“Miss Grace isn’t your friend. She’s just the lady who reads, JoJo.” Bliss’s expression had changed from bored to angry.
“She’s nice. She lets me sit on her lap, and she lets me touch her hair like Mama did.” JoJo had tears in her eyes.
“She’s not Mama,” Bliss snapped. “When Mama comes back, she’ll be mad that you like Miss Grace so much.”
JoJo burst into tears.
“Whoa.” Tuck stepped in. “Bliss, that’s unnecessary and it’s unkind. What did we tell you about being mean to your sister? Come on, Jo.” He picked up the weeping little girl, and she wrapped her arms around his neck. As he carried her to the door, he said, “We’ll talk about this in the car. See you, Liddy.”
“Tuck!” Liddy called to him. He’d left JoJo’s book on the counter. She placed it on the floor next to her bag. If he didn’t come back for it, she’d take it home, and voilà, she had the perfect excuse to call him and suggest he stop over tomorrow, when she could grill him about his dinner with Johanna.
“Did you find everything?” Liddy asked the woman who handed her two books and her credit card.
“I did. Do you think you’ll be having any author signings here?” the woman asked.
“We’ve only recently opened,” Liddy explained, then launched into her plans, which would hopefully include author appearances in time. The customer took information relative to the book clubs and left the shop, and another took her place at the counter, books in hand.
The children’s story hour had brought so many customers into the shop Liddy had no time to brood over Johanna’s big move on Tuck until late in the day. Evelyn relieved her at the register, and Liddy went back to her office. The coffee Tuck had brought her earlier was now cold. She poured some into the mug sitting on her desk, then put it into the microwave to reheat it.
Still tasty, she thought when she removed it and took a sip a minute later.
She sat in her chair and exhaled. There were so few things for the really young in a small town like Wyndham Beach, and the Saturday morning readings were a huge hit. The store had been packed, and while the children were falling in love with whatever book Grace had chosen to read that day, the waiting parents and grandparents, aunts, uncles, and family friends were finding plenty to read for themselves.
“A stroke of genius, if I do say so myself,” she said aloud.
The store had been packed, and enthusiasm for Wyndham Beach Reads couldn’t be higher.
All in all, it was a good day. Except for Johanna’s plan to seduce Tuck. Would he fall into the snare Johanna was planning to bait with her “lascivious dishes”?
Would Liddy really want a man who was so weak he could be had for a gourmet meal? The image of Tuck in his jeans resurfaced, and she grudgingly admitted yes, yes, she would. And yes, she was that shallow.
She was spared further introspection by Grace knocking on the doorjamb.
“Liddy, have you heard from Gretchen or the appraiser?” Grace was still in her Mary Poppins garb.
“Only that the report should be ready sometime next week.” That much was true. No need to let Grace know that, as it turned out, she didn’t really own that property, or that she’d had to practically twist Jim’s arm to sign it over to her. It would only complicate the situation.
“Oh, okay. I was just wondering. If you don’t need me, I’d like to run home and then get to the library for a few hours.”
“So I take it you didn’t find the house on any maps?”
“No, I did find it. I found it on every map going back to nineteen hundred. I have a feeling it’ll show up on earlier maps, but I didn’t have time to pull those, because the library was closing.”
“It’ll be interesting to see how far back you have to go. But we’re good here. I’m sure our busiest time is over.” Liddy sat back in her chair and smiled. “The kiddies really do love your readings, Grace. And their parents seem to enjoy their time selecting books for themselves. We do a bang-up job on Saturdays, and I have you to thank.”
“Aw, thanks, Liddy.” Grace grinned. “I love doing it. The kids are so receptive and seem to enjoy themselves, so it’s good for all of us.”
“Tuck’s granddaughter, Bliss, seems to think JoJo is becoming too fond of you, and somehow she sees that as being disloyal to their mother.”
“You mean the mother who abandoned them? That mother?”
“Yes. And I share your disdain for the woman. But I only mentioned it to you because I think JoJo’s very vulnerable right now, and while I’m not a child psychologist . . .”
“She’s looking for a mother substitute. I get it. But she’s a sweet girl, and she’s hurting, and if it comforts her to sit on my lap and twirl my hair once a week while I read a story, I’m okay with that. It’s not like I’m around her all the time. I don’t think she’s getting too attached. I think it just makes her happy to snuggle with someone. I don’t know how snuggly the Shelby men are.”
“You’re probably right. You go on. We’re good here. I didn’t schedule you for tomorrow, so you have the rest of the weekend to haunt the online retailers for tile.”
“I guess my mom told you I’ve been window-shopping on my laptop. I don’t know exactly what I want, but it sure is fun looking.” Grace hoisted her bag higher on her shoulder. “So you’ll call me when you hear something from Gretchen?”
“Of course.”
“Okay. I’ll be patient.” Grace rolled her eyes. “Who am I kidding? I can’t wait!”
Liddy laughed. “You’ll be the first to know. I promise.”
“Thanks, Liddy. See you on Monday.” Grace was half out the door when she stopped and turned around. “Oh, you know that kid who comes in here every day? The boy with the backpack?”
Liddy nodded. “His name is Dylan. What about him?”
“He was at the library when I was there after I left here yesterday. Which I thought was funny, because he was here most of the afternoon.”
“He was?” Liddy tried to remember what time the boy left the shop yesterday. It was around six, she thought. “That’s odd. I figured when he left here, he went home for dinner.”
“Maybe he ate really fast and went back out. The library’s a good place to study.”
“He seemed to be doing that here,” Liddy said. “He always has his nose in a book.”
“Well, then, he must be an ace student. Good for him. And this time I’m really leaving.”
Liddy heard Grace’s retreating footsteps in the quiet of the shop. This time of day, there were few customers, and it was nice to sit in a quiet place and rest.
Rumbles from her stomach reminded her she’d skipped lunch. She was about to call in an order to the sandwich shop around the corner from the general store when she noticed the pizza box was still there from yesterday. There’d been three slices left, she recalled, and now she wondered if they were still good after not having been refrigerated overnight. She smiled, recalling how Jessie and Grace had used to enjoy cold leftover pizza for breakfast when they were kids. Cold pizza had never interested Liddy, but she did have the microwave there in the office, so why not?