“I don’t believe that.”
“Maybe not in those words,” Jax admitted, “but it was what he meant.”
Cheryl stared at the brick wall. “They think they can take it down and keep track of which bricks went where?”
“That’s the plan.”
“You don’t sound convinced.”
“I’m suspicious by nature,” Jax admitted, placing her hand on the bricks. “But it has to be done. Marcus swears it will be fine, so I guess I’ll trust him. We have time to prepare. We’ll send out a notice onPort Palmas Talksto let everyone know when they can come get their diaries.”
“What about the ones that aren’t claimed?” Cheryl’s eyes brightened with amusement. “We could read from them.”
Jax shook her head. “No, we couldn’t. We’re giving people the opportunity to claim their diary to protect their privacy, but even for those who don’t, the diaries are private. The ones that aren’t claimed will stay in their slots and then be put back in place.”
“Oh, I don’t know. I’ll bet there are a few juicy secrets buried inside.”
“And they’re going to stay secrets.”
“I agree it’s the right thing to do,” Cheryl told her. “But aren’t you the least bit tempted? Secrets can change lives.”
“There are things I don’t need to know,” Jax said with a laugh. “I like my worldview just the way it is. I don’t want anything earth-shattering changing how I look at my neighbors.” She patted the wall. “All right. Enough with the diaries. How’s the summer schedule coming?”
Cheryl brought her up-to-date on all the special events they had planned. Jax liked to add extra offerings, especially for families with younger kids. While the children enjoyed their time off, all those weeks with no school could be overwhelming for a lot of parents. The Painted Lady Bookstore offered everything from classes on cursive writing to afternoon crafts, along with the traditional story hour. Wednesday First Chapter book lunch—where the first chapter of a book was read aloud in the store and on their YouTube channel—would continue, although in the summer, Jax preferred to feature lighter beach read–type books.
Cheryl flipped through her notes. “The store is staying open on the Fourth of July?”
“Yes, just like every year. Ramon doesn’t like it when the store is closed. He needs people around and things to keep him entertained. We’ll close at six, but otherwise, it’s a normal workday. It’s usually pretty busy, especially with the tourists in town for the fireworks show.”
Cheryl nodded. “I’ll make a note. This is my first summer home in years. I’ve always traveled while on summer break. It will be nice to see how everyone celebrates the holiday.”
“They shoot the fireworks off from the end of the pier,” Jax told her. “The kids are with their dad this year, so they’ll stay on the beach with him and I’ll watch from the widow’s walk. It’s prime viewing. We also have a sleepover in the store to be with Ramon. He does all right with the fireworks from the show, but the random ones at three in the morning bother him.”
“They would bother me as well,” Cheryl said. “No one needs to be shooting off fireworks at that time of night!”
“Excuse me.”
Jax turned and saw a thirtysomething woman with an auburn bob and thick drugstore lashes. “Hi. Can I help you?”
“Yes. I was wondering if Marcus was working in the store today.”
“He was here earlier, but I think he left. Do you want me to take a message?”
The woman shook her head. “No, that’s fine. I just wondered if he was here.”
She turned and walked out of the store. Jax stared after her.
“Okay, that was strange. If she’s a client, why doesn’t she just call him?”
“She’s not.”
Jax looked at Cheryl. “How do you know?”
“She’s one of the lookers.” Cheryl grinned. “Haven’t you noticed? Whenever Marcus is here, random women show up to watch him work.” She lowered her voice. “He’s a very handsome man.”
“I’ll admit he’s got something going on, but I didn’t know about women stopping by to stare.” That couldn’t be comfortable for anyone.
“I’m old enough to be his mother and I do my share of looking.” Cheryl seemed pleased with herself as she spoke. “I can appreciate a handsome man as much as the next girl and this one is right there in front of me.”
