“You need this,” Russ says. “It’s the perfect situation.”
“No, the perfect situation would be if I was still married, living in my house, and working.” Seriously, I don’t know how many times I have to explain this to him.
“Listen to me.” Russ sits on his couch, calm as can be, as though he’s not in the middle of throwing me out of his apartment and shipping me off to Vermont to stay with his friend, so much for family. “We both agree that you need a change…a big one. Things have been rough for you. I don’t think sitting around here wallowing is the right choice. You’ll be better off breaking your routine and using the time to get out of your head.”
“Do I really have to go hundreds of miles away to do that? It snows there.”
“Not in the summer.” Russ doesn’t sound as sure as I would like him to be. Honestly, I’m pretty sure it snows year-round that far north. I might not be a fan of the heat and humidity here in the middle of summer, but I’m not willing to trade it for bitter cold. “Besides, it’s temporary. You can spend a month or two there, figuring out your next steps. You said that time would be spent applying for jobs and interviewing. You can do that from anywhere. Why not from Sleighbell Springs?”
“First of all, the town is ridiculous.” Based on their website alone, it’s not for me. I barely want to celebrate Christmas when everything’s going right. I don’t need a constant reminder of joy and peace while I pick up the broken pieces of my life. “Second, I don’t even know Nix.” He’s Russ’s friend, not mine. Sure, I remember him. Nix lived next door to us through most of my childhood. He and Russ were attached at the hip so much that it felt like having two younger brothers. He was always over to hang out with Russ. I haven’t seen him in years. Once I moved away for college, I lost track of most people. It’s only thanks to social media that I have any idea what’s happening in people’s lives.
“This is a personal favor to me. He has a studio apartment you can stay in, right above his bookstore.”
Bookstore? The last I heard, Nix was going to law school. Apparently, I’m very behind. “You know I can’t afford that right now.” It pains me to say it. After years of working long hours and killing myself for a corporate job, I’ve been left with next to nothing.
“You don’t have to pay a cent. He’s giving it to you, no strings attached. It would be nice if you generally pitched in. He’s been renovating the place, so there might be some tasks you can take care of while you’re there.” Russ leans back and rubs his eyes. We’ve been at each other’s throats for the past few weeks. It’s not his fault. I’m in a terrible mood in general, made worse by the fact that I’m currently living in his den.
Free is my current monthly rent budget. I’ve got a bit in my checking account, which I was able to salvage in the divorce. It’s enough to make sure I don’t go hungry, but not enough to write checks every month to pay for housing. At some point, I should get a portion of the sale from the house I shared with my wife. The problem is that it’s hard to guess when that will hit my account. She’s been in theprocessof listing it for six weeks now.
“You really want me gone?” I ask.
“No, that’s not it at all.” For the first time during this conversation, Russ looks distressed. “Chase, I love you. And I love having you here, but I don’t think it’s good for you. To function well, I think you need some space. From everything. Your past life, your friends. Even me.” A tear slides down his cheek. Great. Now I’ve made my little brother cry. “I want you here. But more than that, I want you to be happy. I don’t think you can find that sleeping on my sofa.”
“And you think that it’s hiding in a town dedicated to Christmas?”
“No, I think a town that offers you the opposite of the life you used to live will give you an opportunity to figure out what you really want.”
“One month,” I say. “I’ll give it one month. That’s the best I can do.”
2
NIX
“You’re going to love this one,” I tell Carlyle as I put his new hardback into a bag. “I think it’s the best one yet.”
“That’s high praise coming from you, Nix.” The bouncer grabs the bag off the counter, and it lands against his body with a heavy thunk.
I try not to blush, but it doesn’t work. And maybe I’m a bit picky when it comes to my reading material. What other choice is there? There are thousands of books published every day. No matter how hard I try, I’ll never be able to read them all. Since I own a bookstore, I do my best to read widely so I can give my customers recommendations, but there’s only so much I can do.
Besides, life’s too short to read stories that don’t speak to my heart.
The newest installment inThe Great Meerkat Detectiveseries is gripping. I devoured the whole thing in under forty-eight hours. It would’ve been faster, but, sadly, I had to work.
Stupid adult responsibilities ruin everything.
“Make sure you report back,” I tell him. My opinion is only that. I need more data to refer people to new books. What do they like? What do they not like? What vibes are they looking for? These are all essential.
“I will. I’m not quick like you, though, so it might take a few weeks.”
I wave him off. “Whenever you get a chance.”
“Hey, where’s Nick? I didn’t see him today.” Carlyle looks around, bending over to look under a few of the tables.
That beast could be anywhere. “Probably found a quiet spot for a nap.” If it wasn’t cloudy today, he’d be in the little cat bed I keep in the front window, right next to the tree of books. The tree rotates with the season. This month, the books make up the colors of the Pride flag. I intended for that to be the main draw to get people into the shop, but customers prefer the oversized tuxedo cat. Sometimes folks wander in simply to see Nick, his cute antics luring unsuspecting tourists in off the street. If they end up buying a little something to remember the experience, even better.
“Give him some treats for me when he comes out.”
“Will do,” I lie. That cat gets plenty of treats. The last thing he needs is more. And that’s a direct quote from the vet. At last check, he was twenty-four pounds. Even for a Maine Coon, that’s a bit much. In the two years since I rescued him, he’s gone from scrawny street cat to spoiled store cat. “Have you started yourBINGOcard?” I hold up one of the game pieces on the counter. “You’ve got all summer to work through it.”
