumn, and she’ll get you your warehouse maps and the other goodies that come in the bag.”
We thanked her and made our way over to Autumn, where we were each gifted with a green bag and a stack of loose-leaf papers, each promising exciting books for children of all ages.
“Where should we begin?” I gaped up at the warehouse, unable to hide my awe. Ceiling high shelves housed countless stacks of books. Twelve, each double-sided, unless you counted the tables at the front that were also covered in books. Some even had boxes of books. Giant fans blew in air from the entrance, but I started to sweat the moment I stepped inside. But it didn’t matter. Because here were thousands of books.
I could die here and be satisfied.
“Let’s start with the chapter books since you probably won’t need as many of them.” Madison laughed as she dragged me down to the shelf farthest away. “Then you won’t have to carry so many at first.”
Even the novel section was magical. Not that my kindergarteners neededMy Side of the Mountain, but it was only four dollars. How could I not get it?
“So have you heard from Adam?” I asked. Two weeks had passed since the fateful double date, and I wondered if their cuddly vibe had lasted beyond the restaurant booth.
“He texts sometimes,” Madison smiled to herself a little too widely. “Nothing serious, but we have fun. He took me bowling on base the other day.” She glanced at me. “Oh, and he apologizes for Tanner. He says the poor guy is desperate to get married and takes it out on every girl he meets, unfortunately.”
“You don’t say.”
Madison shook her head. “Anyhow, I don’t care about rehashing Tanner. I want to know about Big Brother.” She lifted a heavy book in the air. “Do I need to go down there and thrash someone for you?”
I laughed and picked up a shiny copy ofCaddie Woodlawn. “We’ve declared a truce.”
