Page 8 of Like A Daydream
Em <3:this is Jack. Stop talking 1D to my wife, Spencer. I’m the one who put a ring on it
danielle:yeah, yeah.
Em <3:he loves you, don’t worry
danielle:love you both! Coffee on me when you get here xx
Em <3:we only come for the coffee, D.
Danielle grins, tucks her phone back into her pocket, and heads to the front door. She flips the lock at the same time as she flips the sign to ‘OPEN’ and her day begins.
Her first customers are two twin brothers who like to give her grief whenever they come in. David and Frank have to be in their mid-eighties, and come with the unsettling habit of calling Democrats, demonrats.
They think it’s charming, she thinks it’s annoying, but they love to wander around and be in the store when they don’t have much else to do.
They’ve been in Lake Placid their whole lives, and sometimes will bring in antiques to show her, like today. Frank had brought in the first film reel he had ever owned: a black and white, silent film from the 20’s that was stamped RKO.
They also leave with two new books each, today, which is unusual for them, and she treats them to a cup of coffee.
Her mother says she won’t turn a profit if she keeps giving them drinks for free, but Danielle doesn’t mind. They’re just about the only ones in town she’ll do it for and only once in a while.
Her second customer is a tatted tourist who she immediately wants to be friends with. She’s direct and hilarious and in town from North Carolina, for the weekend. She even offers up the hot take that the Adirondacks have nothing on the Blue Ridge Parkway, and Danielle doesn’t have a response to that. The furthest south she’s ever been is Philadelphia for their senior trip to the Liberty Bell in high school.
A lot of people come from all over the world, just to see what all the fuss is about when it comes to the Adirondack Mountains. And who could blame them? 6.1 million acres of privately-owned land in Upstate New York, it’s itching to be explored and loved by anyone willing to see it.
She thinks that it’s one of America’s best-kept, not-so-secret, secrets. People come here to hike the High Peaks, but it’s not a National Park, so it’s not as big of a draw as other places in the country.
Danielle isn’t sure there’s a better place to live.
The rest of her morning ebbs and flows with regulars. Most of whom she really enjoys, but some who intrigue her. They’re an odd bunch, the ones that shop at Spine Crackers, but it makes the days pass quickly and keeps her entertained.
There’s Kendrick, the guy who confuses her bookstore with a record store on a weekly basis and asks when they’re getting the new Rolling Stones record; Dan, the man who sits in the window of the café area from noon until six every day reading his newspaper or doing work on his computer; and Tori, who says she likes the idea of books but not reading them.
At around noon, and ambulance goes by and Danielle pauses her conversation with someone she’s ringing out to listen to the sirens.
“I hope everything’s okay,” the customer says, watching it pass through the window as a police car follows behind it.
“It was probably an accident at the lake,” Danielle says, not thinking too much of it. “It happens when it’s so busy. That’ll be nineteen forty-three, please.”
Each time the bell on the door rings, Danielle looks up and expects to see Emerson coming in with Jack. They had just seen each other for a movie night the night before, but living in such a small town it was rare that a day passed without seeing her.
They had been friends since they were kids, going from elementary school all the way to high school together and only separating when they went to college. Danielle had stayed local, going to Paul Smith’s so she could be close to home. Emerson had stayed in New York, but had gone all the way across the state to University of Buffalo to follow Jack. Danielle had been Maid of Honor at their wedding, and she was their daughter Harper’s godmother.
The four of them were like a little unit outside of Danielle’s blood family. If they weren’t together, it was rare that they weren’t texting, or calling each other.
“These summer tourists are driving me insane already,” her friend and employee, Cara, says to her. She’s balancing a stack of Mass-Market paperbacks in her hands as she emerges from the stock room and office in the back.
She’s twenty-four, and heading back down south to go to grad school when the fall comes. She’d come to the Adirondacks for her undergrad and decided to stay year-round in Lake Placid. She had told Danielle it was to get out from under her brother’s shadow, and hadn’t given any details beyond that.
“It’s only the first day,” Danielle says with a laugh. “You’ve got a long way to go if you’re annoyed already.”
“Just… people,” Cara says with a shudder. Danielle laughs, and goes to check the coffee. “Have you heard anything from Jet or Ainsley about how their cabins are doing?”
“Why would I hear anything from either of them?” Danielle asks. “I only see them when they come into the store, and that’s not super often anymore.”
“I’ve heard rumors that some hot shot hockey player is in town,” Cara says, “but no one will confirm or deny. I’m guessing he’d be staying in one of the cabins if it’s true.”
“Rumors,” Danielle shrugs, “I would have heard it from someone other than you if it was true.”
