She doesn’t open it yet but lets out a deep breath. “And I don’t think we discussed this, but when I get the chance and the ability to do so, I will pay you back the money that you gave me. Might take some time, but I will.”
“I’d say consider it a gift, but something tells me you’d never let that happen.”
“Nope,” she says and then pushes the door to the store open.
When we walk in, I’m immediately thrust into an old memory of a store I used to visit with my mother when I was young. It was located in the Cotswolds. Dark wood shelves line the perimeter, a matching rolling ladder is attached to the shelves, making it easier to pull chocolate down, and a beautiful quartz countertop shines under the bulb lighting.
There are rows and rows of shelves scattered throughout the space, clear canisters are haphazardly placed everywhere, and silver scoops are in a pile together off to the side.
Despite the disarray, I find the entire thing to be incredibly?—
“I know it’s not much, but we’re working on it.”
“Enchanting,” I say, finishing my thought.
“What?” she asks.
“The store. It’s enchanting.” I place my hands on the quartz counter, taking it all in. “Rupert, doesn’t it remind you of Constantine’s?”
He snaps his fingers at me. “That’s the name of the store I couldn’t think of. Constantine’s. Almost identical.”
“What’s Constantine’s?” Renley asks.
“A sweets store in the Cotswolds.” I move behind the bar. “It looked just like this with the ladder and the shelves, but the floor wasn’t wood, it was black and white squares, which almost made you feel dizzy when you were walking around.”
“And the shop owner gave out brown paper bags with twin handles, which you could fill with whatever you wanted,” Rupert adds. “I used to fill mine to the brim. Remember how if you could walk around with it filled to the brim and not have anything fall out, you’d receive a free giant lollipop?”
“That’s right,” I say, smiling. “I often received a free lollipop.”
“Same.” Rupert smiles with pride. “Shit, this place looks just like it.”
“It does.” I let my eyes wander. “I love it.”
“Oh…thank you,” Renley says with a shy smile. “I love it too.”
“It’s everything I’d want in a store like this. Please tell me you’re not changing much.”
“Umm, no, we don’t plan on it,” she says. “I want to preserve the store for what it is but give it a good cleanup. But I won’t be painting any shelves or ruining the integrity. More like polishing what is already here.”
“That’s brilliant,” I say, taking in the carvings on the shelves. “Someone with little integrity would whitewash the whole thing to go with the beach theme, losing the history within these walls.” I look at Renley. “They picked the right person for the job.”
And just like that, her cheeks pinken and her body language reads bashful.
Huh.
Is this the key to her heart?
Not that I’d take advantage of it, but the compliment seems to have taken the scowl off her face, and I don’t think I’ve been able to do that yet.
“Um, thank you,” she says just as Kitty strolls into the main space. Jesus, I didn’t even know she was back there.
She looks between us and says, “What are we doing? Just staring at each other? I don’t have all night. Let’s get to work.”
“Right.” Renley clears her throat. “I want to start on the floors first because they’re going to make the most mess when renovating. Which means I need help moving these shelves to the back so we can clear the floor space. Do you think you can help?”
“Of course,” I say, elbowing Rupert.
“Yes, of course, just tell us where you need us to put the shelves.”
