Page 34 of Touch My Shelves

“Can you handle that?” Brax asks and then points out, “I thought your finances were tight.”

I’m excited about this opportunity, right? To get my store back would be unbelievable.

“Well, they offered it to me rent-free for the first year. All I would have to do is refurbish and stock. Hannah said there is already a committee formed to do the work of remodeling.”

“That sounds too good to be true,” he cautions.

I grin because that was my exact same thought when I first moved here. “It does, but I’ve lived here long enough to know how giving this town is.”

Brax stares into my eyes and asks, “Are you going to take them up on the offer?”

“What about me?” Freeya pipes up. “Does this mean you’re leaving?”

Brax is quick to add, “I still have the editing process to go through and a deadline to meet.”

They don’t want me to leave and that shouldn’t make me feel as good as it does. “Hold on. Calm down. I don’t know what I’m going to do about the store, but even if I do take it, that doesn’t mean that Freeya and I can’t still hang out every day. We’ll just do it in a different location.”

Freeya squeals her excitement and asks, “Can I, Dad? Can I help Poppy with her store?”

“I don’t know, honey.” His lips pull into a frown. Does he not like the idea of his daughter being away from him during the day, or is it me he’ll miss? That is a crazy and untrue thought. I understand his caution in allowing Freeya to be outside of his protection.

Besides, too many things must fall in line for this to happen. “Let’s not jump the gun. I still need to hear from insurance to see how much of my inventory they’re going to cover and I need to see the space. This isn’t a done deal yet. Hannah said I have this week to decide.”

Brax drains his teacup. “Then I think we should finish breakfast and go see the building.”

“What?”

* * *

I’m standing in the middle of my potential storefront, wondering how I got here. Brax called Hannah, and the next thing I knew, we were all in his SUV and walking into the most perfect store space ever.

I knew when I stepped inside that it was perfect. It’s big. Bigger than I need. It’s actually two stores connected by arched doorways inside. Each store has plenty of display space with storage, inventory, and workspace in the back. It’s perfect for not only me, but for Naudi as well. I can see us both in the spaces.

We follow Hannah upstairs to the second level, which is a two-bedroom apartment. Again, perfect for me and Naudi. There’s a bedroom on opposite sides, each with an en suite bathroom, and a large, open concept, multipurpose living, dining, and kitchen area between.

Up to this point, Brax has been chatty with Hannah, asking all the questions that I should have been asking, but once we entered the apartment, he’s become mute. I find him staring out the window.

Hannah offers, “Why don’t I take Freeya up to see the rooftop deck?”

I turn and my mouth drops. “There’s a rooftop deck?”

Hannah chuckles. “There is. Come up when you finish checking this space out.”

I join Brax by the wide floor-to-ceiling windows. “I wonder how many times these windows have been replaced because of hurricane damage?”

All I get in response is a halfhearted grin.

“You don’t think I should do this?” I ask.

That shakes him out of the funk he’s drifted into. “What? No. I think this is perfect for you. I think you should go for it.”

“Then what’s…”

When he looks at me, I see the reason for his mood change. I wasn’t expecting it to hurt so much when the emotion I see in his eyes is regret.

“We shouldn’t have crossed the line,” he gruffly says, putting his hands in his pockets and rocking back on his heels. I take a step forward when he moves further away and opens a cabinet door like he’s checking for faulty hinges or loose shelving boards. He closes the door loudly. “I fucked up. It was stupid to let this happen.”

My stomach falls. “What? Why would you say that? We both wanted it.”

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