She just rolled her eyes. “It’s barely coming down. It probably won’t even stick. Now sit down, eat your lunch, and tell me about this idea you had.”
With one last glare at the offending snowflakes, I put down the water bottle I’d gone to retrieve and settled on my comfy stool behind the counter at my bookstore. Raina sat beside me, unpacking the lunch her girlfriend had made. In exchange for books, Camille fed me almost daily, except on my days off or whenever Donovan joined me for lunch. He and his partner had gotten called out to help with an accident on the highway outside town, leaving me to my own devices for the afternoon.
“I already told you about Drag Story Hour, right?”
“Yep. You wouldn’t shut up about it after you and Donovan got back from Denver, remember?”
“I mentioned it twice,” I grumbled, ignoring her teasing smile. “Anyway, if Camille’s friend is still interested, could you pass along my number?”
“I’ll let her know. We’ll advertise at the shop, too, once you set the dates. I bet Mr. Delaney would bring his kids and spread the word if we asked.”
Julian Delaney’s twins, Evie and Arlo, were two of Raina’s favorite customers, and mine as well. They were turning four this year and two of the politest kids I’d ever met. Cutest, too, and they knew it.
“Perfect. I appreciate you.” I paused long enough to bite into the chicken salad sandwich she’d brought. Camille had been experimenting with the idea of serving lunch at the coffee shop and I was her more than willing taste-tester.
“Good?”
“Perfect. You guys are the reason I’ll never be skinny, you know.” The sandwich had come with a freshly baked brownie and my usual brown sugar cinnamon latte, made by Raina.
“You’re cuddly,” she shrugged. “I bet Donovan appreciates it.”
“Okay, moving on.”
Raina laughed, always enjoying a chance to tease, but she did gesture for me to continue.
“Anyway, I was thinking that I could do something for adults at the shop, too. A kid story hour will draw in parents, but there’s really not a whole lot to do in town for adults outside the seasonal events and festivals.”
“True. Lack of a nightlife is a downside to small-town living,” she agreed. Lowery’s Crossing all but shut down after nine most nights. Most businesses closed, except for the two bars in town. There was one movie theater, with only one screen, and the owner preferred to play moves from the 70’s and 80’s. It could be fun, but after a while, the novelty wore off.
“Exactly. So I actually had a few ideas I wanted to run by you.” I flipped open the notebook I kept by the cash register and pulled out a pencil. “One idea was pretty straightforward. I was thinking about hosting a book club once a month.”
“I bet Mrs. Sharper would run it for you. She runs her euchre club like a mafia don.”
“She’s also the biggest gossip this side of the Mississippi,” I pointed out. “Maybe not the best idea, in case I have to leave in the middle of a meeting because of… reasons.” Raina knew my secret, as did Camille and Will, but talking about it still felt strange. Even saying the word ‘ghost’ out loud still made me squirm.
“Ooh, good point,” she winced. “It’s a good idea, though. We can see who turns up, then see if anyone volunteers to head it up?”
I made a note of it next to the entry in the notebook. “Okay, the next idea was kind of similar, but not really.”
“Helpful.”
“Raina…”
“Sorry, sorry. Continue, please.” She sipped at her coffee with an innocent smile that I didn’t believe for a second.
“I thought a themed event could be kind of fun, and less commitment than a book club. Like, one of those murder mystery things where everyone dresses up and they have to find the clues and all that.” I’d actually found the idea on a book forum and immediately wanted to dismiss it, given the events in my life, but the enthusiastic replies had made me grudgingly consider it.
“Are you sure about that?” Raina asked quietly. I must not have kept my expression as even as I’d hoped.
“I saw it online and everyone said it sounded amazing. Honestly, I was thinking I’d maybe ask Will if he wanted to host it, or maybe another officer. Ginny Lake is a regular here. Maybe she’d be interested?”
“Just because it’s a popular idea, doesn’t mean you have to do that theme. We could brainstorm other ideas that are a little less triggering.”
“I’m that obvious?”
“Only because you’re my best friend. You went through some serious shit, Alex. You don’t need to relive any of that just to boost sales. There are a ton of other things you could do.”
“I’ll put a pin in that one,” I agreed quietly. It was a good idea, despite my hesitations, so hearing someone else agree that I should wait gave me that validation I didn’t know I’d needed. “The others are simpler, mainly themed events around holidays or coinciding with popular books. I’d planned to ask you and Camille if I could hire you to do food and drinks, just easy snacks and stuff.”
