Page 25 of No Rings Attached
Ellie laughed. “No way. That’s it?”
“Yup. You’d be surprised at how big an honor that is.” I chuckled.
“I can see why you like Ruby River so much.” Ellie’s wistful sigh made me wonder what it was like in her town. I could only imagine what it was like at home for her. “What was it like to grow up here?” she asked.
“Small town life is like no other place.” How could I sum up my entire life and how much this town affected the person I’d become? I turned us to face the street, gestured to the old familiar buildings and gave it a try. “What I loved most was growing up in a neighborhood that felt like something you’d see on TV. We knew everyone. Adults, kids, grandparents, and even some of their out-of-town relatives that visited regularly. It didn’t matter what day of the week it was, there was always someone to play with. And despite the pain of everyone knowing your business, the second anything bad happens, we have each other’s back.”
She was quiet for a moment. I followed her gaze to the bookstore down the street and wished I could take her there. It was currently under renovation, but if Ellie came back to Ruby River, we could make it our first stop. “That sounds wonderful. We lived on a small, dead end street with mostly older couples. It was usually just my sister and me. And when she was sick, there really wasn’t time to take me to friends’ homes for a playdate, so I’d usually read in the hospital to pass the time.”
My heart hurt for little Ellie, but I knew she didn’t tell me so I’d pity her. Her sadness tugged at my heartstrings. I tightened my arm around her, secretly hoping I could find a way to make sure she was never sad again.
I took her hand, and we walked in silence past the general store, the local lawyer’s office, and the dance studio lost to our thoughts.
After the dance studio, Ellie’s natural enthusiasm returned and she stopped to take in the buildings around us.
I pointed to the hardware store across the street. “That’s where I had my first job.”
Confusion creased her eyebrows, and little wrinkles appeared above the straight bridge of her nose. “Not at Kingsley Jewelry?”
I shook my head. “My parents wanted me to understand what it was like to work for someone else.” I twisted my lips and rolled my eyes to emphasize what I thought about that.
She giggled. “Was it that bad?”
“The job I didn’t mind. It was my boss. He’d been running the place for over fifty years and had his own way he wanted to do things. He was the biggest grump. The kind of guy who shooed kids off his lawn all summer. But it was a humbling lesson to learn from him. He taught me basic carpentry skills, how to handle difficult customers, and that new wasn’t always better.”
She tilted her head, her long blonde hair shifting and falling behind her shoulder. “How so?”
“I wanted to modernize the place, bring in new equipment, make our jobs easier, but that’s not what he wanted. And after a while, I realized it wasn’t about me and my big ideas. He didn’t want to hear them and was happy with the way things were. But it did give me a better appreciation of listening to my employees and the insight to appreciate their contributions.”
“Does he still own the place?”
“No, he retired a few years back and his granddaughter took over. Not that retiring has slowed him down at all. He’s still a pain at our town hall meetings and usually likes to slow anything down that might bring us into the current century.”
“I bet he’s a hoot to listen to.”
I laughed. “You have no idea.”
We resumed our walk and soon Ellie stopped and peered into the window of the bookstore. “Oh shoot.” Her gaze landed on the ‘Closed for Renovations’ sign and future re-opening date. “This place looks like a treasure trove. It’s too bad I won’t be here when it opens again.”
I hated the sadness in her tone and had to stop myself from saying she could always come back again. But I didn’t want her to feel pressured.
I squeezed her hand. “The owners decided to retire while young enough to travel the world and Adele, their daughter, wants to update the store before reopening it.”
“What a cool legacy to pass on.” A hint of interest in Ellie’s voice made me wonder what she was thinking.
Next door to the bookstore was a tattoo shop. “My youngest brother, Wyatt owns the place. Want to meet him?” I asked as I waved to one of my sister’s friends passing by pushing a double stroller. Inside, her newborn and toddler were napping and I felt that strange flutter in my chest again.
Ellie pursed her lips. “Should I wait until you explain things to him?”
“He already knows. Likely Glamma messaged the rest of my family as soon as she left the office.”
She swallowed. Her hand tightened on mine, cutting off the circulation to the tips of my fingers. “Okay. Let’s do it.”
I opened the door and tugged Ellie gently behind me. Wearing her trademark faded band tee, Vivi Darling, Wyatt’s partner at the shop, frowned at the front desk and glared behind her blue cat’s eyes glasses.
“Did you lose another receptionist?” I asked. As a tattoo artist and co-owner, she didn’t normally greet customers.
She rolled her eyes and tucked her short black bob behind her ears causing her diamond engagement ring to sparkle in the light. Vivi was like a sister to our family and everyone hated her fiancé. “Tell your brother to stop breaking their hearts and maybe we can keep one for longer than two weeks.”
