A shadow moved behind the glass and the door swept open. Gray stepped out and came to a sudden halt within inches of her.
Shelby stepped back as her heart gave a heavy thump. She pressed a hand to her chest, startled to find him here so late. He always left at closing.
“Book club over?”
“Working late?” They spoke at the same time.
And answered at the same time. Their gazes locked. The air seemed to weave a spell around them.
She dragged her gaze away and swept past him. Her legs trembled as they carried her to the front where the space was brighter, less confining. Why did she let him fluster her so? It really ticked her off. This was her store, her domain. He was a guest here—uninvited at that, at least by her. She’d gotten over him years ago and he had no hold on her anymore.
He has no hold over me anymore.
“Who are you trying to convince, Sweet Girl?”
“Shelby? You have a minute?”
She squeezed her eyes closed as she approached the front door. It was past eight and she really just wanted to go home and soak in the tub with her Colleen Coble novel. “Can it wait till tomorrow?”
Chaucer, the store’s unlikely mascot, sauntered past, gray tail high and flickering like a flag.
Gray stuffed his hands in his front pants pockets. “It can, but I’m not sure it should.”
That sounded ominous. And the somber expression on his face didn’t help matters. Dread inched its way up her spine. “Something wrong?”
“Maybe we can sit on the porch and talk a minute.”
This didn’t sound good. She didn’t need bad news. Gram’s passing—and let’s face it, Gray’s presence—had left her feeling vulnerable. But she’d never been one to bury her head in the sand, and she wasn’t about to start now. “Let me shut off the lights and close up.”
She went through the motions, bracing herself for whatever he was about to say. He’d better not be backing out of their deal. He’d signed those papers! He had to abide by the terms.
She locked up the store and found Gray leaning against the porch railing just outside the glowing cone of light.
She crossed her arms. “You can’t get out of our deal, if that’s what you’re trying to do. The paperwork is ironclad. Mr. Greenwood made certain of it.”
Something shifted in his face. “That’s not what this is about.”
Her lungs emptied. She could handle just about anything else. “What then? It’s been a long day and I want to get home.”
“Sorry to keep you. But I felt you should know sooner than later.” He met her gaze. “I finished up the audit. Did you and your grandma discuss the store’s finances?”
“A little. Some. Not really. She liked to handle that part, and as you know, that’s not really my strong suit. Why? What’s wrong?”
His gaze remained steady on hers, but she couldn’t read his expression in the dimness. “The store’s struggling financially. She never said anything?”
“Struggling?” That couldn’t be true. “What are you talking about? We do solid business here. Do you know how many books we sell a week?”
“I know exactly how many. But there’s a lot of overhead: rent, staff, utilities. It adds up.”
A new thought occurred and Shelby shook her head. “The finances must be okay. Gram just gave me a raise a few months ago. She wouldn’t have done that if we were struggling. You’ve done something wrong. You need to check your numbers again.”
“I already did. There’s no mistake. And your raise...” He broke eye contact. Palmed the back of his neck.
“What?”
He seemed to take forever to answer. “Your grandma took it out of her own salary.”
That was ridiculous. “No, she didn’t. I didn’t even ask for the raise. It was her idea.”
