Page 141 of Give & Take

As she walks around the space, trailing her finger along the wall, I can see her doing mental calculations.

“That would make a great gathering place,” I say. “Put a little stage there for author panels. Lots of room for chairs.”

She rolls her lips, glancing briefly at me, then away again.

“And you could knock that wall down and have a cordoned off area for book clubs. Or something.”

This time she narrows her eyes, but I can see the excitement on her face.

“Ida said the only reason this place hasn’t been leased is because it’s around the corner. But all the best bookshops are, aren’t they? There’s this one in San Francisco called?—”

“I don’t want it.”

I frown, turning to face her. Lana’s jaw is set, her eyes daring me to argue.

I could tell her about all the clues I’ve found. About how I just watched her walk around this place with stars in her eyes.

I could tell her I know she’s lying.

But I don’t. I just shrug. “Okay,” I say. “Shall we?”

I head for the door.

Lana doesn’t move.

“You coming?”

“You’re not going to argue with me?”

“Why would I argue with you? You know yourself best. You know what makes you happy.” I stride back to her, hands in pocket. “You love your job at the Dinghy.We’ve seen you there. You make people happy. Why would you want to make people happy anywhere else?”

I look around the room. “It’s a shame, really, because I can picture you now.” I look around the room, squinting like I actually see her. “You’re wearing this flowy dress, black. It dusts the floor as you walk around, helping customers who feel like they’ve walked into their own slice of heaven.”

She folds her arms.

“You’re wearing these sparkly little earrings. A sparkly ring, too,” I say, knowing I’m pushing her.

She opens her mouth, looking alarmed.

“I didn’t tell you what finger it was on, Lana, damn.”

Her lips purse.

“You’re heading over there,” I say, pointing to the area I talked about before, behind the door in the back.

“Come on,” I say, taking her hand. This time, she lets me.

“Here,” I say, pushing through the door to a large back room. Back here there are some industrial shelves, and an abandoned leather office chair, its desk long gone.

“This part here is opened up,” I say, indicating the part I was talking about before after a small reno. “There’s a red velvet curtain separating it from the front, so it’s part of the store, but people still feel like they have a bit of privacy.”

Lana stares, her body still not quite yielding beside me. But I can tell she’s waiting for me to go on.

“They need that privacy, because you know what’s happening there?”

She meets my eyes, her lips twitching now.

“You’re leading a discussion. You told all these women to bring their favorite sexy romance book, and you’re discussing how to show it to their husbands.”

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