“Thanks for stopping by,” she said, noting that Ramon kept his back to her.
“He’s friendly this morning,” Marcus said.
“He likes you and he’s mad at me.”
“Because of the cat thing? It’s kind of a crazy idea.”
“He had a cat before. I want him to be happy.”
“He’s got a great life here. Plenty of mental stimulation with all the people around. A big area to fly in. He’s living his best parrot life.”
Interesting points, she thought, surprised he’d figured all that out. Unless he’d been doing some research.
“You’ve looked up parrots on the internet,” she said.
“A little. I wanted to make sure my guys weren’t going to bother him or do something that might make him sick. Birds are more sensitive to chemicals than the rest of us.”
“That’s so nice. Thank you.”
“Yes, thank you,” Ramon added. “May the Force be with you.”
Marcus grinned. “I thought it was just book references.”
“He has a few favorite movies. All right, the book heart is this way.”
They walked to the back of the store where she showed himhow they’d built a half wall of books that created an opening in the shape of a heart.
“We created this during the pandemic,” she explained. “We had to spend as much time in the store as we could to keep Ramon company. I saw a video online and we re-created it here.”
She had him stand on the front side of the heart, then walked around to stand in back.
“See how it creates a pretty frame for a picture? It’s very visual and romantic. It became a thing on social media. We get a lot of couples asking to come in and take pictures. A few of them want to do it with a professional photographer as either an engagement picture or for their save-the-date card. So the question is, will you need to take this down or can it stay in place?”
He walked around the half wall, then looked toward the brick wall with the diaries.
“We shouldn’t have to touch this at all,” he told her. “We’re far enough into the project that I’m clear on the scope of what we’ll be doing. Barring any unforeseen surprises.”
“Let’s not have those. Okay, great. I’ll tell Cheryl that we can schedule the photo shoots.”
“How does that work? They come in after hours?”
“Usually. Or close to closing. Unless it’s the weekends, we get quiet later in the evenings.”
Ramon flew away. Marcus watched him go.
“He’s a cool bird.”
“He is.”
“They live a long time. Does that worry you?”
“Chances are I’ll outlive him, so no, but he’s an ongoing responsibility. I can’t leave him for weeks at a time. He would be taken care of but he wouldn’t thrive.” She smiled. “Of course I own a bookstore, so sticking close to home is necessary for that as well.”
She looked at him, thinking he really was very nice looking. He was also hardworking and from what she could tell,he treated his crew well. Being around him made her feel sort of... well, not tingly exactly, but something.
“You’re divorced, right?” she asked.
He nodded.
