Goodbye again wyndham be.., p.12
Goodbye Again (Wyndham Beach), page 12
“Oh . . . ,” she exclaimed. “Oh . . .”
“You might want to move out of the way before someone mows you down,” a voice behind her called. She turned to see Tuck leaning out the driver’s side window of his truck.
“Did you do this?” She gestured to the front of her shop. “All this?”
“Guilty as charged.” He eased to the curb and parked. “I got to thinking about how that long, low window box we talked about might look, and it kept nagging me.” He got out of the cab and walked toward her. “So I nailed a few boards together, slapped some paint on them, and brought the whole thing down here last night.”
“But the flowers . . . where . . . ?” She pointed but was still having a problem getting the words out. The front of her shop was glorious and looked so perfect she could barely believe it was hers.
“Oh, those. Well, you know Kathleen over at the nursery?” He joined her in the street, then took her elbow and guided her to the sidewalk. “I checked in with her on Saturday to see what flowers she had left. Since it’s the end of the season, I wasn’t sure she’d have anything, but as you can see, she had a bunch. When I told her what I was doing, she loaded me up with what she had. Said it was her grand opening gift to you. So if anyone asks you where the flowers came from, you be sure to direct them to Kathleen.”
“I will. And I’ll call her.” Liddy nodded, still stunned at the sight of all that unexpected glory gracing the front of her shop. For one long moment, she was tempted to throw her arms around Tuck’s neck, but good sense cautioned it wouldn’t be a good idea for her to be seen hugging the man right there in the middle of town, gossips being what and who they were.
“Oh, the hell with it,” she muttered.
If Tuck was surprised by having Liddy’s arms wrap around him and hug him so tightly, he gave no sign. He hugged her back, so she figured he must have welcomed the gesture. His body felt solid and strong, and he smelled faintly of pine and WD-40, which brought a smile to her face. Jim had always worn a musky-scented aftershave he insisted was “manly.” After he left her, the first time she caught a whiff of it on someone in the coffee shop, she’d almost thrown up. Pine and WD-40 were different but nice in their way, and infinitely better.
“Thank you, thank you, thank you. This just may be the nicest thing anyone has ever done for me.” Liddy was so happy she had to stop herself from dancing right there. “It’s all so beautiful. And look how gorgeous those flowers are with those tall urns on either side with the vines trailing down. Oh, the flowers are glorious, Tuck, and that sign! It’s gorgeous! Perfect. I don’t know how to thank you.”
His dark eyes—pirate’s eyes—stared into hers for what seemed to be a long time. “I could think of something.”
Heat flushed her cheeks—Was she actually blushing?—and she slowly disengaged herself from his embrace and laughed uncertainly. “What do you have in mind?”
“Well, I remember all those times I was at your house, working on the carriage house or the back deck, and sometimes I’d check in with you before I left for the day.” The corners of his mouth curved up just ever so much. “And sometimes I’d walk into your kitchen, and there you’d be cooking dinner, and wow, I’d be knocked out.”
Liddy blinked. The sight of her cooking dinner had knocked him out? What kind of chauvinistic comment was that? Or maybe she’d looked better back then than she remembered, and he’d liked the way she looked.
“I swear I never smelled anything better than your beef stew.”
“Beef stew?” It hadn’t been her curves or her smile or her charm that had dazzled him? Disappointment washed through her.
He nodded. “Yup. Fantasized about it for years. So if you really want to thank me for this . . .” He gestured at the flower box. “You could invite me for dinner and make beef stew.”
“Ah . . . well, sure. I could do that.” She tried to cover up the fact she felt let down. “Maybe Sunday? I’ll be here at the shop every night this week—first week, I need to be here, you know. But maybe Sunday I could get Grace to close for me.”
“Sunday would be perfect.”
“Great.” She nodded. “I’ll check with Gracie and let you know.”
“I’ll wait to hear from you.”
“Okay, then. I should go inside and get ready to open.”
“Wait. Stand over there next to the urn close to the door.” Tuck directed her to the spot, then took his phone from his pocket. “We need to commemorate your big day.” He took several pictures, then held out the phone for her to check the images. “Approve? Thumbs-up? Or down?”
“Definitely up for the first two—delete that third one, please. I look angry. Four is good. Five is perfect.”
“I’ll send them to your phone, and you can do what you want with them.”
“Tuck, thanks for everything this morning. For just a few minutes, I forgot to be on edge.”
“What do you have to be nervous about? Everyone in town has been talking about this for weeks.”
“They have?”
Tuck nodded. “Sure have. Liddy, you have a lot of friends in this town. You’ve lived here all your life. Everyone knows you. And everyone remembers how you’ve supported every other business in Wyndham Beach and wants to return that support. Besides, we’ve been four, five months without a bookstore, so everyone’s excited.”
“Thank you. God, I hope you’re right.” She opened the door, and they went inside.
“Of course I’m right. Now, didn’t I see a big ‘Grand Opening’ flag behind the counter?” Without waiting for her to answer, Tuck nudged her with his shoulder and said, “Let’s put it out here for everyone to see. You want all those parents who are dropping off their kids today to know you are open for business.”
The flag was flying over the newly painted red front door when the shop opened at ten, and by ten fifteen, there were more than a dozen shoppers. The carafes of coffee brought across the street from Ground Me were empty by noon, and the new-release table was almost sold out. For most of the morning and early afternoon, the checkout line stretched from the cash register in the front of the shop almost to the children’s section at the very back. Emma had stopped in to lend moral support but quickly volunteered to do the bagging as Liddy rang up purchases. The lunch hour brought in more local residents, and later in the afternoon, there’d been an influx of well-dressed shoppers who’d stopped in because they’d seen the foot traffic, and they’d stayed to pick up a book or two. Jessie’s framed posters drew a lot of interest, and Grace never failed to direct attention to the greeting cards, most of which were sold.
“How are you holding up?” Emma whispered to Liddy as she stuffed yet another bag with purchased books.
“Dead on my feet, thank you, but loving every minute of it.” Liddy grinned from ear to ear. “Tuck said everyone in town would show up today, but I never expected all this. I’m going to have to make calls tonight to reorder stock.”
“Uh-uh.” Grace sidled up to the counter. “I’m checking stock, and I’ll be emailing the distributors as soon as my mom gets here to relieve me as part of your sales force.”
Liddy looked up from the register. “I didn’t call Maggie.”
“I did. She’ll be here in fifteen minutes, and I’ll take care of the reorders. You just keep smiling and chatting up the customers, and I’ll take care of the floor.” Grace’s smile was almost as bright as Liddy’s.
Maggie was there in ten, and she took over for Emma, bagging books at the counter. Around five things settled down to a handful of shoppers, and Emma sent Liddy to the back of the shop to sit in one of the wingback chairs in the children’s section and rest for a few minutes. Grace ran the empty carafes back to Ground Me and returned with refills, anticipating an after-dinner crowd. She fixed a mug for Liddy and took it back to her.
“Hell of an opening, Lydia.” Grace plunked down into the other chair.
“Indeed.” Liddy smiled wearily. “If this kept up all week, I’ll be able to actually hire someone full-time. You might even get a raise.” She hastened to add, “Not that I expect this madness will continue, but just saying.”
“I think you’ll do really well. I put out those flyers we talked about, promoting all the things you’re going to do, and the today-only twenty percent discount didn’t hurt. The book clubs, the children’s story hour on Saturday.” She paused. “Though several people asked if we’d be doing the kids’ readings in the afternoons.”
“What did you tell them?” Liddy rested her head back against the chair and closed her eyes.
“I said we’d take it under advisement.”
“That’s up to you, if you want to do something extra like that. I’m too tired right now to make decisions on anything more complicated than when I will take my next sip of coffee.”
“One of the people inquiring was a teacher at the elementary school. She said it would make a great field trip for her class if they could come in for a special story hour once in a while.” Grace got up to offer her seat to her mother when Maggie joined them. “I said we’d think about it.”
“Are you sure you want to take on something else?” Liddy opened her eyes. It would be a win-win situation for her, but Grace would have to deal with the additional work involved with selecting the books for each grade level and making sure there was sufficient stock for those kids who might want to purchase their own copy of whichever book Grace chose.
“We’ll see.” Grace wandered over to the shelf where Jessie’s greeting cards were displayed. “We’re going to have to reorder the birthday cards. There are only two left. And I think we should pick a few more of the designs to print up. We have lots to choose from.”
“You do it.” Liddy sat up and drank some of the coffee Grace had prepared for her. It was already lukewarm but tasted delicious and served to remind her she hadn’t stopped for lunch. At least, she was pretty sure she hadn’t. “I’m putting you in charge of the cards. Birthdays, holidays, just-to-say-hi cards. All in your hands. Whatever you want.”
“Thanks. I’ll go through them tonight.”
Liddy heard the front door open, then close.
“Well, that was a short break.” She stood, stretched, finished the last of the coffee, and headed for the front of the shop. “Hi, come on in. Are you looking for anything in particular, or just checking us out?”
By closing time, Liddy was exhausted. Grateful for the shop’s smashing debut but more tired than she’d ever been.
At five minutes before nine, Tuck opened the door to let the last customer out, then came in.
“So how’d it go?” He came straight to the counter, where Liddy was leaning, hoping to hold herself up long enough to cash out for the night. “I drove by a few times and you looked busy.”
“Busy is an understatement. You were right.” She shifted her weight from one foot to the other. “I think I saw pretty much everyone I ever knew today.”
“Foot traffic only or paying customers?”
“Some of each, but I think most people bought something. Grace spent much of the evening reordering some of the new releases. The new thrillers and romances were gone by three this afternoon.”
“So all in all a good day?”
“All in all . . . a great day.” Liddy couldn’t help but smile in spite of her fatigue.
“I’m happy for you. You deserve this.” He reached across the counter and gave her hand a squeeze. “If you’re going to be here for a few more minutes, I want to run upstairs and check the work my guys did up there. Carlos said he finished the drywall this morning. I hope he didn’t disturb your customers. I told him to come and go through the back door.” He gestured toward the back of the shop.
“I didn’t even know he was here.” She frowned. That door had been locked. She’d checked it before she’d left on Sunday night. “How’d he get in?”
“He said it was unlocked.”
“Oh, Grace probably unlocked it. Maybe she stepped outside for some fresh air and a few moments’ peace at some point. It did get pretty wild in here for a while.”
“I won’t be long,” he told her as he walked through the aisle leading to the back of the shop. “And then I’ll drive you home. I don’t know if you’d make it on foot tonight.”
“No way would I make it all the way home to Jasper Street. Someone would find me sleeping on their front lawn in the morning.”
“I think that’s a given. You look like you’re ready to crash.” He disappeared around the corner, and she heard his boots thumping on the stairs as he headed up.
She was just finishing at the cash register when Tuck came down the steps at a fast clip.
“When I get my hands on those two. They know better than to ever leave anything on a job.” He held up one hand. “Potato chip bags, candy wrappers, an empty soda can. I’m going to have their heads in the morning. No one who works for me leaves their trash on a work site.”
“Oh, calm down. It’s no big deal. Besides, maybe it was Grace. She’s set up a makeshift office in that second-floor room.” She reached for the trash and he handed it over.
“Somehow Grace doesn’t strike me as the type to eat this crap. I could be wrong, though. I guess everyone has their weakness.” He stood next to the counter. “Need me to take anything for you?”
“Aw, like carry my books home from school?” she teased, and he laughed.
“Something like that.” He watched her drop the trash into a basket behind the counter.
“No, I’ve got it all. But I do appreciate the ride. I really am beat.”
They walked outside onto the dimly lit sidewalk, and she paused to lock the front door.
“Oh crap, I meant to lock the back door,” she said.
“I locked it with the dead bolt before I went upstairs.” Tuck steered her toward his truck, which was parked at the curb in front of the shop, and opened the door for her. Liddy climbed in and buckled her seat belt.
“Think you can stay awake till I get you home?” he asked.
“I’ll do my best.” She stretched her legs out in front of her and forced her eyes to stay open.
Within minutes, Tuck was pulling into her driveway. When he looked as though he was about to get out of the truck, she said, “Thanks, Tuck. I can make it from here.”
“You sure?”
Liddy paused. She’d have loved to invite Tuck in, put her arms around him and rest against his broad chest, be still, and share a moment of gratitude with him. But she simply lacked the physical strength to do more than tell him how much his thoughtfulness had warmed her heart. Whatever else she might say would have to wait for another time.
So she simply nodded and said, “See you later. And thanks again for everything. For all the work you did on the shop and the planting box and all the flowers and that wonderful sign. I can’t tell you how much I appreciate all you’ve done to make this day special for me. So many people commented on how beautiful the shop was. Even the out-of-towners mentioned how all the color drew their attention to the shop. So thank you.” She put a hand over her heart and added softly, “You’re my hero, Tuck.”
“Good to know. It’s been my pleasure to help you. You’ve thanked me enough. Now go inside and go to bed.” He put the truck in gear, and she slammed the passenger door. “Good night, Liddy.”
She followed the path to her front door, wishing she’d had the presence of mind to leave the front light on. She climbed the steps, her heart full and her hand searching in her bag for the house keys. Tuck backed out of the driveway, pausing long enough for her to unlock the door and wave goodbye. Too tired to even eat, she somehow managed to strip out of her clothes and fall facedown on her bed. She was sound asleep in less than twenty minutes.
Chapter Six
Totally content to be exactly where she was at the moment, Grace sat in a rocking chair on her mother’s front porch, her feet resting on the railing and her legs crossed at the ankles while she sipped the morning’s first cup of coffee. Oh, sure, she’d rather be sitting on her own porch, but that was in the works. She mentally added build front porch to her list of things to do once she got the go-ahead on her plans for Liddy’s little house. Cottage did sound cozier, but Grace liked the original name—the little house—and thought she’d keep it. Maybe have a plaque to proclaim it—in lowercase letters—somewhere on the property, like putting a name tag on the house. She couldn’t wait for her plans to become reality. She could barely contain her excitement about her forthcoming meeting with Tuck after work. Having her own place again would be the best thing ever. Having a place of her own without memories of her failed marriage would be even better than best.
Not that living in her mother’s home was terrible. It wasn’t, not at all. She and Maggie had gotten along famously—for the most part—since they’d moved to Wyndham Beach. Grace suspected they owed their current compatibility to Maggie’s being happy in her own life as much as to Grace’s relief at having distanced herself from the life she’d left behind in Philadelphia with all its conflict. That flat-out, all-around mess was in the rearview mirror along with her law career, but she was okay with that, too. For ten years, she’d practiced at the firm founded by her father, but when it had all crashed and burned, she’d left the city with her tail between her legs, convinced she’d never practice again. Over time, might she have regained the respect she’d once enjoyed as part of the Philly legal community and the face of Flynn Law? Would she come to regret having moved on, miss the challenges, the courtroom sparring with opposing attorneys, the thrill of banking yet another big win? Maybe. But for now, she was fine with things just the way they were. Occasionally she did wonder how things were going at the firm, and how some of her old friends were doing, but did she miss her old life? She could honestly say she did not.
Grace liked Wyndham Beach, liked the life she was building for herself, and she had no desire to look beyond that. She loved the creative challenge of building imaginative websites for her business clients, and she enjoyed working with Liddy in Wyndham Beach Reads. After the pressure of making opening day a smash, things had calmed down at the shop, and both she and Liddy were settling into their roles. Grace’s income had taken a nosedive, but she didn’t need much to live on in the casual beach town, where the only occasion she’d had to wear one of her designer suits was to the funeral of a friend of her mother’s a few months ago. These days, Grace lived in shorts or jeans and T-shirts. She found it liberating to not worry about her appearance the way she’d done in her previous life.
