Page 33 of The Charmed Friends of Trove Isle
Christopher laughed, the sound low and easy. “Jo was one of a kind, that’s for sure. She really loved this place.” He glanced around.
“So I hear.” Melody looked around too. “And honestly, it’s growing on me. I can see why this store was so special to her.” Her gaze locked with his and her breath hitched just slightly. “It’s kind of fun seeing what shows up in the donation box. One man’s junk . . .”
“Is another man’s treasure.” Christopher’s eyes seemed to dance as he completed her sentence. Then he pulled out his cell phone as if he’d felt it buzz in his pocket. After checking the screen, he shoved it back into his jeans and looked up. “My mom’s to-do list for today just came in,” he said. “I better head that way.”
“Well, I’m right next door. Until Sunday, at least. You can always call me if there’s something you think I can do for her.” Melody had always loved Mrs. West when she was growing up. Mrs. West loved to bake fresh cookies and offer them to her and Alyssa on the regular. Melody’s own mother hadn’t even baked them cookies. “I guess I owe you a favor for coming to the store today,” Melody said.
Christopher rubbed his jaw where there was a light five o’clock shadow filling in. “You mean that?”
Melody had a feeling she might regret her offer. “Of course. What do you need?”
“Since my mom is a shut-in, she thrives on company. If you’ve got time . . .” He trailed off. “It would mean a lot to her, to me, if you’d stop in just to say hello. She doesn’t get a lot of visitors other than me, and I’m not the best conversationalist.”
“I don’t know. I think you’re pretty okay company.” Melody didn’t want to like Christopher, but he was such a nice guy that she couldn’t help herself. She also didn’t want to find herself attracted to him. “I’ll try to stop in and see your mom. I’d like that.”
“Thanks. She’ll like it too.” He shrugged. “Who knows? Maybe you and I can catch up again before you leave town.”
Was he flirting? “Yeah. I’d like to hear more about why you turned down my sister’s promposal in high school,” she said. The statement was meant to build back up the invisible wall that Christopher seemed to keep breaking down. “You can list the reasons, and I can tell you how wrong you were.”
Christopher didn’t even blink. “Sounds like a date.”
* * *
The next day, Melody walked into The Bitery and ordered a cinnamon twist and coffee.
“I’ll be over there as soon as the crowd dies down,” Liz promised. Her smile had come a lot easier today than it had earlier in the week. She was tolerating having Melody around, which was progress.
“No problem.” Melody had her laptop with her and was hoping to start planning a retirement party that Julie had emailed her about overnight. The retiree being celebrated had worked thirty years at a law firm and she wanted a huge celebration this fall.
Melody sat down at a table along the wall, opened her laptop, and tapped her thoughts onto the blank document. By the time Liz came over with their breakfasts, Melody was buzzing with all the possibilities for the event. She couldn’t wait to share them with her partner.
“Wow, you look like you’re working hard.” Liz plopped down across from her.
Melody closed her laptop and placed it back in its leather carrying case. Then she pulled her coffee closer and took a deep whiff of the brew. “I swear this stuff smells as good as it tastes.”
Liz grinned over her own cup of coffee. Her gaze flicked to Melody’s laptop. “So, what are you working on?”
“A retirement party I’ve been contracted for. I woke up early and my brain has been buzzing with ideas ever since.”
Liz picked at her muffin bite. “You’re planning eventsandcleaning out the thrift store?”
“Not exactly. I know it’s what Abigail suggested, but I have a feeling Jo would haunt me until I die if I emptied out her beloved thrift store. In fact, she’s already haunting me a little.”
Liz furrowed her brow.
Melody waved a hand. “Don’t worry. I’m not seeing apparitions or anything. I’ve just realized exactly how much she loved that place. It feels like a little piece of her is still there. So,” she sucked in a breath, “I’ve decided to clean the store up and find a buyer who wants to operate it as is.”
“Someone who wants to run it as a thrift store?” Liz asked, surprise lifting her brow.
Melody nodded. “Yep. I know that’s a tall order, especially since I’m leaving on Sunday. The store wouldn’t remain open all the time, but there’s nothing to say I can’t travel back and forth between here and Charlotte and keep it open on the weekends. At least until it’s sold. Maybe I won’t get as much money off the store, but if Jo’s vision is preserved, that’s more important, right?”
Liz grinned back at her. “Wow.”
“What?” Melody asked. “You’re giving me a strange look.”
“I’m not looking at you any specific way,” Liz argued.
“You are. You’re looking at me like I just rescued a puppy or something.”
