Page 8 of Touch My Shelves

Jen ended up getting the teddy for Hannah and two other pieces for herself, one of which is the purple set. I wish Naudi could see how happy her designs make women.

“Are you coming to the cookout tonight? Hannah said you might.”

I don’t always go to the Murphy’s weekly Thursday night cookout. Probably because it reminds me too much of home, but I do love being around them and their family and friends. “Yeah, I’ll be there.”

The rest of the afternoon flies by with one customer after another. Mostly tourists. I can’t believe I can pick them out now from the locals. They come in and go straight to the gently used book area, needing beach reads.

Katie Walsh, better known as the Ghost Lady, comes in with more of her books on the ghosts of Faire Island. She gives lantern-led walking tours around the island in the evenings.

I find her story fascinating. She started the tours for extra money when she was in college in Wilmington. Over four years, she developed the tours to incorporate her theatrical background. When she graduated with a degree in history, she took her simple idea and formed the successful Old Town Tour Company. Katie even wrote a book about the ghosts of coastal North Carolina.

Folks can buy her book here and also buy tickets to her walking tours. I’ve been on one myself and it freaked me out.

That’s how the fickle world of publishing goes. Some hit the magic formula and shoot to the top, and others work for years without ever finishing. I’m part of the latter group.

I close the store and run upstairs to take a quick shower and change into a pink and orange floaty sundress, a Naudi original. Most of my wardrobe is, or I find items at secondhand stores. Naudi gets my vintage day dress vibe and is happy to give me my fixes when she runs across a fabric that will work.

I keep my makeup simple, just mascara with a bright pink lip to match my pink kitten heels. The colors compliment my shoulder-length purple hair perfectly. I do take the time to straighten my hair. No clue why I go to the trouble, though, because once the sea air hits my natural curls, the straight, slick look will be history. I grab my bag and rush out the door.

As soon as I step onto the Murphy’s back deck, I’m spotted.

“Poppy, dear, I’m so glad you could come,” Hannah says and gives me a hug.

I return the affectionate gesture. It’s taken me a while to get used to the “hugginess” of this group. “Thank you so much for inviting me.”

Hannah swirls her finger and I do a spin. “Is that one of your friend’s creations? I love it.”

I look down and brush my palms over the front of the sundress. “Yes, it is.”

Hannah peers closely at the fabric. “It’s beautiful. Any chance there’s one in my size?”

I giggle. “Nope. Sorry.”

Hannah snaps her fingers. “Your friend is missing out. Now, let’s get you a drink and you can join Shy and Kimberly.”

Hannah digs around for a can of blackberry fizzy water. How she remembers my drink of choice is a mystery to me. I bet she could match everyone here with their favorite beverage.

Shy and Kimberly give me a hug. “You’re just the person we need to talk to,” Kimberly says as I sit down on a vacant Adirondack chair beside them at the fire pit.

“We need a book for next month’s book club meeting,” Shyanne says.

Her request makes me chuckle. I’ve been ordering their books and attending their book club meetings for six months and never once has the book of the month been discussed. Nobody really cares. All I can say is a grand time is always had by all. “Well, it will be October, so why don’t you do Katie Walsh’s new book on ghosts?”

Shy and Kimberly squeal. “That’s perfect! Maybe we can get her to come do a few stories for us. You know, like a live reading,” Kimberly suggests.

Shyanne nods and adds, “I’ll come up with a spooky drink. Maybe something that looks like blood with gummy worms.”

Kimberly frowns. “Don’t get carried away, Shy. I don’t know if I want to overindulge in something that looks like blood.”

“How about a green glow-in-the-dark spiked punch in a smoking cauldron of dry ice?” I say and both women squeal again. I guess we’re going with that.

Before we can talk more about the meeting, cellphones start going off around the back yard.

“What is it?” I ask as more than a dozen people run for their cars. I look up to find Hannah standing beside me. The look on her face is serious as she leans in and wraps her arms around me. My stomach drops. This can only be bad.

“Poppy, I have some bad news. I need you to brace yourself and remember everything will be okay. Sweetie, the bookstore is on fire.”

I look up at her and blink, sure that I’ve heard her wrong. “What?” I can manage no more than a whisper.

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