Page 9 of Touch My Shelves

“There was a call in to 911 that the bookstore is on fire. I don’t have any more news than that. Come on, I’ll drive you over. Just know that whatever happens, we’re here for you.”

This can’t be real. I’m in total shock as we all pile into Hannah’s SUV. I’m even more stunned as I stand down the street from my store and watch it go up in flames. All my dreams. All my hard work. Gone. I’d sunk every cent I had into the store and was finally getting my life together.

All I have to my name is what’s in my handbag and what’s on my body. My clothes. All my beautiful clothes that Naudi made or I’d found over years of searching. I’ve been working on my wardrobe since I was in high school and decided I liked the vintage look and didn’t want to fall into what everyone else deemed acceptable. Now… gone.

I’m homeless. Old feelings of insecurity creep in. Feelings of being alone. My brain overloads and a white static hum is all I see and hear. I don’t even notice Kimberly leading me away from the fire or helping me change into a nightgown before tucking me into one of the beds at her inn.

Someone says not to worry, that everything will work out. Then I close my eyes, choosing to believe them, and fall asleep.

* * *

I take another sip of coffee as I sit at Kimberly’s kitchen table surrounded by concerned friends. There’s a chicken sitting on a box filled with eggs beneath the window. That would be the famous Henrietta I’ve heard so much about.

It’s been a week since the fire. It started in the bathroom upstairs where I’d been using my hot iron and faulty wiring is being named as the likely cause. An insurance adjuster will be out within the next two weeks. I was only renting the building, and the city doesn’t know if they will rebuild. There are no other vacant spaces available and there’s no way I could build and restock from what insurance will pay. Then there’s my personal losses—everything.

I’ve been staying at the Inn and Kimberly won’t let me pay for the room. The town rallied around me and by the morning after the fire, I had everything I could possibly need. Clothes, makeup, shoes, coats, and so much more has been donated. Even a week later, I’m still in shock as their generosity continues to come in.

“So, what do you think?” Kimberly asks and I tune back in. She, Hannah, and Jen are staring at me from around the table.

I rub my forehead. “I’m sorry, I don’t know where my head is at these days. What did you say?”

Kimberly pats my hand. “Don’t worry about it. I said there’s a construction crew on standby. All you have to do is say the word and they’ll start your new store. Everyone is donating their labor.”

I don’t know my friends’ financial situations, but I know it’s not destitute like mine. “That’s extremely generous of them and so nice, but I don’t have the money to build.”

Hannah asks, “Not even with insurance? I know it might be a while before you see a payout, but you can charge supplies at the hardware store.”

Tears sting my eyes as I look at my friends. They are concerned about me and want to help, but they’ve already done so much. “I think it’s time to admit that I may not be able to stay here.”

Hannah wraps me in a hug. “No, Poppy. I refuse to believe that. You’re one of us now.”

Kimberly squeezes my hand and smiles. “Sweetie, you can stay here at the Inn as long as you like.”

I’ve never been one to take handouts and I refuse to do so now. “No. Thank you for offering, but I need to find a job and a place to stay.”

Kimberly grins and starts to offer, “I can invest—”

I quickly shake my head. I’ve taken enough charity from these people. “No, thank you, Kimberly. I will not take money from you or from anyone else. I need to find a job and a place to live on my own. I have to stand on my own two feet.”

Hannah taps her chin. “I maybe can help with that. I know of someone looking for a live-in nanny and I bet the pay is very good. Would you at least talk to him? I know it’s not a long-term fix, but you would start to work on a nice nest egg for when you can reopen the bookstore.”

I don’t see myself as childcare. I mean, I love kids, but I’d hoped my days of babysitting were over. To me, it would be a step backwards. “I don’t know.”

“I think you’d be really good at it,” Jen says. “You had Brianna asleep in record time. It may not be your dream job, but it would be a start to rebuilding your business.”

“Well…maybe.”

And that’s how I find myself standing in front of a castle. That’s right, a castle, and rapping a large metal ring held between the teeth of a ferocious-looking lion’s head to announce my arrival.

How crazy is my life?

CHAPTER 4

BRAX

There’s a knock on the door that echoes through the lower level and I frown. I know who it is and I’m not thrilled with the person Hannah recommended. She has no experience with teaching. In fact, she’s homeless and only taking the job because her store burned to the ground and she has no place to stay.

Hannah is hard to say no to, though, and I am desperate. I need a nanny, so I need to play nice and keep her here long enough to find a qualified replacement. You can be assured I will keep a close eye on her dealings with my daughter.

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