For Whom the Book Tolls by Laura Gail Black

Author:Laura Gail Black
Language: eng
Format: epub
Publisher: CROOKED LANE BOOKS

Chapter Seventeen

Tuesday proved difficult. All day I put up with Norman moving in and out of my store, my store. The angrier I got at Norman, the more the idea of staying and making a go of the store on my own appealed to me. Maybe it was that psychological thing where kids want to play with a toy only when another child desires it. Norman wanted what I had, and I was determined I would keep it. He spent the day peering over my shoulder, telling me what a great job I was doing for him and chatting with my few customers. He’d stood outside my door at one point for over an hour, announcing to everyone who passed that he now owned Baxter’s Book Emporium. The final straw came in the early afternoon when I overheard a conversation with an elderly female customer who made the mistake of stopping to talk with him.

“What are your plans for the bookstore?” she sweetly asked.

“I’ll probably get rid of all this old junk cluttering up the shelves and turn this place into a first-class adult video store. I may even add a couple of peep-show booths in the back.”

The woman gasped and placed her hand at her throat. “What?” she asked weakly.

“Sure. It’ll get more male customers into the downtown area. Good for everyone’s businesses. It’ll help change the profile of the typical customer around here. I’ll bet it’ll be the most popular store in town with the men.” Norman elbowed the woman, continuing as she paled even further. “And I’ll bet we’ll have our share of women customers too. How about a discount coupon? Or you could come by and audition for a booth space. I’m sure there would be guys who’d want to see a more mature woman put on a show.” He winked at her.

The lady finally managed to gain strength from her building indignation at such rude insinuations. “I would never stoop to darken the door of such a place. As a matter of fact”—she aimed this comment at me as I rushed to the door to try to stop Norman’s outrageous claims—“I’ll never come back to this store. I’ll be sure to tell all of my friends not to come here either. And you, young lady, should be ashamed working in a place like this. What would your mother say?” With that, the woman stormed down the sidewalk, her back rigid and her nose in the air.

By the time I’d recovered from the shock enough to go after Norman, he’d walked beyond my reach, calling over his shoulder that he was going to grab a late lunch. I stood on the sidewalk watching the retreating figure move down the street, gritting my teeth each time he stopped to chat with folks and point at my bookstore. It was obvious he was repeating his story of an adult video store, as several people angrily pulled away from him and gave me scathing looks as they passed me, leaving me to fantasize about throttling my supposed cousin.

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