Someday Promised

Chapter 23

Sydney's POV 

I opened my phone and stared at the photo, it was me, with a big cheesy smile on my face, the one Brooks had framed on his desk when he was in college. 

Look what I found. -B

I didn't know what to make of it, the way my heart flip-flopped at the memory, it bounced from nostalgia to heartbreak and everything in between within seconds. I remembered all that version of me had gone through but it also made me realize how different my life was now, and how proud of myself I am. I know more about who I am and what I wanted out of life than I ever would have if I hadn't gone through what I did, or if I hadn't moved to North Carolina. I think about the people that I had met or the experiences that I had, I think about every laugh, brunch, and conversation I shared with Quinn in the walls of our dorm and then in our apartment. 

It led me to one of the most beautiful experiences in my life and as I looked at that picture of myself, I was grateful for the heartbreak I endured to give that to me. I thought about what my response would be, I didn't know if I wanted to share all that photo made me feel with Brooks but I didn't want to leave him on read either, so I settled for funny and sarcastic, it is my go-to response to most things so it should be expected at this point. 

Who's that chick, she's hot. Toss her my digits. -S

Get in line Graves. I called first dibs. -B

Shit. Man ain't playin' around anymore, is he? I think to myself as heat flushes across my body and look around The Graveyard to see if anyone notices my distraction.

They don't. So, I don't push my luck, shove my phone in the back pocket of my vintage Levi's, and continue with the next task on my to-do list as I try and push the thoughts of Brooks out of my mind. It's not an easy task, let me tell you, but luckily Janice and Lance, the two newest and most incredible employees are here to keep me motivated. 

***

The last few weeks have felt like a whirlwind, we're only a week away from the wedding and three weeks away from the opening. I'm only slightly starting to panic. 

The key word being slightly. 

Janice and Lance are so excited about this project that they have been coming in a few days a week, unpaid, unless you count donuts and coffee, to help me sort through the books that have been dropped off, organize more inventory, and retail, set up furniture, and touch up any paint said furniture has scratched on its way in. 

Janice, or Grams as Lance has now coined her, has taken over the "free library" project, the bookshelf has been delivered and is now half-filled with the first round of books- we had so many that we decided we wouldn't be able to put them all out at once, so we'll shuffle them through as people exchange what we have out. I couldn't believe the response once I had made the post on our social media page, boxes of books were left outside the door, on my porch, at my parent's house. Apparently, we had a secret book club of smut readers in Westville cause some of these covers...WHEW...makes a girl sweat just looking at them. Janice is obviously the president of our Secret Smut Society because she has read about all the romance novels that have come through, which helps so she already knows what books go on the top shelf away from the kids section...wink, wink... if you catch my drift. 

Lance has mastered the Square program, entered all of the inventory,  added all of the employees, and set up a reward system for returning customers, the 10th coffee is free!  Then he started looking over the schedule and that gave me the afternoon to go pay for that vintage couch that hasn't left my brain since I saw it. It's a little out of my budget but with the grace of the first payment of Mrs. Anderson's inheritance, I'll be able to swing it and put a solid dent in the credit card debt I've wracked up being unemployed. So Yay. Look at Adult Syd, go.