“He can stock with me,” says Riley, who’s just wheeled over a big metal cart loaded with books.
“Okay,” Miguel agrees. “But please make sure he doesn’t overexert himself.”
Riley winks at me. “I promise to make him go nap on the rug the minute he looks pooped.”
I’m happy to trail after her, even if fresh ink doesn’t smell nearly as nice as the kind that’s had a chance to settle. Miguel says publishers care most about selling books right after they’re published. But the ones that are no longer new—like dogs, those need a home most of all. This is where Riley comes in. Read all of Jude Deveraux’s backlist? You’re overdue for some Beverly Jenkins. DugDalva?LoveMedicine’s the real deal. She sells as many books as all our other employees combined. Miguel says that if she ever left, we’d be sunk.
Today, we’re stocking adult fiction. We start with Sci-Fi and Historical before moving to Stabby Peeps, as Dane named the Mysteries and Thrillers section. Then we fill regular Fiction, and don’t ask me how that’s different from the rest. Last, there’s Romance, which is located at the back of the store because some people are sheepish about buying what they like—or maybe it’s because of that one shirtless guy with the flowing hair on so many of the covers. Either way, it’s the section we end up restocking most frequently.
Riley and I are just wrapping up when Kathy comes flying into the bookstore, her flowered tent of a dress billowing behind her.
Amelia adored Kathy but admitted privately that she couldbe a wee bit flaky. Now, flaky is just the thing when it comes to baked goods. But since Miguel often wanted the toilet fixed the same week it stopped working, she’s not his type of treat. Still, she never raised the rent more than inflation, and although I’m not clear on what that means, Lakeside has been able to stay in the same location all this time. Meanwhile, the psychic who told Dane he’d already met the love of his life has moved up and down the block a bunch of times, and the falafel place has switched spots twice.
“Miguel! We need to talk!” Kathy calls, even though Miguel’s nowhere to be seen. “Riley, where is he? I saw his car. I know he’s here.”
“Hi, Auntie,” Riley says, grimacing at Dane.
“I’ll go get him, Kathy,” says Dane, giving Riley bug eyes from the register. “You make yourself comfortable.”
“Child, it’s 2003. I haven’t been comfortable since 1979.” She grabs her tortoiseshell eyeglasses, which are hanging from one of the many necklaces around her neck, and sets them on her nose. “But I’ll look for the new Nora while I wait.”
On Riley’s recommendation, Kathy ends up with a Nora Roberts novel and two from Connie Briscoe. She’s just cracked one open when Miguel finally emerges from the stockroom. He tries to force a smile, but it’s no use. “Kathy, what brings you in?” he asks.
“Well,” she says, peering at him over the top of her glasses. “What brings me in is you not returning my calls, not to mention running out the back door when you spotted me last week.”
So…she did see that.
“Sorry,” he says, and while I’m not excited to see him sheepish, at least he cares—even two or three seasons ago, thatwouldn’t have been true. “I haven’t been in the chattiest mood lately.”
“Miguel, I’d love to hear about a single day in your life you were chatty. All the same, apology accepted. Is there a good place for us to talk shop?”
He gestures to the reading nook, which is tucked into one of the front corners of the store, and the three of us amble over there. Kathy plops down in the yellow armchair, but Miguel stands next to the sofa with his arms crossed over his chest.
“You got July’s rent, right?” he asks her. “I dropped it off almost a week ago.”
She leans back. “I know you did—and in the spirit of ‘better late than never,’ thank you. But this isn’t about that.”
He frowns and waits for her to continue.
“Mr. Rivera, I feel like we’ve been in business together long enough for me to be frank with you.”
He nods.
“I appreciate that. Long story short, I received an offer to buy the building.”
“This one?” he says, retracting his head like a turtle. “Are you evicting us?”
“No, no, no,” Kathy says quickly. “The offer’s good. Better than I expected, if I’m being honest. But you know I’m fond of Lakeside, and I don’t want to put my own niece out of the job that suits her so well. Besides, this isn’t the first time someone’s tried to buy—it’s just the first time I had to consider selling.”
The air-conditioning’s on, but Miguel’s face is starting to drip. “I’m not sure I follow.”
“Well, the upkeep on this fossil is more expensive by thehour. The bigger issue is, I’m getting old, and money’s tighter than it should be—my investments have taken a huge hit because of this whole Iraq War mess. I refuse to ask my kids to pay for my care once I’m drooling on myself. Which means I need to make some difficult decisions.”
Miguel, still as a stone, says nothing.
“I’m not going to kick you out, but I do have to raise the rent. You’ve been through a lot over the past two years, so I’ve been holding out on telling you as long as I can. Unfortunately, I can’t afford to wait any longer.”
“How much?”
