The Bookstore

Chapter Four

        One foot in front of the other. One by one. I stared down at my feet as I walked slowly along the sidewalk. I was about 20 minutes behind the time I usually arrived at Bailey's Books, but I felt a faint dread in going to my own safe place. Hot anger boiled in the pit of my stomach. How could Chris take away the one thing that I had all to myself?
        Was this my karma getting me back for not spending much time with my family? Why punish me of all people? The store came into view as I looked up and stared it down across the parking lot. My hesitant feet continued on while my mind wandered elsewhere. Could karma get me back later? Sometime after high school would be nice.
        "I knew I recognized you from somewhere," Chris exclaimed when I trudged through the door. "A pretty face like yours is hard to forget."
        "Ew," I muttered, continuing to the back of the store without a glance in his direction. SMACK. My head jerked up to look in the direction of the smack.
        "Ow!" Chris cried from the register.
        "Don't flirt with the customers," Dave growled in a teasing tone. A faint smirk appeared on my face. Chris scowled and rubbed the back of his head. What a cry baby.
        I sunk down into the love seat. I plucked my book up from its spot and flipped it open to the page I left off on. My eyes burned into the page for a few minutes. A grunt of frustration escaped. I couldn't focus.
        "Are you planning on paying for that book miss?" Chris asked lightly, leaning up against a bookshelf. I closed my book, then stood up.
        "Look, I know you don't know who I am and you think it'd be funny to mess around with me since you're working here now, but let me tell you right now don't even think about it. Don't look my way in school. Don't talk to me. I want no one to know you have even seen me before. So leave me alone or I'll tell the whole school that you're working in some geeky little bookstore because you're mom cut you off. Got it?" I fumed. I stepped back a bit when I was faced with a look of genuine hurt.
        "I didn't realize you talked so much. Just so you know, I do know who you are. We have chemistry together! I wasn't planning on talking to you in public anyways," he shot back. With that Chris spun around and stomped back to the register. Dave stood next to the counter, staring at us both with his lips pursed. Shame brought a hot rush to my cheeks, or was that anger? Or maybe humiliation. I couldn't tell with all of the emotions mixing together.
        I sat down on the loveseat quietly and picked my book back up. Still having trouble focusing, I settled with staring at the pages for a while.
        Boredom broke me. I stood up and wandered through the aisles of the store. History, fantasy, fiction, romance, young adult. My hands pulled out the most interesting looking books one at a time and returned them after a thorough reading of the summary.
        "Time to get started," Dave announced at the front of the store. I put the book back on the shelf. Taking a hesitant step forward, many different things ran though my mind. Guilt gnawed at the pit of my stomach as I inched closer. Had I hurt his feelings? What if he snapped at me? Was I too harsh? What would Dave say about what I'd said? You see, I don't take confrontation very well. That's why I'm usually by myself. I hardly have the confidence to make eye contact with anyone other than Dave, Lily, Greg, and my family.
        The nervous sensation bubbled down to discomfort when no one batted an evil eye in my direction. Chris glanced up momentarily, but his eyes returned downward while he wiped down the counter. Dave set three mugs on the far end of the counter.
        "Three?" I looked up at him quizzically.
        "Three. One for you, one for me, and one for our newest employee. He's part of the Bailey's Books crew now," Dave explained pleasantly. "We should treat him with respect." I gulped and looked down at my mug when he gave me a knowing look.
        "Let's get to these bills, shall we?" I muttered, flipping open the folder. My eyes scanned down the page of notes we jotted down from last night. Electricity payments, overdue rent for the space, and much more. I sighed and took a long drink of tea.
        "So is this what you do after school?" Chris asked, leaning up against the counter. "Sit around in an old bookstore going over bills and drinking tea with Dave?" I scoffed.
        "As if that's any better than what you do after school mister party hard," I retorted not unkindly. He smirked and picked up his mug. I watched his face scrunch up after he took a sniff of it.
        "What is this stuff? Why is it green?" Chris whined.
        "It's just tea. Try it, green tea helps with relaxation and it's good for you," I told him, taking another hearty drink. He stared down at it suspiciously and carefully took a drink.
        "That'll take some getting used too," he choked out after forcing down his first sip. I smiled at him. Dave sighed at the bills. I think Dave's always been on the edge of losing the bookstore.            He's never said much about how he even came to owning this place. He's flat broke. I can only imagine that he used to be able to afford this. When Bailey was still around, anyway.
        Bailey and Dave got married thirty years ago. They fell in love in high school. Dave was a lesser known football player and Bailey was an honor roll cheerleader, but a secret geek. Or so Dave says. They didn't just fall in love with each other. They fell in love with the idea of living in a bookstore together. They fell in love with the idea that the bookstore would one day be the next Barnes & Nobles.
        Bailey was diagnosed with breast cancer four years ago. She died a year after. Dave has told me the stories of them many times over long days of work. I've heard him commenting sometimes here and there.
        "Watch over the store while I'm out, Bailey," he'd say sometimes before he locked it up. I never said anything to him about it. I didn't find it weird. I'd just pat Dave's back and wish him a good night.
        "Are we gonna be okay for another month?" I asked unsurely. Chris looked over at Dave as well. Dave pursed his lips, pondering over it and doing some quick thinking in his head.
        "Yeah, we'll be alright," he murmured closing the folder. I cocked my head.
        "Don't you want to add up the rest of the money and figure out how we're going to get enough to keep the space?" I asked. Chris watched the conversation intently.
        "I'm gonna close up early tonight," Dave sighed, standing up. He took our mugs and set them in the sink to deal with later. I stood as well and slung my book bag over my shoulder. Chris looked at both of us.
        "So I can go home now?" he asked.
        "Yeah," I answered to the boy who'd obviously never had a job in his life. Dave came out with us. Chris and I waited as he locked up the doors and gave it a careful pat.
        "Watch it for me, will ya Bailey?" he muttered, turning to leave.
        "Night, Dave!" I called to him. He gave me a wave and continued on his way. I frowned and looked to Chris.
        "Why does he talk to the store like that?" he asked in confusion. I smiled.
        "I need to get home," I said dismissively. I began walking in the opposite direction.
        "Wait, do you walk?" Chris asked. I turned and nodded. "Let me give you a ride. It's getting pretty dark anyways." I inwardly rolled my eyes. I always walked home in the dark, but I guess one ride couldn't hurt. He led me to his car, a sleek black sports car. Predictable.
        "Thirty years ago, Dave fell in love with a girl named Bailey Arnold," I began as he pulled out of the parking space. Chris quietly listened to whole drive. I went through their high school love, dreams of owning a bookstore, finally getting it, and then the cancer. "We're on my street." I pointed him in the direction of my house and finished the story. "He's been talking to Bailey ever since, even though she can't speak back."
        I looked over at Chris and did a double take. His eyes glistened in the glow of the car lights.
        "Are you crying?" I asked, taken aback. Chris took a long, wet sniff.
        "No," he lied through a thick voice. I laughed lightly.
        "Oh my god, you're crying," I exclaimed. He rolled his eyes which let a few tears escape.
        "Well it's just so sad. Before you came, he sat in that store all alone. In the store that he and the love of his life dreamt up together. She was supposed to be there with him," Chris cried, looking down at his lap in embarrassment.
        "Well when you put it like that..." I mumbled. "Well I need to get going. Thanks for the ride." The car door popped open quietly.

       "No problem," he replied. I slung my book bag around my shoulders and stepped away from the car. "See you tomorrow."
        "Yeah," I answered before shutting the door. I heard his car pull away as I made my way up the steps. "I'm home!"
        "Welcome home," Mom called back from the living room. They were probably watching some conspiracy show on the history channel like they usually do this time at night. I jogged up the stairs and fell into my bed.
        My mind kept going back to Bailey and Dave. My heart gave a pang when I thought of how alone Dave must have been before I came.