“Troy, yes. And of course their grandson Mason is a police officer.” It all felt pretty overwhelming.
“The one who pulled Gray over without cause.”
“And possibly vandalized his house.”
Liddy set a hand on her arm. “It’ll be okay. You have a loyal clientele, and readers need their books!”
They did have loyal buyers. But there were plenty of other places to purchase books. And this store—all stores—depended on holiday sales to get through the year. Twenty-four percent of their annual sales happened during the Christmas season. They depended on the last three months of the year to keep the doors open through the slower months—and they were digging out of a deep hole.
“I just can’t believe the town would treat you this way, especially now when you need the sales so badly.”
“They don’t know how dire things are. They just think if they turn up the heat for a while, I’ll cave and then everything will return to normal.”
Liddy scowled. “Well, we can’t let that happen.”
“What can we do?”
“Let’s get our heads together and figure something out.”
It would need to be ASAP. Each day they went without business, they were digging themselves deeper. “Tonight?”
“Your dad has some big meeting at the college. How about tomorrow?”
Her brother and Dad might very well think Gray’s leaving town would be best for everyone. But that wasn’t on the table. “Gray was talking the other night about having the family over. Let’s meet at his place for supper tomorrow night, and we’ll come up with something.”
“Sounds like a plan. We can’t let these people push you around, Shelby. We will come up with something.”
Shelby hoped she was right. Because the Remingtons’ actions were jeopardizing everything she held dear.
Chapter 40
They were halfway through the meal before Gray’s nerves began to settle enough to enjoy the Luigi’s pizza Shelby had brought. Upon entering his house, Stanley and Caleb had offered reserved smiles and handshakes.We’re only here for Shelby’s sake, their demeanors screamed.We’ll tolerate you.
They’d decided to strategize after eating. So as the meal lengthened, the conversation in his dining room was casual: Caleb’s artwork, the upcoming town hall meeting, Ollie’s first laugh, instigated by Stanley, who was very proud of this accomplishment.
Shadow sat between Shelby and Gray, gaze flickering between them, hoping for a scrap. Periodically the dog checked the darkened living room where the baby lay in his car seat—he’d fallen asleep on the way over. The little guy had apparently been teething and sleep was sporadic. You’d never know it by Liddy, who brought a certain energy to the gathering. She’d apparently come prepared to bridge the gap between Gray and the family. He was glad Shelby had such a good friend and ally.
When the conversation turned to Ollie’s birth story, Gray excused himself to retrieve more drinks. The meal was winding down and they’d soon move on to strategizing. Gray had been able to think of little else since yesterday when he realized what they were up against. He felt so responsible for this.
His ideas focused primarily on direct contact with Shelby’s loyal customer base—her email database and their online presence. If they shifted their marketing efforts that direction, maybe they could lessen the boycott’s impact. But it wouldn’t reverse the damage.
Shelby entered the kitchen as he opened the fridge. She wrapped her arms around his middle and laid her head on his back. “Doing all right?”
“I’m fine. I’m eager to hear any ideas your family might have.” He pulled out a couple cans of Coke and placed them on the counter, then gave Shelby his full attention. She gazed up at him adoringly, and he went soft inside at her warm expression.
“Thanks for hanging in there with them. They’ll come around.”
“Hope you’re right.” It wasn’t lost on him that the simplest way to stop the boycott was to give the Remingtons what they wanted. At least Caleb and her dad hadn’t thrown that in his face—not yet anyway.
“I am.” She stretched up on her toes and pressed a quick kiss to his lips.
But he tightened his arms, holding her there. “When they leave, I want more of that mouth.”
A sexy sparkle entered her eyes. “That can be arranged.”
Might as well get a head start. Just a little one. He brushed her lips with his, the touch kindling a fire inside. Her hands crept up his arms and snaked their way around his shoulders. He found the curve of her waist, the arch of her back, giving himself fully to the moment.
Laughter erupted from the dining room. They weren’t alone—yet.
