Page 49 of This Heart
Aurora shrugged. “You’ll have to ask her yourself.”
Leaning against the kitchen counter, I said, “Don’t worry, I will.”
Smiling down at Winnie, Aurora said, “Today is storytime at the bookstore, will Kim be able to take Winnie for it? I haven’t seen her at the bookstore for two weeks.”
I frowned. “Kim hasn’t taken her in for storytime?”
Aurora shook her head. “Not the morning or afternoon ones. At least, not that I know of. I missed the morning storytime last week. Gary took me for a picnic brunch.”
I managed a nod as I pictured punching Gary square in the jaw. Picnic brunch. What…a fucking good idea, that asshole.
“How are things going with you and Gerald?”
“Gary.”
“Right. Right. How’s that going?”
She shrugged. “It’s okay. I’m not sure things will progress past friendship.”
That lifted my brows and spirits. “Why’s that?”
Another shrug, this time it was smaller. “I thought maybe I would feel something after a few dates, but I don’t think we’re a good fit as a couple. I just don’t have those kinds of feelings for him.”
“I’m sorry, Aurora.”
Looking up at me, she smiled. “Why are you sorry?”
“I don’t know, it seemed like the right thing to say.”
Her smile faltered before she let out a soft exhale. “Anyway, I’m glad I got to see Ms. Winnie.”
I cleared my throat. “To answer your earlier question, I’m off tonight, so it will be me bringing in Winnie. I told Kim how much Winnie liked books and storytime at the bookstore, and to be sure to take her in. I can’t believe she hasn’t taken her to any. I’ll talk to her about it tomorrow.”
When she didn’t say anything, I decided to change the subject. “How is the remodeling going?”
“Good, long, but I’m glad we decided to update the outside of the bookstore. The more modern feel, I think, is attracting more customers. Even locals I haven’t seen before are stopping by.”
“That’s a good thing.”
“I think the clear glass windows and doors allow people to see it’s a bookstore. I know I had the book displays in the windows before, but people couldn’t see inside. Now, there is no mistaking it’s a bookstore. Getting the city to sign off letting me remove the stones and change the inside was hard, but we kept as many historical features as we could, so it was a win-win.”
“It was a well-deserved win. I know what you mean, though. When I remodeled The Muddled Moose, it was an uphill battle trying to change things. The outside of the building was a firm no, but we did a good job of preserving the historical interior. The only place we did any massive changes was the rooftop and the kitchen.”
“I get it, the town wants to keep the charm. But progress is also good. It’s only been a week or so since we revealed the new storefront. Betty Lou came in yesterday to give me her thoughts on the new exterior.”
I rolled my eyes. “Oh gosh, what did she have to say about it?”
“She likes it.”
Surprised, I asked, “What did you say? She liked it? Like liked it, liked it?”
Aurora laughed. “I know, I was surprised too! When I saw her walking in, I groaned audibly, and my mother was ready to go to battle, and Granny put her fists up, as if ready for a fight! Lou had to drag her into the back.”
“I have to ask, why do you call Minnie Granny? Isn’t she your aunt?”
“She is my mother’s aunt, my great-aunt. And I’m not sure why we call her Granny. I’ll have to ask my mother. We’ve called her Granny for as long as I can remember.”
Winnie handed Aurora her empty plate.
