“Well, she’s a little too good at it,” Leah said, before scarfing down a buttery breakfast roll.
Lucy Hart strolled in at eleven, her expression set in its usual serious fashion. Leah still was not sure what to make of the girl. So far she’d shown up on time and seemed game for whatever strange job she was handed. She trimmed the front hedges under the hot sun without complaint, mopped floors, and hauled furniture. She was also living up to her last name. When they caught mice in the catch-and-release traps Leah had insisted on, Lucy named each one and spoke to it gently before releasing it outside. When they shelved incoming stock, Leah noticed she handled each book like it was a delicate piece of art. But thanks to the occasional scratching and rattling noises heard overhead, Lucy balked at going upstairs.
“You sure this old house isn’t haunted?”
Brad had done the sign of the cross and looked up at the ceiling. “Racoons in the attic,” he whispered, though it was not clear if that was reassurance or a prayer.
But there was something about Lucy that Leah could not put her finger on. An air of sadness that seemed to follow her fromroom to room. When Leah asked about her family, Lucy had paled. “I have a sister,” she’d said, “but she’s away.” It was clear she did not want to say more.
Now, as Lucy finished touches on the children’s area, Leah joined her. “The kids are going to love this, Lucy. Thank you.” It was true. There were tiny chairs around a white table with a play tea set, a stack of picture books in the middle. Lucy had arranged two stuffed frogs on the classics shelf, right next to theFrog and ToadandWind in the Willowsseries.
Ten minutes before the doors opened, Brad ran the vacuum one last time. The bakery delivered the pastries and Leah arranged a neat platter by the coffee. The three of them looked around the room and then at each other. “Five minutes,” Leah said, glancing nervously toward the door. “I think I may pass out.”
“Please don’t,” Brad said.
“Whatever happens today,” Leah said, trying to sound like the calm leader they all needed, “just remember two things: smile. And offer to help customers find what they need. We want everyone to feel welcome.
“Okay, stack of hands.” Leah motioned them to huddle and stuck her hand in the middle. Brad and Lucy stared at her, expressions blank. “Haven’t you guys been on a sports team?”
Brad adjusted his bow tie, which Leah was touched to see he’d worn to work that day. “The debate team.”
“Lucy?”
She shook her head. “Dance class.”
“I have a better idea.” Brad disappeared in the back and returned with three champagne flutes.
“Where did these come from?” Leah asked.
“Borrowed from my grandmother.” He set them carefully on the cash register counter, along with a bottle of sparkling cider. “I could use the real stuff, but it’s a workday, so…”
Brad uncorked the bottle with a festivepopand passed the glasses around. “To Leah, our intrepid bookseller,” he said, raising his glass.
“To the Sandy Page,” Lucy added, smiling brightly for the first time since she’d been hired.
When she tugged the doors open at noon, Leah walked outside. There wasn’t a single soul waiting. Across the way, cars were pulling into Lighthouse Beach parking lot but as they emptied the passengers made off in the opposite direction, toward the view finders. On the front sidewalk a woman with a stroller and two kids pushed by, without even glancing up. A cyclist raced past on the street.
Brad appeared at Leah’s elbow. “Oh dear.”
“It’s okay,” she said, feeling anything but okay. “We advertised. We have signs in the window. People will come.”
But for the first eternal hour no one did. Finally, someone appeared in the doorway. All three of them leapt to attention. “Welcome to the Sandy Page!” Leah said, rushing to greet him.
The man looked around. “Do you have a restroom?”
By one o’clock, only two potential customers had shown up. Both browsed the shop and exclaimed how lovely it was, but neither bought a single book. Leah deflated.
“It’s only the first day,” Brad said.
Both he and Lucy seemed eager to find something to do, butLeah couldn’t think of a thing. Pacing the old creaky floorboards was driving her crazy. “I’ll be right back,” she said.
Outside the weather was as perfect as the sunrise that morning had promised. For the life of her, Leah couldn’t understand why no one was showing up. After the local newspaper write-up and the online marketing they’d done, she’d expected a line at the door. At least a handful of people on the sidewalk.
Feeling low, she crossed the street to the Lighthouse Beach parking lot. There were certainly plenty of people here, enjoying the view and taking photos. Some were making their way down the long staircase to the sandy stretch of beach. Leah was tempted to approach them, to point out the store, invite them to come check it out—but it felt like a desperate move and she was too embarrassed.
Instead she joined the view seekers, like any other tourist. Looking out over Chatham Bay, Leah wondered if she’d made a terrible mistake. Coming home was one thing. Dumping all her savings into a historic old house she didn’t own and trying to start up a small business was another. Maybe she’d been too distraught from the loss of her publishing job and the breakup of her engagement to think clearly. Maybe she’d lost her mind. Her father would be calling that night asking how it went. James would be, too.
For the first time in days, Leah checked her phone for missed calls. She knew what she was looking for, even if she was ashamed to admit it. To help her move on, Leah had blocked Greg’s calls. Prior to that, they’d talked a few times: he called about a coat he’d found in the closet that he would ship. Then he’d texted askingfor her forwarding address. Just the other morning, Google had about done her in when a series of photo memories popped up on her phone. They were of a trip the two had taken to Hawaii. One in particular, of them sipping piña coladas on the beach, had gotten to her. It was the same beach they’d talked about returning to for their honeymoon. It sent her spiraling back to what could have been and wondering if he was seeingRebekah.
