“He stocks only two or three books at a time, so that doesn’t really qualify me as a major best-seller now, does it?”
Everyone ignores my statement. I guess I sound ungrateful and I don’t mean to. I’m neither an ungrateful nor an ingrateful person. I’m more embarrassed that my books are even available in the local market and that others think I’m a big deal. I’m proud of my success, but I’m also embarrassed when people refer to me as famous. I’m just Carly Jo Stewart.
“What do you think, Carly Jo and Sarah Jean? Do you think you both might be interested in buying and running the local bookstore together?” Pap asks.
I look over at my sister. This actually sounds pretty good, but can I be around my sister 24/7 without her driving me crazy? I love and miss her dearly, but I think I might need my space.
Gram fidgets with her napkin on her lap. “With Pap, your Mom, and me moving here full-time, we thought it’d be nice to have everyone together on the island.”
I look from Pap, to Gram, to Mom. “You guys are moving here? To live? Full-time?” Everyone smiles and I couldn’t be happier. Looking at my sister, I ask, “Did you know anything about this?”
“Hell, no. I’m just here for the dinner.” Sarah sits up a little straighter. “I think it’s wonderful that everyone’s moving here permanently, but I’m not sure my calling is to run and operate a bookstore. I’m more of a pub or craft beer kind of gal.”
This doesn’t surprise me.
Mom holds Sarah’s hand “We understand, Sarah. One day soon hopefully we’ll all be living on Seashell Island permanently.”
“What about you, Carly?” Pap says, smiling. “Are you feeling the pressure to move here with us?”
“I don’t know if it’s pressure as much as a great opportunity. This sounds almost perfect for me. When can we look at it?”
“Good, we have an appointment tomorrow with the local Realtor.”
Chapter Eight
Beau
After Leslie’s death, I wasn’t sure how long it would take for my and Myra’s lives to get back to normal. I know Myra never knew her mother, but I still feared there would be a sense of loss in her life. Deep down I always thought that a daughter needed a mother. A woman who knew things that a guy was clueless about. I’ve learned to braid hair and match Myra’s clothes, but I knew sooner or later Myra would need a mother to help her with feminine concerns like dating boys, wearing bras, shaving her legs, and other things. I did not want to be the one to explain tampons, pads, or pantyliners to her. I also feared I would forever feel responsible for Leslie’s addiction and death, even though I knew in my heart I had nothing to do with either, and I did everything in my power for her.
Carly helped me with putting things in perspective. Even though she didn’t know Leslie, she knew the things I chose to share with her about my ex-wife. I’m thankful that she gave me a second chance from not calling her with an explanation for missing our date. I spoke to Sarah one day, and Sarah told me how much I hurt her sister. I knew I hurt her, but I didn’t know how deeply. I don’t think there’s a man alive who realizes exactly what it means to a girl when he stands her up. It cuts deep into her soul and she asks why as if it’s her fault. Why can’t they just immediately blame the guy for being immature and foolish? I had no idea she could possibly think that she wasn’t good enough for me. That night, I made a promise to God and to myself to never hurt Carly unnecessarily again. Of course, some things can’t be helped and I can’t control those things.
***
It’s been about six weeks since Carly bought Mrs. Thomas’ bookstore. She also bought the bookstore completely furnished along with the name of the little shop. Mrs. Thomas also wanted to sell the quaint two-bedroom apartment furnished but Carly wasn’t having it. I overheard her say something to Sarah about it smelling like mothballs.
The first thing she did after the purchase was finalized was call the moving company to deliver the items she had stored in New York. It took working on the two-story building every day for six weeks to get everything move-in ready. Although she bought the bookstore fully furnished, she wanted it freshly painted inside and out, including the upstairs apartment; she also wanted new carpeting for the children’s sitting areas, and new flooring and light fixtures. Then she had Sarah and Chloe paint and distress all of the wooden furniture and tables. I didn’t know painted wood could look so good.
“Is it too much?” Carly asks, walking around the new and improved bookstore that is now complete with a coffee bar.
“No, not at all. This is just what the island needed,” I admit.
“The bookstore with flare,” Sarah teases. “I’m telling you, it’s not too late to rename this baby.”
“The grand opening’s tomorrow. I think it’s a little too late to rename it.” Carly blew out a puff of air. “Are you saying you don’t like the name The Little Bookstore?”
Sarah says, “I like it just fine. It reminds me of that movie with Meg Ryan and Tom Hanks where they were both bookstore owners.”
“The Shop Around the Corner,” Chloe says.
“I loved the movie,” Carly admits fondly. “And I loved the name of that little bookstore she owned.”
“That’s what this place reminds me of,” Sarah says earnestly. “Minus the coffee bar.”
“Thank you.” Carly hugs her sister.
“You always did have great taste and this just proves it.”
“It’s cute, isn’t it?”
“If only you sold craft beer, this place would be perfect.” Sarah looks outside the bay window as if in deep thought. “You know, that’s what the island’s missing.”
Another bar, I think to myself. In the Florida Keys, there’s nearly a church for every bar. Maybe the island needs another church?
“There’ll be no beer, wine, or any type of booze in this shop.” Carly looks around the space proudly.
I sit down and watch the excitement in the room. Gram, Pap, Carly’s mom Grace, Sarah, Chloe, my dad, and Myra are all here on the eve of her opening day. Carly looks over at me and smiles. She’s absolutely stunning.
Sarah sees me and walks over to where I am. She carefully watches me as she takes a seat across the table from me. Smiling she says, “Forgive me, Father, for I have sinned.”
I smile back, her smile is infectious. “I’m not Catholic, so I can’t be a Father and I know for certain you’re not my daughter, and this,” I say, waving my hand in the air, “is not a confessional.”
“That’s true. But I have sinned and I need to ask for your forgiveness.”
Still looking at her, I say, “You’re forgiven.”
“But you don’t know what I’ve done.”
This is true and I’m not sure I want to know. “Only God can forgive you.”
“I know, but I owe you an apology.”
“You do?” I’ve never known Sarah to do or say anything that would require an apology.
“Yes, and if I had known you and my sister would be dating, maybe I would have tried harder not to have impure thoughts about you the first time I saw you.”
She had impure thoughts about me? “You’re forgiven. Can we never talk about this again?”
“Fine by me.” She stands and quickly walks away.
Myra walks over to me. “Daddy, did you see all the books Miss Carly has?”
“I did. Did you find something that you liked?”
“I did. Can we buy them?”
I take my daughter’s hand and walk down the children’s book aisle with her. On the table is a nice display of ballerina books.
“Are these the books you want, Myra?” She nods her head as she sits down at the table and admires the display. For props, Carly also added a tutu and a pair of ballet slippers. It dawns on me for the first time that my daughter might like to be a tiny dancer. My intention was to look quickly then head back to the front of the shop with the others. But I think my daughter has other plans. “Do you want Daddy to read one of these books to you?”
“Read this one, it’s my favorite.” I’m a Ballerina by Sue Fliess and Joey Chou.
I have no idea how she knows this is her favorite book. Well, the little girl on the cover does look like my daughter. Myra and I sit on the floor while she sits on my lap during the story. I read a page and then kiss her on her head. I love her more than myself. When the book is over, I ask, “Do you want to take dance classes?”
“Will I be pretty like the little girl on the cover?”
I flip the book over and see the front cover. The little girl is wearing a tutu and dance slippers, and her hair is in a bun.
“You’ll be even more beautiful than her.”
“Thank you, Daddy. I love you.”
“You’re welcome. I will always love you the most.”
I look up and I see Carly wiping a tear from her cheek.
“I’m going to tell Grandpa I’m gonna be a ballerina.”
“Okay, I’ll be right there.”
“I’m going to be a real ballerina,” she says, running down the hallway past Carly.
“You’ll be beautiful,” Carly says.
Carly comes over and sits beside me on the floor. I wrap my arm around her and she cuddles into me.
“Do you happen to have an extra of every item in this display I could purchase from you?”
“She likes it that much?”
“She did and I also need to get her signed up for dance classes.”
“I think I can help with that, too.”
“You took dance as a child?”
“I did. I think I might still know some steps.”
“Did I tell you how remarkable you are?”
“Every single day you tell me.”
“It’s not nearly enough.”
Carly
I watch as Beau walks to the front of the shop before I pick up every item on the display table for Myra. Before I open tomorrow, I’ll find another display to set out.
“So, do you have everything you need for tomorrow?” Mom asks.
“I hope I do. I guess I won’t know until tomorrow.”
“Well, we’ll all be here if you need something.”
“I hope it goes well. I didn’t get nervous about it until just now.”
“Shorty, you’ll do great. Myra will give you more than enough business.”
I know how much Myra likes the bookstore. After all, she’s the one who chose most of the books for her age-group. But I also know she’ll never be a paying customer as long as I own it. I bag up the display items into a canvas bag with the shop’s logo on it for Beau to take home for Myra.
“I appreciate everyone’s faith in me. I couldn’t have done it without the support and love of everyone in this room.” There’s no way I could single out just one person when everyone was involved in this.
“Should we have an opening eve celebration dinner?” Pap asks.
Of course, everyone in the room agreed. “Lead the way and we’ll follow,” Sarah says.
Beau, Myra, and I are the last to leave. Beau stands at the door with me while I lock it. “I’ve never seen this place look so good.”
“Thank you. You’re not just saying that, are you?” I take Myra’s hand and follow everyone down the street to the nearest diner.
“I’m not allowed to lie, Carly.”
“Does God even frown on little white lies if it makes someone feel better?”
“A lie is a lie, but our God is very forgiving.” He takes Myra’s other hand as he holds the tote bag with the book display in his other hand. “But I speak the truth about the shop.”
“Thank you. I hope it’s charming enough to bring in the tourists and the locals.”
We walk past a group of women tourists who stop and peek inside the closed shop’s window.
“I don’t think you have anything to worry about.”
Since I met Beau, I’ve been working on my faith. I believe God is responsible for all the wonderful changes in my life. I’ve made changes and although I’m a work in progress, I’m getting to be the person that I’m proud of. I’m much happier living a wholesome life.
***
I wake up earlier than expected. The shop is located right on the main strip of the island. Shell Lane is where most of the shops and street vendors are located. The apartment has a small balcony that overlooks Shell Lane and the array of stores. Across the street are more stores and the great blue Atlantic Ocean is just past that. The view is spectacular and quiet this time of morning. Although the shop isn’t directly on the water, it is within viewing distance.
I have my coffee as I watch the night turn to day. The early morning fog is now gone and the day looks to be promising. It’s a perfect day to open the bookstore.
A small part of me wishes that Mrs. Thomas could see her old shop, and then a part of me is afraid she’d feel bad seeing the changes that I made. As soon as I closed on the building, she left the island to move in with her daughter, son-in-law, and grandchildren who live in Tennessee. I’m sure she’ll enjoy the different views of the mountain and spending more time with her family.
Beau sends me a good morning text.
Beau: Good morning, Beautiful.
With those words, my heart skips to a rock-n-roll beat.
Carly: Good morning to you.
Beau: Did you sleep well?
Carly: What’s sleep?
Beau: I’m sorry.
Carly: It’s all right. It feels good to be excited about something.
Beau: Do you have time for breakfast with Myra and me before you open at ten?
Carly: Honestly, I think I’m too nervous to eat.
Beau: I was afraid of that. Let me get myself and Myra ready, then I’ll bring you over some muffins and fresh fruit for later.
He is always so thoughtful.
Carly: Don’t make a special trip to the fruit stand. I have some yogurt and frozen fruit in the apartment I can make a smoothie with later.
He doesn’t acknowledge my last statement.
Beau: Myra and I will see you soon. Don’t open the shop without us there.
Carly: Don’t worry. I need someone to hold my hand.
I only half tease. I’m not so much nervous as I am afraid of failing.
Beau: I’ll hold your hand as long as you need me to. I’ll see you soon.
Carly: I’ll be here.
I shower and then do my hair and makeup before deciding to wear a summer floral dress and white sandals. I definitely want a relaxed island feel, but not too relaxed. I cringe at the thought of cut-offs and bare feet.
Nervously, I check everything in the shop to make sure it’s perfect. I add nearly the same dance display on the bare table that I had earlier. If Myra loved it and wanted everything on the table, maybe another little girl will also love it as much, forcing her mother to buy every book on display. I also bought some props to sell as well. Some ballerina slippers, tutus, baseballs, mitts, and wooden bats, and also some beachy items like sand buckets and shovels. It was so much fun shopping for the props that Sarah, Chloe, and I also bought some adult props just for women. Sunglasses, sun hats, straw beach bags and anything that says beachy and relaxing. I also added a nice display for the religious materials I’ll be selling. Bibles, inspirational and self-help books, some inspirational quotes on laminated cards, and several bookmarks with Bible verses. Sarah and Chloe also made up some poems we put on bookmarks and stationary. Beau helped me a lot in that area. I had some ideas, but he’s an avid reader of not just the Bible but inspirational and self-help books as well.
Beau and Myra arrive first. I greet them at the private entrance of my apartment. He looks so not the preacher that he is. I love the dressed-up preacher look he often wears, but casual sexy Beau in khaki shorts, tan flip flops, and a white linen shirt might possibly be my favorite. Myra is wearing a white shirt, white shorts with a purple tutu over her shorts. I immediately recognize it as the one I gave her last night from the display table.
He removes
his sunglasses before he kisses me sweetly and softly. “Are you nervous?”
“Who, me?” I ask nonchalantly. He raises a brow as if daring me to tell a lie. “Yes, I am.”
“We’re here for you,” he says before stepping aside so I can greet Myra.
I kiss and hug her next. “You look incredibly pretty today.”
“Thank you, do you like my skirt?” she asks as she twirls around.
“I love that skirt.” I think Beau was very smart to have her wear a pair of white shorts beneath it in addition to tights. But then again, I’m not surprised. I once saw her in a one-piece swimsuit where she was wearing a tee-shirt over it. Beau’s come a long way during the time we’ve dated and I’m grateful when he listens to me when I offer parenting suggestions. Not that I know what I’m doing, but I do know some things about girls that he doesn’t. The rest of it we’re figuring out together.
Myra hands me a card.
“Is this for me?”
“It is. Daddy said we should get you something nice.”
“This is very nice, thank you.”
“He also bought you flowers,” she says, walking further into the apartment. I watch as she disappears into the second bedroom I set up for her complete with a single bed, dresser, and table and chairs. I was hoping and expecting that some nights she may stay with me with or without her dad. I knew he would never share a bed with me, but he might consider sleeping on the couch during late nights of watching movies.
Looking up at Beau, I ask, “You bought me flowers?”
“We did. However, it was supposed to be a surprise. They’ll be delivered to you later today.”
“That was nice.”
“I also picked up some fresh fruit and muffins so you’ll have something to munch on later, as I already know you won’t be eating anything substantial.”
“Thank you, Beau. That’s very sweet of you.”
He hugs me again and holds me close to his heart. I silently thank God for bringing him into my life.
He says, “I wish I could do more.”
“Do more?” I ask, pulling away from him. “What do you mean? You do everything for me.”
“You deserve more than I can give you. So, I bought a measly card, flowers, and some fresh fruit. It hardly seems like enough.”
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