Six weeks in, she’d learned a lot about her landlord. The older woman was wealthy, but The Bookish Attic was not where she made her money. The shop was a passion project.
As a young woman, she’d invested heavily in stocks, and over decades those stocks had appreciated. Coupled with a pension, she was a very rich woman living a comfortable life in her seventies.
“How was your day?” Shanice asked.
“Wonderful. Charlie had a good day, too. I took him with me when I went shopping at Merrick Park. I bought a couple of blouses at Ann Taylor. I’ll have to show them to you.”
“Definitely, I’d love to see them.”
“I also met one of my gal pals for an early dinner. How was your day?”
“Great.” Shanice picked two grapes from the bowl and popped them in her mouth. “We sold four of those coffee table books that are thirty-five dollars, but other than that, it was a normal day at the store.”
“I’m not just talking about the store, dear. I’m talking about you. The past few days you’ve seemed a bit off.”
“Oh.” Shanice averted her eyes and entered the walk-in pantry. “I have a lot on my mind, to be honest. But I’m fine.”
“Are you sure?”
“Yes.”
Shanice exited the pantry with a bag of sweet potato chips.
“Good, then I won’t feel guilty about leaving you again.”
“Where are you going now?” Shanice asked.
One of the benefits of living with Beatrice was that she and Charlie traveled often, which meant every week or two, Shanice had the house to herself for a few days.
“It’s a last-minute thing. You know Velma, my friend over at Shady Pines? Well, she and another friend were supposed to go on a cruise, but the friend backed out at the last minute. Can you believe that? I’m not surprised, though, since Velma admitted that her so-called friend had not yet paid for her part of the trip. I keep telling her she’s too kind to people and they’ll keep taking advantage of her. Anyway, she asked if I could take her friend’s place. Of course, I had nothing coming up or important to do, so I agreed. We leave day after tomorrow, on a cruise to South America. Charlie and I will be gone for two weeks.”
“Wow, that’s a long time.”
“It’s the longest I’ve been away since you moved in. Will you be all right?” She looked genuinely concerned, which warmed Shanice’s heart.
She touched Beatrice’s shoulder. “I’ll be fine. I’m just a little jealous. I want to be you when I grow up, able to drop everything and take a trip whenever I feel like it.” She sighed dramatically.
Beatrice laughed. “Follow my investment advice, and you’ll be able to, my dear.” She scooped up the bowl of grapes. “Have a good night.” Beatrice headed out of the kitchen.
“Good night,” Shanice called after her.
In the silence of the kitchen, she smiled. She was happy for Beatrice. She’d never married or had kids but was living her best life. Maybe that was something Shanice had to look forward to, though she wanted to start living her best life now.
She poured a glass of water, dropped in two ice cubes, and after tucking the bag of chips under her arm, turned out the light. Upstairs in her bedroom, her mind drifted to Vicente. He’d occupied way too much of her thoughts, but his visits to the store made him hard to forget.
She still remembered the first time he’d come in. He’d caught her eye then, even before he said a word. And when he spoke, her knees had practically knocked together.
There was something about him. He was different from any other man she’d met, and after talking to him in more detail tonight, she’d become even more curious. She would love to know more about his background, his likes and dislikes. They enjoyed the same reading material, and she wondered what else they had in common.
Shanice kicked off her shoes and dialed her mother’s number. When Miriam answered the phone, there was a lot of lively chatter in the background.
“Hey, honey. I didn’t think I would hear from you tonight.” She heard a smile in her mother’s voice.
“Apparently. Sounds like you’re having a party.” Shanice sat on the bed and pulled some chips from the bag.
Her mother laughed. “I have a few friends over. It’s supposed to be our book club meeting, but it turned into a party.”
“I guess that’s because you guys always have so much wine and food at these so-called book club meetings. I’m pretty sure they’re just a reason for you to party every month.” She crunched a sweet potato chip between her teeth.
There was a peal of laughter in the background, and her mother said to someone, “Wait! Don’t tell them yet. I want to hear the whole story from the beginning.”
Voices yelled back at her, but Shanice couldn’t understand what they said.
“Mom, you sound like you’re busy. I’ll call you another day.”
“I’m never too busy for you. Hold on.” After a few seconds, the noise in the background became distant, and then she heard a door close, and the chatter and laughter disappeared altogether.
“Are you okay?” Miriam asked.
“I’m fine. I shouldn’t have bothered you.”
“Honey, I told you you’re not bothering me. What’s going on? I know something is wrong because I can hear it in your voice.”
Now she felt silly. She wanted someone to talk to but was too embarrassed to tell her mother how lonely she felt. She couldn’t even go to see her because she didn’t want to risk getting her involved in what she had gotten herself tangled up in. Besides, her mother deserved to have fun, and the monthly meetings helped her get out of her funk since Shanice’s father died. Didn’t she deserve to be happy? Of course she did.
“Tell you what, go back to spending time with your friends. I’ll call you tomorrow when you’re free to talk.”
“I’m free now,” her mother insisted.
“No, you’re not, and really, neither am I. I just got in from work, and I’m tired, so I’m going to take a shower and go straight to bed, okay?”
“If you’re sure,” Miriam said slowly, her voice laced with doubt.
“I’m sure, Mom. Have fun, and tell auntie Joan I said hi.”
“She keeps asking me when you’re going to come see her,” her mother said.
“I can’t right now, but as soon as I can get away from the store, I promise, I’ll come for a visit.”
“Okay, sweetie. Love you.”
“Love you, too.”
Shanice went into the bathroom and took a quick shower. She hadn’t completely lied to her mother about being tired. Fatigue squeezed her shoulders, but it wasn’t only physical. It was a mental fatigue that came off and on, ever since she left Texas and moved here. For a little while she wanted to escape from the heaviness of the thoughts that plagued her.
She thought about Vicente again—his hands, and what they would feel like on her skin. What would it be like if she could let go and allow him to do whatever he wanted to her?
Shanice rubbed soap over her tightening nipples.
“What is wrong with you?” she whispered to herself, shaking her head. Was she so hard up for sex that she couldn’t stop thinking about that customer? Yes, apparently so. A man who very possibly had a girlfriend, they just didn’t have plans tonight.