She really wanted this to work out.
For Alex.
For her shop.
“Running a business is all about taking opportunities when they present themselves.If you allow fear to take over, you might miss some.”
“Wow.That… actually makes sense.”
His brows notched together.“Of course it does.”
“I mean…” Her voice trailed off because she couldn’t actually say what she was thinking.That it was unexpected to hear encouragement from him.Even more so, it was something that really spoke to her.Setting up the shop at the faire had been an opportunity she’d leapt for.So why was she hesitating now?
Something wasn’t right.If he was so accepting about good ideas not working out, why had he put her shop in the Reject Woods?Did he think her shop was a bad idea?
“Is that everything?”Hawk asked, his usual impatient tone dragging Lilian out of her thoughts.
This was it.The perfect opportunity to bring up the placement of her shop.To ask him why he had set her up to fail.But for some reason, all the anger she had earlier was gone.“Yeah.”
“All right then.”His stern face softened a little bit before he added, “Good luck.”
“Thanks.”
She watched his salmon polo disappear into one of the nearby offices, and even after he was gone, she stood there, replaying the conversation over and over in her mind.And not having a clue what it all meant.
Third Week of Faire
Tuesdaynight,Alexcameto Tenison to draft the script.It was strange to see the pirate queen outside of the faire.Gone was the oversized hat and thigh-high leather boots.In their place were practical sneakers, stylish purple joggers, and a white crop top.
Their friendship had always existed in the confines of the painted castle walls.Even though she and Alex got along well enough, a swell of anxiety surged through her.Alex was going to see where she lived and worked.It wasn’t that Lilian was ashamed of her town or her mother’s bookstore.But Tenison wasn’t anything to write home about.
They had one locally owned grocery store.One high school with a total student body of three hundred.A single gas station.And lots and lots of old farmhouses.There wasn’t even a good place to get coffee.Lilian had to drive thirty minutes to Manhattan for a coffee treat.
But there was no other option.With her mother sick, she was manning the counter from open to close during the work week.In some ways, the bookshop was the best place to meet.After closing hours, the space was theirs to do whatever they liked.But it also wasn’t exactly the kind of bookstore one went to for Instagram-worthy photos.
The aptly named Ten Cents Books was a cramped space, entirely consumed by yellowed paperbacks.It smelled of paper, wet carpet, and faintly of the cigarettes the old owner used to religiously smoke.The stains on the walls had been there for decades.At one point, she and her mother had put up movie posters to try to make the place more appealing.Now, it only made it look like a cheap college apartment.
Her mother had long ago abandoned any sense of organization.At sixty years old, it had been easier to adopt the previous owner’s bookkeeping system, which was nonexistent.The shelves were arranged loosely by genre, and that was it.Mysteries.Dime store science fiction.Pulp true crime novels.Nearly every romance novel published in the last three decades.New books sat beside old ones.And when the shelves filled up, books simply migrated to the floor.
Two entire aisles were dedicated to yellow-paged paperbacks with bodice ripper covers.In high school, Lilian used to sit in between the shelves, reading one after another.She knew all the classics: Jude Dereaux, Johanna Lindsey, Julie Garwood.She read about medieval castles, damsels in distress, dukes and earls who were far too broody for their own good.Those books were her gateway to the larger world of romance.
Nestled against those shelves was where she discoveredThe Raven Kingseries.
Lilian watched Alex’s face closely as she stepped inside, searching for a reaction.Her friend’s eyes widened in quiet shock.After a moment, she said, “It’s like a wizard shop in here.”
“I… think you mean it looks like an episode ofHoarders.”
“No, no,” Alex said quickly.“I love it.I bet some of these would fetch a decent price on eBay.”
“Maybe.”Lilian shrugged.She’d already combed through the shop for anything of value and hauled it to the faire.The rest of the building felt like junk.And checking listings online took time she didn’t really have.“I’m trying to thin out the inventory.That’s part of why I opened the shop at the faire.”
Alex nodded and followed Lilian to the back.At one time, one might have had a clear path from the door to the checkout counter.Now, the desk was partially hidden behind piles of books.Lilian cleared as much as possible so they could get some work done, making enough room for a laptop and a Keurig machine for some much-needed caffeine.A small bowl of candy sat precariously on top of some mystery novels, offering sugary goodness while the coffee brewed.
Alex giddily grabbed a Snickers while her eyes continued to roam around the store.“I love used bookstores.They really are something special.”
“I love them, too,” Lilian said.“And I love this one.It’s just…” She trailed off, hoping Alex would finish the thought.
But the other woman tilted her head in quiet consideration, forcing her to say the words out loud.
