Roan grins at me and then gets down to work, and I wind up joining him. By the following morning, the shop is warm with soft color and he’s painting all the trim a pretty cream.
I try to return the favor, at least in part, by hand-painting a pretty sign for the tree lot. It’s a simple thing, but when I bring it over he thanks me profusely, and I catch him through the window later, gazing at it like I’ve given him the crown jewels.
Meanwhile, shipments of books are coming in, and I’m realizing the shop needs a few more things to look its best.
“Would it be possible for me to borrow your truck for an hour or two?” I ask him on Friday morning.
“Of course,” he tells me. “What for?”
“I wanted to grab some furniture so people can sit while they browse,” I tell him. “And I heard that thethrift shop at the church has good stuff at this time of year.”
“Oh sure,” he says, nodding. “Anyone getting new things for the holidays typically donates the old stuff to the church. I’ll bet they’re swimming in options for you.”
We end up going together, which is great, because I can’t really carry everything out by myself. I score a pair of orange velvet wingback chairs that look like they were made for a bookshop, and a great big sofa that I can just picture by the front window. With light spilling in from outside, it will be the perfect spot for customers to curl up with a book or two.
By the time I choose a few side tables and snag some accessories and a café table and chairs, Roan is just about due to open the tree lot. He helps me get the larger pieces where they belong, leaving me to enjoy playing around to get everything else in the right spot.
When Meg arrives after school, she’s so excited she can’t seem to stand still.
“You have furniture,” she squeaks. “You have plants and stuff.”
“The plants aren’t real,” I admit. “But maybe in the springtime I’ll try to find a few real ones that are super easy to take care of.”
“My dad can help you,” Meg says. “He’s really good with plants and trees.”
“Of course,” I say, nodding.
“Look at this,” Meg says, surveying the shop. “It’s like a bookstore out of a movie.”
Now that I’m finally stopping to catch my breath, I look around too and I feel a surge of pride.
I’ve worried a lot about my budget, but honestly the place looks beautiful. The pine floors have a pumpkin hue, and the shelves look much nicer now that they’re better organized and mostly stocked. The pale green walls light up in the sunlight and the furniture looks cozy and welcoming in a way brand-new pieces never could have.
And I have to admit that I love the collection of knickknacks I’ve got here and there—a couple of nutcrackers, a snow globe with a tiny Paris inside, a few small framed paintings and prints, a few Foster’s Figurines from the shop in town, and a dozen or so more things that make the place look lived-in and fun. The big, potted faux ferns and arbor vitae will look great when we dress them up with the strings of white Christmas lights I still have under the counter.
“It is coming together,” I agree. “And a lot of that is thanks to you and your dad. You two have been incredible.”
“Are there new books to unpack today?” she asks me excitedly.
“There sure are,” I tell her. “Come on back. We have new stuff for the little kids today—a whole bunch of picture books. And then maybe we can talk more about the fantasy series.”
“Yes,”Meg says. “I finished chapter fourteen during lunch at school.”
By the timewe’ve got all the books put away and we’ve thoroughly dissected our book-club-for-two book, it’s almost eight o’clock, and Roan is stepping in the front door.
“How’s it going?” he asks.
“Great,” I tell him.
“We finished putting the books away,” Meg announces as she runs over to greet her dad. “Can we order Chinese food and eat it here? It’s Friday night.”
“Hmmmm,” Roan muses. “I think we could order Chinese food, if Taylor doesn’t mind sharing her shop.”
“Of course not,” I tell him. “And look, we can eat at our little table.”
The small dark wood café table that came with three chairs is set up by one of the side windows. I put a lace doily from the thrift shop on it and it honestly looks super cute.
“You’ve really made this place into something special,” Roan says.
