She smiled as she came across one of the books Janey had suggested. She’d read it a few years ago with the rest of the series. A Discovery of Witches was one of those books you weren’t quite sure where to shelve as a bookstore. Romance, time travel, paranormal, historical. The series covered several genres. Rarity flipped through the pages until she found Janey’s notes on how to set up the romance section. She’d done a lot of work there. She’d listed a ton of subgenres. Rarity wasn’t sure if she’d divide the section into all these different subsections, but maybe she’d combine a few. She turned to the last page and found a to-do list Janey must have left with the work notes by accident.
Rarity read it, smiling at parts like “do dishes” and “schedule Whiskey’s annual vet check.” We all had normal life seep into our must-dos. But then there was “dinner with Marcus” with two little hearts. And “show him the quarry.” Rarity started to put away the page, wondering if she should give it to Drew or not, when she realized she recognized another name on it. “Coffee with Caleb. Let him down easy.”
Had Caleb and Janey been dating? Cara had said Janey hadn’t wanted to do coffee with Caleb. Yet Rarity had seen the way he’d looked at Janey when he thought no one was looking. And he’d taken her death hard. She tucked the paper into her purse to give to Drew at the funeral. She was pretty sure he’d attend, if only to see who else showed up.
Rarity finished ordering the missing romance books and then ordered the books for next week’s book club. She didn’t want to over-order, but on the other hand, she didn’t want to make a kid wait a week for the book either. She checked the sign-up list and ordered twenty more than that. Fingers crossed, it would be enough but not too many. Maybe after running this for a few months, she’d figure out what they needed. Rarity pulled out Shirley’s list of upcoming books for the Mommy and Me class and ordered two weeks’ worth of those as well. Her book bill this month would be crazy, but hopefully the books would sell, and she’d have a great month.
Hope, guess, maybe. She used those words a lot. The only time she knew how many of a book she’d sell was when a customer came in and ordered it. She guessed a lot in her job. Even just replacing the books that had sold wasn’t a guarantee that the replacement book would sell anytime soon.
Working in marketing, she made up campaigns. She set up open houses and parties. Sometimes those were estimates of who would show up, but mostly, she produced a product. It worked or didn’t. She went on. The bookstore business was more fluid than that. If two tour buses hit town in the same week, she might have a great week. Or with same number of buses, she might not sell anything. It was all a crap shoot.
The bell rang over the doorway, and Shirley walked inside. She wore a black linen skirted suit. No hose and black flats. She had on a black hat with a small flat brim to finish the look. “Good morning. I didn’t know if you wanted a ride to the funeral.”
“I brought my car, but if you’re wanting company, I’d love to ride with you.” Rarity closed the laptop, put it into her tote, and stuffed it under the counter. “I’ll just need to be dropped off here when we get back.”
“That would be nice. The girls met up in Flagstaff earlier this morning and are doing some shopping. I didn’t want to go through the outlet mall looking for more clothes. I have too many in my closet now that I never wear.” Shirley glanced over at the fireplace and Killer’s empty bed. “I take it you left the pup at home?”
“Yeah, and I’ll pay for it tonight. I think I’m keeping the shop closed for the day and just going home after this.” Rarity turned off the lights to the back room. “I wanted to talk to you anyway about next Saturday’s book club. I didn’t know if you wanted to help out with the elementary group or even just take it. I hate to overload Caleb right now.”
“One Saturday a month?” Shirley asked as we moved outside. “I could do that. I really loved working with the group on Wednesday.”
Rarity locked the door. “You did a great job.”
As they moved toward Shirley’s black Yukon, she saw Sam pull up at her shop. She waved, but her friend didn’t see her as she unlocked the door and hurried inside. Rarity got into Shirley’s car. “I wonder if Sam’s going to the funeral.”
Shirley peered over the hood. “There’s a man in the passenger seat. Is that her brother?”
Rarity turned from watching the shop and stared into the car. It looked like Marcus. And if she wasn’t wrong, it looked like there were two large suitcases in the back. Was Marcus moving out of the hotel and in with Sam? Or was he running away from Sedona?
Rarity picked up her phone and called Sam.
She saw her stop at the register and glance at the display. She picked it up. “Hi, Rarity. Sorry, this isn’t a good time. Can I call you later?”
“Sure. I was just wondering if you were going to Flagstaff.”
“Why would I be going to Flagstaff?”
Rarity could hear the tension in her friend’s voice. “For Janey’s funeral. I know things are weird right now, with Marcus and all. But Shirley’s offered to drive.”
“Oh, that, no, I’m home. I’m not feeling well,” Sam lied as Rarity saw her taking money out of the till. “I’ll call you later.”
“Sam, don’t do anything stupid,” Rarity said, staring at her friend through the shop window, willing her to look over at Shirley’s SUV.
“I don’t know what you mean. Look, I’ve got to go.” Sam hung up the phone and tucked it into her back pocket. Then she tucked the cash into her jeans and grabbed the shop keys. She left the shop and got into her car, driving off without looking back and seeing Shirley’s car or the occupants.
“So she’s driving herself?” Shirley put her seat belt on. “Shall we go?”
Rarity put her phone on her lap. What should she do? If she called Drew, Sam would be mad, and maybe it wasn’t what it looked like, even though Sam lied to her. “You better know what you’re doing, Sam.”
“I’m sorry, do we follow her to the house?” Shirley turned toward Rarity.
Rarity shook her head. “Sorry, I was just talking to myself. Sam’s not feeling well. Let’s go to Flagstaff. We don’t want to be late.”
When they got to the church, they were able to park in the lot next door. Shirley glanced around when they got out of the car. “Maybe we’re early.”
“From what Janey said, she didn’t have much family. Maybe this is it.” Rarity pointed to a car she recognized. “Looks like Holly and Malia beat us here.”
“We should get lunch at that tearoom across town before we go back. I’m sure Holly and Malia would enjoy it.” Shirley chattered as they walked to the front door of the church. It had a small overhang in front, where a mortuary van was parked. “When George or I pass on to the heavenly gates, we’re having our service in Sedona at our church. It’s not huge, but it’s just enough for what’s left of our friends. Flagstaff’s churches are all so big. It’s like they’re a corporation, not a gathering for parishioners. The more people who attend, the more money they raise, and the bigger church they build. It’s a vicious cycle.”