By My Side

by Grant C. Holland

  The glasses clinked and everyone drank to the new couple. Thomas said, “You two deserve it, and it’s about time.”

  Derek raised his glass again, and he said, “I want to raise a toast to our hosts Thomas and Hadley. May they have decades of joy to come, too.”

  Hadley smiled as he looked around at all the faces. Thomas reached out and wrapped his free arm around Hadley’s waist while they all reached in to clink glasses and then downed more of the wine.

  Then Yale said, “And we have one more Purple Pack member who needs to find a mate.” The gazes all fell on Aaron.

  He said, “Hey! I’m working on it.”

  Thomas asked, “Are there any new leads? Anyone special just around the corner?”

  Aaron said, “Well, I guess this is as good a time as any. I have a little bit of a story to tell, and then I have a question to ask.”

  Derek said, “You’re a good storyteller, Aaron. Go right ahead.”

  “I’m not half as good as you, Mr. Published Author, but I’ll do my best.”

  Yale laughed and took a sip of his wine while he leaned his head against Derek’s shoulder.

  Aaron said, “Well, some of you know about Christy who lives in my building with her little girl Sylvia.”

  “How is she doing?” asked Derek.

  “She’s doing fine at the moment, but there is a weird coincidence connected with Christy.”

  The eyes opened wider as they prepared for a twist in the story. Emma whispered, “This sounds good.”

  Aaron said, “Well, I’ve been using this online dating site to find guys to date. It’s really been hit and miss, but then one night I found a guy that looked a little familiar for some reason. I wracked my brain to try and figure out if it was somebody from high school here in the Cove. I even paged through my Facebook friends from high school, and I came up with nothing.”

  Thomas said, “I hope it’s not a relative. You know what they say about kissin’ cousins.” They all laughed and nodded.

  Aaron sighed. He said, “No, it’s not a relative. At least it’s not one of my relatives. As it turns out, it’s Christy’s brother. The next day after I saw this guy’s profile, his name is Jamie, she invited me over to have ice cream with her and Sylvia, and there was a framed picture of Jamie in the living room. I asked Christy what her brother’s name was, but I didn’t tell her anything about the online dating site. I don’t think he’s out.”

  Emma said, “That really is a wild coincidence.” Then she reminded him, “You said that you had a question.”

  Aaron nodded. He said, “My question is, would it be a weird thing to ask him out without saying anything to Christy? I wouldn’t want to out him, but I don’t like keeping secrets either.”

  All of the friends looked at each other and considered their responses. It was a tricky situation, and no one had a simple and easy solution.

  18

  Yale

  Yale took a long look at his bank account on the computer. For the first time in more than a year, he not only had a positive balance in his checking account, but he also had some money in savings. Even though he dropped his part-time work at the lumber yard after taking over management of the bookstore and reduced his hours at Jess’ diner so that he was working fewer hours a week in general, he was still coming out ahead. He didn’t have to worry any more about rent and utilities, so he was socking away a couple hundred dollars a month into his savings account.

  He didn’t expect it to happen, but it felt good to know that, if the bookstore ended up closing down like the factory in his past, this time around Yale had some savings in the bank to rely on for a few months. He also had a growing relationship with a successful writer that might just become permanent.

  Yale was still enjoying doing odd jobs around town. It gave him an opportunity to get to know people. They were also pleased to have small tasks taken care of without having to pay a massive bill. Most of his clients were senior citizens who could no longer climb on ladders, got fatigued easily, or their grip had become too weak to have enough torque to work with hand tools properly.

  Doc Benton asked him to paint the inside of their mud room. Yale was just finishing up the job when he realized he was going to have a lot of the paint left over. He even had a gallon that he wasn’t going to need to open. He asked Doc Benton if he could have the extra. He said, “I’ll even pay for it Doc Benton. I’m sorry that I miscalculated and bought too much.”

  Doc Benton said, “Don’t worry about it, Yale. You can have it for free. You’ve done so many little jobs here for me and the Mrs., and you always do a great job. Do you mind if I ask what you want the paint for?’

  Yale said, “I’m going to take it down to the bookstore. I have a little project there that I think it will be perfect for. I’m going to paint the kids’ corner. Then I can put up some bright colored letters or posters or something like that. The paint and decorations will make it an even better space for the customers.”

  “You’re really doing a lot to spruce that place up, aren’t you?” asked Doc Benton.

  Yale nodded and said, “I’m doing my best. It really is a great place downtown. It just needed some TLC is all. Derek’s Uncle Don was getting a little behind the times, and Derek just didn’t have the time available to devote to the bookstore. It’s my primary job now, so I can concentrate on it. You should really bring Mrs. Benton downtown sometime and stop in. I would bet that I could find a book that would interest her.”

  “Do you carry thrillers?” asked Doc Benton.

  “They are among our most popular books. I’ll make you a deal Doc Benton.”

  “A deal?”

  Yale said, “If you come downtown and you buy a thriller novel, then I’ll add a book by an upcoming author who writes thrillers. We’ll give it to you on the house just for checking it out. He’s a local guy, and I think you will be interested in reading his books.”

  Doc Benton said, “You’ve got me intrigued. Now, I think we just might need to come downtown. I’m sure Ellen could find something interesting. She still reads maybe three romance novels a week. She’s been ordering them online, but it would be great if she bought some of them locally. I suggested that she might want to read e-books, but she insists that nothing can match the experience of reading a book made of paper.”

  “I can fix her up with some good romances,” said Yale. “Romance books are some of the most popular down at the store.”

  Doc Benton said, “Look for us down there sometime in the next week, Yale. I’m looking forward to it. Downtown Catlett’s Cove needs forward-thinking young men like you to help keep it thriving.

  * * *

  Back at the bookstore, Yale hauled the paint out of the truck and carried it inside to store it in the janitor’s closet. He stacked it in the back corner, and then he smiled at the various odds and ends he was collecting for projects in the store. He had some spare lumber in case he decided to build new display areas. The shelves in the closet held some small cans of wood stain that he saved from another odd job. He also had strings of lights and a couple of old lamps that he thought might come in handy someday.

  Yale was also compiling a list of items that he titled “Ideas To Save Undercover.” He was starting to think the title was a little dramatic. The bookstore no longer felt like it was just on the edge of going under. Instead, he wondered if he should retitle the list “Ideas To Make Undercover Even Better.”

  He scanned through the items listed. One of the items he liked best would also be the most expensive to implement. Yale noticed that the few large bookstores that were surviving all had cafes inside them. They served everything from coffee to sandwiches for lunch. There was always a small group of customers enjoying the food and drink. Many of them even had books open and were reading while they ate.

  Yale thought there was enough space in the front corner of the store opposite the front counter. He even talked to Jess to get her opinions on a cafe in the bookstore. She thought it was a go
od idea, but she wasn’t sure how quickly a downtown store could recoup the cost. She also mentioned the range of inspections required depending on exactly what they served. She said it could be a hassle, but it just might pay off in the publicity it would bring to the bookstore.

  In the end, Jess said, “If you do move forward with the plan, consider my pies as an option to sell. I can always use more publicity out around town. The tourists who make their way to downtown in Catlett’s Cove are sometimes different from the ones out here by the docks. It would be great to encourage more of them to explore both areas..”

  Yale also wanted to expand and spruce up two particular spaces in the store. He wanted to make the children’s corner even more appealing to both kids and parents. He thought it might be a good idea to add some puzzles and some low seating, either chairs or cushions so the kids would feel at home. When Yale first started working in the store, most of the books in the section were old literature. They were thick volumes of classics you might find at your grandmother’s house. Many of the books appealed only to the most bookish of kids.

  Now, the section was livelier with the most recent picture books and paperback series that kids wanted to carry around and share with each other. Yale planned to repaint the walls with the paint he salvaged from Doc Benton’s mud room project. Once the walls were freshly painted, Yale planned to hang brightly colored artwork or use letters to spell out slogans at different times of the year.

  The other section that he wanted to expand was the romance section to appeal more to women. The books contained in the area when Yale first started working were fine, and they were the most popular books in the store. Now, he just wanted to make it larger. He also wanted to add a small rack of romance books, like Derek’s, featuring stories about two men or two women in love.

  As he thought about Derek’s books, Yale scribbled down another idea. He thought that Undercover needed to pay more attention to local authors. He learned from Derek that a number of authors lived within a 150-mile radius of Catlett’s Cove. Yale was sure that most residents didn’t know about them. He wanted a new rack near the door to display the work of those authors and Derek’s Houston Brant series, too.

  Yale also had more mundane, less sexy ideas, that needed attention, too. The building housing Undercover was still heated by radiators. Derek said that they made horrible clunking noises in the winter. Uncle Don always thought it was part of the building’s charm, but Yale thought it was not useful if the store wanted to move into the 21st century. He made notes to contact local contractors and find out exactly what the cost would be to upgrade to central heating and air conditioning for the building.

  As he read through to the end of the list, Yale knew that there was only one thing left to do before putting the ideas into action. He needed to discuss them with Derek and get him to sign off on the simplest and most inexpensive ideas. He knew that cost would be a factor on some of the others, and they might be a very hard sell, but Yale was doing his homework and putting his ideas together in ways that would be easy to explain to Derek. He tucked the list back into a drawer at the front counter and smiled. Being a business manager was both a challenge and a lot of fun.

  19

  Derek

  Derek was enjoying the days off from writing while he was in between projects. He wanted to make sure that he was still in touch with Yale about the bookstore, but Yale encouraged him to spend time away from both the computer and the bookstore. Yale said, “We’ve got the evenings and nights together. You need the change of scenery. Go outside and get some fresh air. I’ll be there welcoming you home.”

  They were spending four nights a week together at Derek’s house and three nights a week downtown in Yale’s apartment. At least twice a week, at Yale’s suggestion, they cooked dinner together. Derek was teaching Yale how to cook, and Yale proved to be a quick learner. Soon, they were having gourmet meals and relishing the fact that the food they shared together was better than almost all of what could be obtained in a restaurant in Catlett’s Cove.

  Derek spent a full day roaming around the Cove’s docks and then hiking in the park on the far end of the Cove. Derek felt tremendously refreshed. He took notes on his cell phone as ideas for future writing came to mind. He also took photos that he could share with Yale later in the evening.

  Parking just outside, Derek appeared at the bookstore just ten minutes before closing. Yale was at the front counter receiving money for a sale to a new customer. He was handing a bag across the counter to a woman who looked to be in her mid-30s when Derek stepped behind the counter.

  Yale said to the woman, “This is Derek Bradshaw. He’s the owner of the store.”

  She smiled and said, “Hello.”

  Yale completed the introduction by saying, “And this is Amy Dillow. She has just recently moved to town. She was hired by the town to consult on tourism matters. I’ve been talking her ear off about how the bookstore can be a part of downtown promotions.”

  Amy smiled again at Derek and said, “You have a wonderfully sociable manager here. He has shared so much about Catlett’s Cove, and he is a great face for your business.”

  Yale beamed at the compliments. Derek offered his hand to shake, and he said, “Yale really is a gem. I don’t know what I would do without him.”

  Amy said, “I’m very pleased to meet you. Unfortunately, I have to get back to my own office, and it looks like you are getting ready to close. I do hope to meet you again sometime in the near future.”

  She turned and walked out the front door with the bell jingling behind her. Derek turned to Yale and asked, “Was she flirting with me?”

  Yale laughed and said, “I don’t know for sure, but I do know that she was flirting with me before you got here.”

  Derek shrugged and said, “Poor thing. I bet she doesn’t realize how hopeless those efforts would be.”

  Yale said, “But she is really smart, and I think she is a great person for us to know. She is being put in charge of tourism campaigns, and she said that the bookstore, if it grows and we spruce it up even more, would definitely get a mention in their campaigns.” Then Yale pulled open a drawer and handed Derek the letter he found a few days back. He said, “By the way, this is for you.”

  Derek looked at the return address, and he instantly knew that the letter was from his Uncle Don. He whispered to Yale, “It’s from Uncle Don. He left it there because he knew I would find it eventually.”

  Yale said, “Let me go lock the door while you read it.”

  Derek pulled the letter from the envelope. It was written on two sheets of paper in Uncle Don’s perfect penmanship. It began with the words, “I know that I made the right decision to leave the bookstore to you, Derek.”

  As Derek read through the lines, he was nearly moved to tears. Uncle Don repeated many of the encouraging things that he always said when he was alive. He complimented Derek on his writing skill and suggested that he always pursue the life that he wanted to live, regardless of anyone else’s opinion.

  Uncle Don explained that he left the bookstore to Derek because he knew that, whatever was decided, Derek would make all of the right decisions. He said that he understood that decision might be one to close the store. He again encouraged Derek to follow his gut, and Uncle Don had full confidence that the decision would be the perfect one to honor his own personal legacy.

  Yale leaned over his shoulder and asked, “What does it say?”

  Derek quickly folded the letter up again. He said, “Some of it’s a little bit personal. I hope you understand that. He also talks about the bookstore. I’ll have some decisions to make.

  Yale said, “Well, before you make those decisions, I would like to talk with you about a list that I’ve been making. They are ideas of how to make the store even better and carry it into the 21st century.”

  Derek knew the right response to Yale. He said, “Let’s take a look at it then. Let’s go upstairs to the apartment first. I could use a cup of coffee.”


  They settled on to the couch together with cups of coffee in hand. Before he pulled up the list on the laptop, Yale leaned in close and shared a quick kiss.

  Yale talked about the expense involved with some of the plans, and he also talked about how his stockpiling of supplies from other odd jobs would ultimately save the bookstore money. It was nearly half an hour later by the time Yale made it all the way through his list and his reasons for wanting to do each project.

  Derek listened to the ideas, but he wasn’t quite ready to commit on any of them, because the letter from Uncle Don made him question whether he should keep the bookstore over the long term. He wasn’t ready to raise that question with Yale, because he could see how committed Yale was to making it a success.

  20

  Yale

  A week passed by and Derek still hadn’t made any decisions about upgrades to the bookstore. Each morning when he arrived at Undercover, Yale checked over the list and contemplated ways that he could move things forward slightly on his own either through making plans more specific or finding raw materials for free.

  Yale was impatient to make the changes. He was tired of hearing comments from parents that said, “It’s a little bit dark over in that corner with the kids’ books.” Others said, “I’m not worried about it because it’s up high, but there’s paint peeling over in the kids’ corner. You really should get somebody to patch that up.”

  He wanted to prod Derek more about some of the items, but everything else was going so well for once that he didn’t want to make waves. Derek was looking the most relaxed that Yale had seen him for months. He woke up in the morning chatting about Summers Lake and the coffee shop downtown instead of complaining about how much work needed to be done. Derek was even suggesting that they start going to the gym together.