Brand new was probably an exaggeration.A wizard shop wouldn’t look new and neither did Ten Cents.But Lilian had taken down the movie posters and replaced them with some floral paintings she got at an antique shop.And the number of discarded book piles had dwindled significantly.
She put the small stack of business cards on top of the container with the inventory for the shop.Most of the day had been spent raiding the romance and fantasy section for new titles.After the success of Romance Weekend, she was in desperate need.
Her fingers lingered on the lid where she could see the cover of a paperback on full display.A woman in a ripped dress swooning into the arms of a pirate rogue, the perfect thing for the upcoming Pirate Weekend.She’d also thrown in some history books on pirates and the Tudors, to fit the theme of the faire.
Thoughtfully curating the shop’s inventory made her feel like arealbookseller.Last week had been good, and she didn’t want to lose that momentum.That meant having a place people wanted to visit.
Please, let things turn around.Please, please, please.
“You’ve really done a great job here, honey.”Her mother couldn’t stop looking at the space.She took a seat in her usual chair behind the counter, wrapped in a shawl and clinging to an old mystery novel.Today was a good day for her, and Lilian had been excited to show off all the new changes to the store.
Most of the upgrades received her mother’s approval.But the new iPad that served as their sales system kept getting suspicious looks.“I don't know if I'll ever understand this machine, though.”
Lilian laughed.“I know, Mom, but don’t worry, I’ll teach you.It’s really not hard.”
“Hmm.”She wrapped her blanket tighter around her shoulders, as if it were armor against the evil new machinery.“Do we really need it, though?We were doing just fine before.”
It wasn't the first time her mother had questioned their new approach of actually making money.Accounting for their sales and making sure there was a profit was not Beatrice Brody’s top concern.
But theyweren’tdoing fine before.Hawk could attest to that.
Beatrice looked at the shelves of Harlequins on full display.“The store is mostly romance and fantasy now.”
“Those genres sell better, Mom.When I was organizing everything, it sort of happened that way.”
“Don’t worry, hon, I’m not mad.”Her mother flashed a small but encouraging smile.“In fact, I’m very proud.You’ve really turned this place into your own while I was away.”
“I mean, it’s stillyours.”She’d never meant to take it away from her mother.It was a project, something she needed to care for and maybe improve on while her mother recovered.“I organized it a little.And aligned it with a business plan.”
“Business plan?”Her mother laughed as if it were a theoretical term rather than the first thing every business owner should have.“You think we need a business plan?”
Hawk would have a heart attack if he ever met her.
She barely kept the exasperation out of her voice, but it was difficult.After putting so many hours into the shop, getting things set right, it stung that her mother didn’t trust her on this.If her mother decided she didn’t like the way things were going, she could stop it all.And then what?
The thought threatened to open a whole new bag of problems that she didn’t have the energy for.“Mom, trust me on this.”
Her mother put the mystery novel to the side in favor of casually flipping through the paperwork she and Hawk had compiled, her face soft in awe.“This must have taken months.”
“Only a few weeks, and we’re still doing work on it.”
Really, Hawk was.She’d asked him when they went to Manhattan how it was going, and he’d said he still needed time.She wasn’t entirely sure if that was a good thing or a bad thing.But it meant he was still talking to her.Still stopping by the store to see the progress and pick up any stray files he might need.
“We?You mean you and that handsome young man?”Beatrice gave her a sidelong look that wasn’t sly.
Since Hawk had delivered soup to her house, her parents had been hounding her for information.She’d admitted he was a friend who was helping her with the shop.Immediately, her father assumed Hawk was some hired help, but her mother had loftier imaginings.
“Yeah,” she said, before realizing she’d agreed that Hawk was handsome.
No.Don’t go down that road.
It wasn’t that he wasugly.But he didn’t have the same traditionally good looks someone like David was gifted with.Hawk had a strong Roman nose, but it fit his face well.His ears stuck out a little, but when Lilian conjured his face up in her mind, she could only think of them as cute.
The thought of him brought up a mix of emotions.There was something between them.It didn’t have a name yet.It was still on the verge of taking form.Before, she might have called it loathing, but that wasn’t the case anymore.
Then she’d sent the text about the ball, and he didn’t respond.
It was a stupid question.Why had she even asked?In all the years she’d attended, she’d never once seen Hawk at the ball.It wasn’t his scene, and she knew that.
