Page 43 of The Spellreader and the Phoenix

Max groaned. “Oh, gods, what did you do?”

“You know how you’ve always wanted to visit Mr. Jones?”

Max stiffened, stunned. “Wait, are you saying…?”

Max had been trying to get a look at Mr. Jones’s collection for years, but the man was even more crotchety than Max was, and they seemed to do nothing but irritate one another.

Rory was beaming at him. “Yes! I called him when you got in that order for the Norwegian family spellbook, and at first, I was talking to his secretary, but then Mr. Jones had a question, and then we got to talking, and now he’s said that we can go and take a look at the collection, but it will need to be on a Saturday and Sunday. Is that okay?”

Was that okay?

“We can close the shop,” Max declared.

It was his shop. He could do whatever he wanted with it. Seeing Mr. Jones’s collection was the priority. He was rumored to have one of the most extensive private collections of spellbooks in the country.

“Well, I was thinking,” Rory said, looking at him carefully. “I know Alex can’t do more than eight hours on a weekend, but if they were comfortable with it, what if they covered the shift on Saturday? Only if they’re okay with it, of course. But it would give them the chance to practice opening and closing and show that you trust them.”

“Of course I trust them,” Max said, confused.

Rory smiled. “I know. It’s just nice to see concrete examples. Sunday is a quieter day anyway, so it matters less if we’re closed. But of course if they don’t think they’d like to do it or you’re not comfortable with it, we could close both days.”

Max said, “No, you’re right. It’s an excellent idea to ask Alex.”

And Max realized anew just how good an idea it was when he asked Alex, and they lit up visibly. Yeah, they definitely liked the idea of being trusted with that responsibility.

“Only if you’re sure you’re okay with it,” Max cautioned, just in case.

Alex still looked delighted. “Of course I’m sure. It’s one eight-hour shift. That’s a totally normal length. And I know a lot of the customers. I can handle anyone who might come along.”

Max considered this. “Okay, just remember that your safety is our top priority. If you run into any issues you can’t handle, the most important thing is that you stay safe. I can sort anything else out afterwards.”

Alex looked a little bit touched and mostly amused. “Are you trying to coach me through the incredibly unlikely event of the shop getting robbed? Are you expecting a mid-day Saturday burglary?”

Max grimaced. “It’s not super likely, sure, but you never know!”

Alex patted his arm. “Max, I’ll be fine. I have your number, and I have Rory’s number. I know how to call my mom or the police, and yes, I promise that I’ll run away if I have to—but I’m pretty sure it’s going to be a very ordinary day, and the most exciting thing that will happen is customers buying books.”

Alex was almost definitely right. Max reminded himself that they were only going a couple of hours away, and he was probably being ridiculous.

He hadn’t liked leaving Evie in charge of the store, either. But as he thought about it, he remembered that his parents had left him in charge sometimes. Not super often, but they’d trusted that he would be able to handle it as he’d grown older, and he’d managed just fine.

Max blew out a breath. He was being ridiculous, and he really didn’t want Alex to think he didn’t trust them. It was more like Max didn’t trust anyone else, but that wasn’t super helpful. There was no particular reason why this should be dangerous for Alex, and their youth shouldn’t make it a lot more dangerous. Maybe someone would see them and take advantage, but the customers were used to seeing Alex working without Max, since Max was often in the back, and their size was beneficial.

It was going to be fine. And if wasn’t fine, they could drive back.

“Do you want me to feed Nōwē while you’re away?” Alex asked.

Max hadn’t even thought of that yet, which probably meant that Nōwē was going to kill him, and he’d deserve it. He didn’t travel. Evie came to him. There’d never been a need to have someone take care of Nōwē. But they definitely couldn’t bring her with them, and while she’d actually survive until they were back on Sunday, she definitely wouldn’t be happy about it.

“You’re sure you wouldn’t mind? I can pay you,” Max told them.

Alex rolled their eyes. “It’s fine. I’m here anyway. I can even stop by on Sunday morning if you want, so she doesn’t think that you’re starving her to death.”

Since Max had just asked if they minded, he probably shouldn’t repeat the question. If Alex didn’t want to do it, they wouldn’t have offered, right?

Max eyed them. “You’re not just saying this because I’m your boss, are you?”

Alex’s eye roll was even bigger this time. “Of course not. When you’re my boss, I do my job. I’m offering to take care of Nōwē because she’s awesome—and I don’t want her to trip me and kill me when I’m not looking.”